{"id":38957,"date":"2024-08-05T16:26:06","date_gmt":"2024-08-05T15:26:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/?p=38957"},"modified":"2024-08-05T16:32:49","modified_gmt":"2024-08-05T15:32:49","slug":"broadband-isp-andrews-arnold-uk-finally-adopt-unlimited-data","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ispreview.co.uk\/index.php\/2024\/08\/broadband-isp-andrews-arnold-uk-finally-adopt-unlimited-data.html","title":{"rendered":"Broadband ISP Andrews and Arnold UK Finally Adopt Unlimited Data"},"content":{"rendered":"

The day has finally come when UK ISP Andrews & Arnold (AAISP), which have long been one of the few remaining fixed line broadband providers’ to only offer plans with capped data allowances (albeit very big ones), has finally adopted packages that come “without a usage cap<\/em>” (aka – unlimited, although they don’t describe it like that).<\/p>\n

Until now consumers looking to take out one of AAISP’s broadband packages, such as via their FTTP<\/a> or FTTC<\/a> products, would have typically chosen one with a default data allowance of either 1TB (TeraByte) or 10TB. For example, their 115Mbps speed home broadband package on Openreach<\/a>’s network would cost \u00a337 per month for 1TB or \u00a347 for 10TB.<\/p>\n

NOTE:<\/strong> A&A has historically been a bit more of a business-focused and technically niche provider, where IT people provide proper support. In other words, they’re often a bit more expensive than many residential ISPs.<\/div>\n

However, the big change today means that those 10TB packages will now be expressed as coming “without a usage cap<\/em>“, although the ISP will retain their 1TB plans for those who have lower usage demands but still want high quality service and support etc.<\/p>\n

A&A Statement<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

For many years A&A has resisted offering “Unlimited” plans. Our explanation for this unusual approach has always been themed in a way that aims to be “technically correct”; one can not download an elephant and one can not download more than the capacity of the connection multiplied by time. Therefore, strictly, “unlimited” is false.<\/p>\n

We’ve often resorted to analogy to bolster our explanations; “an all you-can-eat buffet actually does run out eventually”, for example.<\/p>\n

In tandem with this, we believe we have always offered usefully and appropriately high inclusive usage limits, such that many customers (in their own words) often describe them as “effectively unlimited for me”. What they mean by this is that the quota so massively exceeds their actual usage, that the limit is not something they must worry about, or indeed think about at all, ever.<\/p>\n

This allergy to presenting something not entirely correct has, definitely, had a consequence for A&A in terms of potential customers. We are definitely aware that potential customers have chosen an alternative provider because of quota anxiety.<\/p>\n

The business has changed and developed, and real world usage has started to plateau. We have also deployed a large number of our new FireBrick FB9000 as LNSs and BGP routers, and begun offering higher bandwidth services, up to a gigabit, and monitored average usage over a sensible period of time. We are confident we have ample network capacity.<\/p>\n

As a result, we feel that now is the time to start to offer packages that other ISPs would probably describe as “unlimited”, but which we would describe as “without a usage cap”.<\/p>\n

Changes this month<\/strong><\/p>\n

During August anyone on:<\/p>\n