Choosing an ISP
When choosing an ISP, customers should always choose an ISPA member. ISPA operates a complaints procedure and a code of practice that members must commit to. If your ISP is an ISPA member and you have any problems, ISPA can help rather than you needing to consult Trading Standards or a lawyer.
Customers should also make sure they have the right computer and software to work with any chosen ISP. Certain ISPs require specific browsers and some services will not be available if you use a Mac. Also, to attain certain connection speeds customers will need specific modems.
It is not recommended to select an ISP by price alone. Not all ISPs offer the same services. Customers should look closely at what is offered and decide what they actually need. Ultimately you get what you pay for.
When choosing the tariff, customers should consider how long they expect to be online, the size of the files they will be transferring and when they are most likely to be online.
With ‘pay-as-you-go’ subscription-free tariffs the ISP makes money from the price of your phone calls to the Internet.
‘Metered’ access gives you access to the ‘net for a monthly fee and generally access to the ‘net is at local call rates. Customers may receive a certain number of free hours a month. Surfing during the day can be more expensive than at evenings and weekends.
Monthly subscriptions for ‘unmetered’ tariffs mean customers shouldn’t need to worry about amassing telephone bills for the time they are online. Customers should check whether the ISP disconnects them after a relatively short amount of time of non-use, lets them stay online as long as they are actively engaged or doesn't disconnect them at all.
With all tariffs, customers should check whether there is any initial set-up fee, if the price quoted includes VAT and if there are any restrictions on use, such as when and how long they can go online.
They should also check how many subscribers per line the ISP has – in techy terms, the ratio of modems to users or upstream bandwidth contention for broadband. Three users for every modem is acceptable, considering that it is unlikely that all the ISP’s customers will connect at once.
If customers want to use the phone whilst online, they can choose a broadband connection or get a second line installed specifically for Internet access.
A broadband connection enables people to be online all day, receive instant emails, surf the ‘net much faster, exchange large files and provide a connection for several computers. Broadband via a landline is still geographically limited but wireless and satellite packages are becoming more available.
ISPs offer different broadband services. Some ISPs refer to connections that download data at 256 kilobytes per second (kbps) as broadband, the current Oftel definition. Some offer broadband at 1 megabyte per second (mbps) and beyond. A typical offering is 512 kbps. The faster the connection the better but faster connections cost more.
If customers want to build their own website they can choose an ISP which offers hosting space as part of the package. They should find out how much space their website is likely to need, the web servers the ISP provides and if they need a specific type of web server compatible with the website’s design.
Choosing a national ISP which offers dial-up access or an ISP with roaming services should allow customers to connect to the internet from anywhere in the country. For access to email they could choose an ISP that provides ‘webmail’ - remote access to messages via a web browser.
Availability of technical support and how much the ISP charges for this service are very important. ‘Free access’ ISP's generally charge around 50p per minute for technical support. This includes the time you spend on hold. Local providers may offer more personalized service, but they may not be available to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
The less technically minded may want to ask whether the ISP provides all the software and instructions customers need to set up and configure their computer for connection to the Internet. Some ISPs provide CD-ROMs that configure a computer’s software settings automatically.
Also, ask any potential ISP what measures they have to prevent or manage system failures.
Customers should remember that they can have a number of dial-up accounts with different ISPs at the same time. This is helpful if one of the ISPs has any technical problems. Whilst waiting for that problem to be resolved you could connect to another ISP, for example one that offers free-subscription pay-as-you-go access – but make sure you choose an ISPA member.
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Notes to Editors
For further information, please contact the ISPA Press Office. Email: pressoffice@ispa.org.uk Tel: 020 7340 4535
The Internet Services Providers’ Association (ISPA) was established in 1995 as a trade association to represent providers of Internet services in the UK. ISPA promotes competition, self-regulation and the development of the Internet industry. For a list of members or other information about ISPA, please consult the website: http://www.ispa.org.uk
ISPA holds permanent membership of the Internet Watch Foundation, the Internet Crime Forum, the Home Office Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet, the DfES Safety Strategy Group, EURIM, the Parliamentary IT Committee (PITCOM), the Association of Communication Service Providers, the Oftel Internet Forum, and international organisations such as EuroISPA, and the World ISP Forum.