The top five largest broadband providers in the UK

There are many ISP services that are available, and the number of available broadband deals can sometimes be overwhelming. Some focus on Internet speed, whilst others aim to keep the costs low. Learn more about the best Internet Service Providers and how they differ in the following article.

Introduction

Listed below are the top five Internet Service Providers that are available to UK customers, and how one each of them differs.

Top five

British Telecom (including PlusNet) British Telecom currently have the most broadband subscribers in the UK, with recent statistics indicating a user base of over five million. In a successful attempt to maintain their position as the top Internet Service Provider, BT purchased rights to their rival company (PlusNet) in 2006. Former brand identities include BT Yahoo! Broadband, BT Openworld and BT broadband. Virgin Media Virgin Media provide the second most popular broadband services in the UK. In 2009 and 2010, Ofcom
(the government-approved independent agency for regulating the telecommunication industry) conducted comprehensive Internet speed tests. These tests indicated that Virgin Media provides the fastest Internet connections, outperforming all the other major ISPs in the UK. TalkTalk (AOL, Tiscali, Pipex) TalkTalk was founded in 2003 as a subsidiary of The Carphone Warehouse, and only became a stand-alone company in 2010. It is another major contender in the ISP industry, with a user base very close to Virgin Media in size. The TalkTalk corporation encompasses, and still operates under the AOL brand. The company also offers services to business customers under the TalkTalk Business brand. Sky Broadband Sky Broadband is an Internet Service Provider that is available to Sky customers. The user base is continuously expanding, and the company even claims to be adding one new customer every 40 seconds. Sky Broadband are known for providing some of the cheapest packages, and are eager to bundle their televisual and telecommunication services. Orange (Everything Everywhere) Everything Everywhere Limited (by Orange) is the largest mobile network operator in the UK. The brand identity evolved in 2010, following the merger of Orange UK and T-Mobile UK. However, it still operates under both names, depending on the location within the UK.