Bimethyls

This year has seen a lot of controversy in the broadband market. Take for example, BT’s determination to invest and develop a network that will deliver increased download speeds of up to 100 megabits per second (Mbps). Their customers however think BT is being over ambitious. Considering that BT is currently struggling to deliver speeds at 2Mbs, it is evidently unrealistic to promise speeds of 100 Mbps.

Another interesting point worth noting are the promises from different ISPs to their customers. They promise extremely fast connections and also no limit on downloads. However, on the flip side, they are not protecting the consumers’ privacy rights. It is believed that most ISPs, including BT, are monitoring the way their customers surf the web. They claim that they use it to target advertising. Paying customers are not happy with that, as the ISPs are making money off them, by selling their surfing habits, without their permission. While this seems to be an improper practice on the part of the ISPs, they in turn are pointing fingers at customers who they claim are downloading illegal software. ISPs are even going so far as to send out threatening letters to these subscribers.

The Broadband market in Britain is still not the best, in spite of all the improvements in reliability and availability. It is therefore baffling that consumers are so complacent to compare broadband and about changing their ISPs to get a better and faster service, at a lower price. Studies have shown that nine out of every ten customers, complete their contract, and still make no effort to swich to another supplier. There are several comparison sites that consumers can use, to decipher which ISP is rated the best for value, reliability and service. A site like PC Advisor will provide ranking and rating for the top 20 ISPs in the UK.