ISPA Awards 2009 - Winners
The ISPAs are the Internet industry's answer to the Oscars; awards designed to showcase the best companies providing Internet services. Last week, at the a black tie dinner in Grosvenor Square, the winners were announced:
| Award | Winner |
|---|---|
| Best Internet Telephony | aql |
| Best Streaming | Astream |
| Best Business Customer Service | UKFast |
| Best Consumer Customer Service | O2 |
| Best Business Mobile Broadband | FREEDOM4 WiFi |
| Best Consumer Mobile Broadband | Vodafone |
| Best Business Fixed Broadband | Claranet |
| Best Consumer Fixed Broadband | O2 |
For full details of all awards, see the ISPA Awards website
It is rather surprising that ISPA still has an award for 'Best Dial-up' when we are talking about next generation broadband, however as winners Exa Networks said briefly in their victory speech, there are still many users who still rely on dial-up connections.
Customer support is an increasingly common issue for many providers as those who take up broadband services are more likely to be less technical and thus require more assistance. In addition to winners UK Fast and O2, the judges also praised the customer support of Best Internet Telephony winner aql.
Probably one of the most competitive and desired award categories, namely Best Consumer Fixed Broadband, O2 demonstrated its excellent value for money with its high speed service. O2 won the thinkbroadband Customer Service Award for Large ISPs by a significant margin three months ago.
Although Virgin Media did not win any awards, in the opening speech by Jim Gamble, chief executive of the Child Exploitation and Online Protection Centre (CEOP) said that if he had an award to give, it would go to Virgin Media on the basis of their commitment to provide its assistance to CEOP without passing on any costs in incurs in doing so.
Other award winners included Namesco, UK2 and UK Fast which received a second award. Also, ISPA awarded its "Internet Villain" award to Stephen Conroy and the Australian Government for their network-level blocking system and The Featured Artists Coalition won the "Internet Hero" award for its campaign to get the music companies to recognise new business models rather than targeting consumers and ISPs with legal action. We are very pleased to see the Best Telephony award being measured against the performance of an Internet Telephony service itself, rather than a broadband connection alone.
Comments
As an O2 mobile customer, their broadband deal looks very appealing, unfortunately they haven't set up in my exchange.I've also heard that they overload their equipment with customers?
Freedom4 as "Best Business Mobile" is a bit more of a puzzle than the rest. The Freedom4 website shows sparse WiMax coverage outside their three original sites of Warwick, Milton Keynes, and bits of Manchester. Their website also shows that their 3G coverage uses Three. It can't be their customer service that won them the award as that's a separate category. Ho hum.
I am very unhappy with my O2 Home Broadband "Access" (BT Wholesale) service - every evening it drops to around 1Mbit/sec from a high of seven times that during the afternoon.
The company has clearly oversold the product and cannot cope with the customers currently using it. Phone calls, message board posts and emails get you nowhere with their customer service, who constantly toe the company line and tell lies about improvements being on the way.
It's a disgrace that they can win an award for anything.
I've also heard about Be/O2 speed problems during peak hours.
If you want 24Mbps and live in an area with C&W LLU then go for an independent like ICUK/Titan. Both less than £25 and offer unmetered lines.
After hearing some of the comments coming out of O2's Mobile PR department, they feel they can do as they wish as they only view 3UK as 2nd to them and they are the best, which unfortunately (competition-wise) is true.
Be* and O2 LLU currently have no speed problems during peak hours
O2 Access is a different matter and word on the grapevine is that O2 are quite "embarrassed" by the issues and are committed to working to resolve it. Just very little official update. Latest word is end of this month.
No excuse - they oversold and have admitted such
c_j_, it was FREEDOM4 WiFi which won, they have access to over 60,000 intl. hotspots reducing roaming costs significantly and then HSDPA/3G/Edge/GPRS in the UK with H3G.
After looking at the web-site www.freedom4wifi.com it looks like the service best connects you on speed so significantly improving user experience - especially seeing as most times your sat in a cafe/airport/train station trying to use the internet on the move. So on face value it, it looks like a far better product than both Voda and Orange... worthy winners!
(BTW - it will be great when they do add WiMAX to it!)
Newnet was robbed. They were nominated in nearly every category and didn't land a single award.
if you believe in these awards you'll believe in anything
laurasaurus, thanks for that. I guess in that case "mobile" has been redefined to mean "stationary, but away from the office". Which might appeal to some folks.
am I seeing things or for once BT didnt get an award. O_o
I just signed up with o2 and am an O2 mobile contract customer so already get their "up to 20Mbit" for only 9.90 a month. When you then take into account the first 2 months are free and also the fact that QuidCo.com offer you £50 cashback.
O2 definitely seem like the best choice :D