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Internet Service How do I choose an Internet Service Provider for my home computer? First, you need to choose between a dial-up modem access or a broadband access. Unless you intend to be online for only a few hours per month, we strongly recommend you go straight for broadband access. This will also enable you to use advanced services like WiFi and Voice over IP. Dial-up services are available as metered, call-by-call services or as unmetered services with a monthly subscription. Depending on your level of usage, your monthly fees may not exceed more than a few pounds. Why is broadband worth the extra money? If you can afford the little extra money, the convenience of broadband access is definitely worthwhile. High-speed online connections are many times faster than standard 56k modems and mostly available through cable or DSL modems. They are 'always on', unmetered, stable and don't block your phone line. Not surprisingly, the number of high-speed connections is rising strongly, surpassing 6 million broadband households and small businesses in December 2004. In November 2004 already 38% of home Internet connections used broadband. Some service providers offer cheap online rates as part of a package of other utility services (phone, electricity, gas, water). What costs should I expect for my broadband connection? Fees start from about £16 per month (as of February 2005), but can go up to £28 per month, if you need a very fast connection without any limits to the transmitted data volume. The cheapest packages typically limit the speed to 512kbps, some cap the data stream at 1GB per month. Since August 2004 there are also metered broadband services available; they can be cheaper than unmetered services, but are typically limited in their data streams, so this is especially interesting for people with relatively little web use. Who are the leading ISPs in the UK? There are hundreds of Internet Service Providers in England, for dial-up, broadband, satellite or wireless Internet services. Several stand out because of their size, experience and visibility:
Contact information for ISPs:
An excellent, independent and constantly updated resource on ISPs in the UK is a website called ISP Review. So, which ISP offers the best broadband deal? In June 2005, the best deal was offered by Tiscali and Virgin, charging only £14.99 per month for speeds of 1 Mbps, with a datastream cap of 2 GB per month. Here are selected package prices for the bigger high-speed Internet Service Providers:
Prices listed exclude introductory offers. Check out ADSLuk for excellent, detailed and independent information on all ISPs and prices. Some of these providers still demand one-off installation charges, but – due to healthy competition – many operators are offering "free-connection/free-modem" packages. Important: Many offers require a minimum sign-up time of 12 months. Consider the consequences should you need to switch providers or leave the country before the 12 months are over. What if I need more time to decide? Simply get a free-trial dial-up connection for a month and then decided which broadband service to choose. Where do I get the ISP access software from? CD-ROMs with ISP access software are available in many high street stores like Dixons, HMV, Link, etc. Alternatively, buy one of the Internet beginners magazines on the market, they usually contain a couple of CD-ROMs and information about many different ISPs. How do I get wireless broadband at home (WiFi)? Many laptops these days are installed with WiFi cards (operating under the 802.11 standards family). Should you enjoy being able to move around your flat/house without wires, then you might want to install a WiFi hotspot at home. The costs involved are about £100 and you might need someone with IT experience to help you set it up. Alternatively, you might just want to use your corporate laptop in public places in London. There are several thousand hotspots in the UK and half a million users (October 2003). Most hotels, many restaurants and pubs as well as coffee chains Caffè Nero and Starbucks now have wireless hotspots. Their reach typically is about 25 to 100 meters. To locate them, search this WiFi Map. There are also large 'free zones' like the one set up between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. How can I use my broadband connection to make cheaper phone calls using VoIP? A technology on the horizon is Voice over IP (VoIP), basically making phone calls through the Internet, instead of the public phone networks. In theory, it offers the possibility of free call to anywhere in the world, from anywhere in the world. However, there are very few UK providers so far and they charge rates that offer little incentive to switch from traditional residential phone services. Furthermore, they limit the number of countries you can make calls to, excluding those destinations that are most expensive when using standard phone lines. It will be interesting to follow market developments. |
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