REVEALED – ISPA Finalists for the 2016 UK ISP Internet Industry Awards

Once again the UK Internet Service Providers Association (ISPA) has announced the official finalists for their forthcoming 18th annual 2016 Internet industry awards, which sees Vodafone leading the way with 6 nominations and BT short-listed for “Best Consumer Fixed Broadband“.

As usual this year’s awards have been tweaked with the addition of several new categories, which should all be fairly self-explanatory: Best Cloud Product, Best Marketing Campaign and Best CPE Hardware (the latter reference to CPE reflects customer devices like broadband routers and modems etc.).

Otherwise many people might be a bit surprised to see BT pop up on the short-list for “Best Consumer Fixed Broadband“, particularly given how poorly they tend to rate in other surveys and Ofcom’s own complaint statistics. Vodafone’s broadband service is also included, but they’re still a bit too new for anybody to have formed a real impression of their service.

The awards are reached by a mix of scrutiny from a “panel of industry experts” and a degree of “rigorous technical testing,” with the latter tending to focus on the connectivity categories (e.g. broadband, VoIP and web hosting providers).

Nicholas Lansman, ISPA Secretary General, said:

“The companies short-listed at this year’s ISPAs play a vital role in connecting the UK and this year has an incredible range of companies nominated. We are proud to say that this is the 18th ISPAs and I look forward to finding out the winners at the gala black tie ceremony on 7 July.”

The shortlist for the Internet Hero and Internet Villain gongs tend to follow later, in a separate update, and won’t be announced today. Otherwise the winners will all be unveiled during an event held at the prestigious Brewery in the City of London on Thursday 7th July 2016.

2016 Award Categories and Finalists

Best Superfast Broadband
Hyperoptic
Keycom
RM
Venus
Vision Fibre Media
Wessex Internet

Best Consumer Fixed Broadband
BT
Hyperoptic
Keycom
Plusnet
Vodafone

Best Business Broadband
BT Business
Hyperoptic
Keycom
Origin Broadband
Venus

Best Wireless
Luminet
Metronet(UK)
Vodafone
Wessex Internet

Best VoIP
DrayTel
Gradwell Communications
Soho66
Telappliant
Voipfone

Best Shared Hosting
Catalyst2
Exa Networks
Heart Internet
Hyve Managed Hosting
Nublue
Tech-Hosts

Best Dedicated Hosting
Antheus Telecom
Catalyst2
Exa Networks
Hyve Managed Hosting
Memset
Storm Internet

Best Cloud Product
Catalyst2
Exa Networks
hSo
Storm Internet
VIA

Best Marketing Campaign
Blabbermouth Marketing – ServiceFirst campaign
Bowan Arrow – Market research campaign
Heart Internet – Always Evolving
Plusnet – Broadband That Loves You Back
Talk Straight/Schools Broadband – Discovery
Vodafone – Terry the Turkey

Safety
Exa Networks
F-Secure
Internet Watch Foundation
Talk Straight / Schools Broadband
UK Safer Internet Centre
Wise Kids

Security
BT
F-Secure
Metronet(UK)
Netskope
Vodafone
Storm Internet

Best CPE Hardware
DrayTek Vigor2760n
AVM FRITZ!Box 7490
Icotera i6805 FTTH Gateway
Linksys LRT224
Vodafone Connect Router

Best Tech Law Firm
K&L Gates LLP
Kemp Little LLP
King & Wood Mallesons
Preiskel & Co.
Travers Smith LLP

Best Consumer Customer Service
Ask4
Hyperoptic
Vodafone
Wessex Internet
Wifinity

Best Business Customer Service
Catalyst2
Fastnet
RM Education
Storm Internet
Yellowbus

For more information go to:
http://www.ispaawards.org.uk