Mobile and broadband provider Plusnet and mobile network giffgaff tie in first place, scooping an impressive four awards each at the annual Uswitch Awards
Plusnet takes home the Best Value awards for both broadband and SIM Only while Mobile Network of the Year goes to giffgaff
Tesco Mobile are awarded three gongs, including Best Value Pay Monthly
The Customer Service awards go to Plusnet, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Media
Sky is named Quadplay Provider of the Year
TV Provider of the Year goes to NOW TV, while Netflix picks up both Best TV Content and Best TV Streaming Service
The judging panel gave Mobile Manufacturer of the Year to Samsung, but Handset of the Year goes to Apple’s iPhone X.
giffgaff and Plusnet fought off the competition to take home an impressive four trophies each atthe Uswitch.com Awards, which recognises excellence in Mobile, Broadband and TV.
Held last night at The Postal Museum in London, the annual awards ceremony saw giffgaff scoop awards for Network of the Year, Best SIM Only Network, Best Network for Data and Best PAYG Network. Plusnet also took home four awards, including Broadband Provider of the Year, and the Best Value awards for SIM Only and for Broadband.
MVNO Tesco Mobile took home three awards including Best Pay Monthly Network, and Best Value Pay Monthly while Sky took the title of Quadplay Provider of the Year. TalkTalk’s triple play offering won the crown for Best Broadband, TV and Home Phone.
In addition, Plusnet, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Media were all recognised for their commitment to customer service.
Uswitch’s judging panel comprising of experts in technology, consumer affairs and personal finance handed the Telecoms Innovation Award to Apple for its Face ID technology in the iPhone X, which also took the Handset of The Year gong. Samsung, meanwhile, was awarded Mobile Manufacturer of the Year by the judging panel.
In the TV categories, Amazon’s Fire Stick was awarded Best Smart Media Device, while Netflix’s well-curated selection of original series and production was singled out by judges as Best TV Content. They also scooped Best TV Streaming Service. NOW TV won TV Provider of the Year.
2018 Uswitch Award Winners & Runners Up
| Broadband & TV Categories | Winner | Runner-up | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Best Broadband, TV & Home Phone | TalkTalk | Sky | ||
| Best Provider Customer Service | Plusnet | Vodafone | ||
| Best Smart Media Device (judges’ award) | Amazon Fire Stick | Sky Q | ||
| Best TV Content (judges’ award) | Netflix | Sky TV | ||
| Best TV Streaming Service | Netflix | Amazon Video | ||
| Best Value Broadband Provider | Plusnet | TalkTalk | ||
| Broadband Provider of the Year | Plusnet | TalkTalk | ||
| Fastest Broadband Provider | Virgin Media | BT | ||
| TV Provider of the Year | NOW TV | TalkTalk | ||
| Most Popular Broadband Provider | BT | Sky | ||
| Mobile Categories | Winner | Runner-up | ||
| Best Network Coverage | O2 | Vodafone | ||
| Best Network for Customer Service | Tesco Mobile | Virgin Media | ||
| Best Network for Data | giffgaff | BT Mobile | ||
| Best Network for Roaming | Three | EE | ||
| Best Pay Monthly Network | Tesco Mobile | BT Mobile | ||
| Best PAYG Network | giffgaff | Asda | ||
| Best Retailer for Customer Service | Virgin Media | Apple | ||
| Best SIM Only Network | giffgaff | Virgin Media | ||
| Best Value Pay Monthly | Tesco Mobile | Virgin Media | ||
| Best Value SIM Only | Plusnet Mobile | iD Mobile | ||
| Handset of the Year (judges’ award) | Apple iPhone X | Samsung Galaxy S8/S8+ | ||
| High Street Retailer of the Year | Tesco | Three | ||
| Mobile Manufacturer of the Year (judges’ award) | Samsung | Apple | ||
| Mobile Reseller of the Year | Mobiles.co.uk | Mobile Phones Direct | ||
| Online Retailer of the Year | Apple | eBay | ||
| Most Popular Mobile Network | Three | EE | ||
| Network of the Year | giffgaff | Sky | ||
| Mobiles, Broadband & TV Categories | Winner | Runner-up | ||
| Telecoms Innovation Award (judges’ award) | Face ID | Google Home | ||
| Quadplay Provider of the Year | Sky | TalkTalk |
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert atUswitch.com, comments: “In an ever changing world where consumers are – quite rightly – demanding flexibility, quality and value, these standout providers are leading the charge, giving consumers what they want, and clearly doing it well.
“Last year was hugely notable for MVNOs, something reflected in the roll call of award winners with the likes of giffgaff, Tesco Mobile and Virgin Media all walking away with awards in key categories. For an impressive second year in a row, Plusnet led the way on the broadband front, taking home Broadband Provider of the Year, as well as three further awards crediting its stellar customer service and overall value
“In handsets, the battle between mobile giants Apple and Samsung is as hot as ever, with the iPhone X snapping up the title of Handset of the Year, while Samsung was awarded Manufacturer of the Year. However, it looks as though this year, Apple may have pipped its rival to the post. Not only did it scoop Online Retailer of the Year but its pioneering Face ID security system was acknowledged with the Telecoms Innovation Award.
“The buzz around on-demand TV shows no signs of slowing, mirrored here with Netflix landing two of the four television gongs and NOW TV being awarded with TV Provider of the Year. In the last few years, our viewing habits have changed from being bound by TV schedules to having the freedom to watch what we want, when we want – leading that charge is undoubtedly Netflix, the doyenne of on-demand, serving up instant classics and old favourites all in one place.
“Congratulations to all winners of the 2018 Uswitch Awards which recognise excellence and innovation in the Mobile, Broadband and TV market. Here’s to the year ahead being even greater.”
Find out how you could save over £1,000 a year with Uswitch.com here.
Claire Jones
Phone: 020 7148 4663
Email: Claire.Jones@uswitch.com
Twitter: @uswitchPR
Unless specified below, the Uswitch Awards were decided by a UK consumer panel of 5,603 adults, aged 18+. Responses were collected between 18 December 2017 - 02 January 2018.
Categories not decided by the consumer panel were decided by a panel of expert judges (Full list of nominees and the Uswitch judging panel: https://www.uswitch.com/mobiles/broadband-and-mobile-awards/)
Awards decided by judges are highlighted in the table above. The Most Popular Broadband Provider award and Most popular Mobile Network award were calculated using the consumer panel and Uswitch sales. Fastest Broadband Provider of the Year was based on data collected via uSwitch’s consumer speed testing tool between 1st January 2017 and 31st December 2017. More than 1m speed tests were run during this period.
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