Britain's best broadband providers

Who are the best and worst broadband providers in Britain? Szu Ping Chan finds out.

It was a case of out with the old, and in with the new this week, as newcomer O2 was crowned Britain's best broadband provider, while traditional companies such as BT and AOL were left at the bottom of the pile.

The largest independent broadband survey by USwitch looked at nine broadband providers across 11 categories, including customer service, ease of use and technical support.

O2 came first in nine categories, scoring a 92% overall customer satisfaction rating, while bringing up the rear was AOL, with only 66% of customers satisfied.

Here's a closer look at how they shaped up:

O2 has blown away all competition since it joined the broadband race in October 2007, and is a firm favourite among reviewers and lovemoney.com readers alike.

With unlimited downloads, speeds of up to 20Mb, and free, UK based call centres on offer, it's not hard to see why.

Value for money

O2 also came top in terms of value for money, and you're one of the 19.5 million people with an O2 mobile, you also qualify for £5 a month off all broadband plans.

This means you could get unlimited 8Mb broadband for just £7.34 a month, or 20Mb broadband for £9.79 a month - far less than the £15.65 you'll have to fork out for BT's cheapest package.

Cheaper still is Plusnet, which recently launched a Value package costing just £5.99 a month. If you're willing to commit for 18 months, you get a free wireless router (plus £6.99 delivery) plus free connection.

Plusnet has won several awards for its excellent customer service, and if you're not with O2, or simply want the cheapest no-strings package, this provider is well worth considering.

The Value package does have a monthly download limit of 10GB, though this should only be a problem if you download several high-quality movies or thousands of music tracks per month. Have a play with this broadband calculator to get an idea of your usage.

Spin-offs rule!

It's interesting to note that O2 and Plusnet both have links with BT. O2 is owned by Telefónica, which took over parts of the ex BT Cellnet business in 2006, while BT bought Plusnet in 2007.

But while the spin-offs come up trumps, BT could only manage seventh place overall, and was judged worst in terms of value for money.

Right at the bottom, AOL was also least likely to be recommended out of the nine providers, though it was not worst for customer service or technical support - that crown went to Orange.

So bigger isn't always better, and though goliaths AOL, Orange and BT have a 50% market share,  they are also the worst three providers, while newcomers O2, Plusnet and Sky, which represent just 15% of the market take the top three spots.

Speed it up

The survey also revealed that customers value speed - even over price.

When asked the most important thing about broadband access, 58% of respondents said fast speeds, compared to just 36% who prized low costs above everything.

And, as providers get their act together, superfast broadband is already knocking on our doors.

Last year, BT announced plans to roll out its £1.5 billion fibre optic network to 10 million homes by 2012, while Virgin, which brought us 50Mb broadband, recently announced it was upgrading 2Mb customers to 10Mb speeds free of charge - and even hinted at a 150Mb service in the future.

Maximum speeds you can achieve should now also be clearer, and following action by regulator Ofcom, almost all broadband providers are now required to give you this information before you sign up.

The truth is, broadband is getting cheaper and faster, with average prices in 2009 down from £15.27 in 2008 to £14.55, and speeds up from 3.6Mb to 4.24Mb.

But as we take a step in the right direction, it's still important to shop around for a good deal. That way, when things change, your own package will always keep pace - in terms of both price, and quality.

Search for a better broadband deal with lovemoney.com!

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