What Makes a 'Good' ISP?
Beyond speed and price: Customer service, peering, and reliability.
It’s Not All About the Megabits
If you search for broadband, you naturally look at the price and the speed. “500Mbps for £30” vs “500Mbps for £45.” Why would anyone pay more? The answer lies in the hidden quality metrics of an ISP.
1. Customer Support
When your internet breaks (and it will eventually), what is your experience?
Budget ISPs: Often rely on offshore call centers, scripted chatbots, and long wait times. Getting a complex technical issue fixed can be a nightmare.
Premium ISPs: Often have UK-based support teams who are technically trained. You speak to a human who understands what a “ping” is. Reviews on Trustpilot are a great way to judge this.
2. Contention Ratios
ISPs buy bandwidth from CityFibre in bulk.
High Contention (Budget): The ISP squeezes 100 people onto a bandwidth pipe meant for 50. At 8pm, when everyone watches Netflix, your speed drops.
Low Contention (Premium): The ISP buys enough bandwidth for everyone. You get your full 900Mbps even on Friday night.
3. Peering and Routing
How does the ISP connect to the rest of the world? Good ISPs have direct “Peering Agreements” with Netflix, Google, BBC, and gaming networks. This means your data takes a shortcut. Bad ISPs might send your data the long way round to save money, causing buffering and lag.
4. The Router
The hardware they send you matters. A cheap £20 router will have weak Wi-Fi and crash if you download too much. A premium ISP sends you a £150 router (like a FRITZ!Box or eero) that covers your whole house in fast Wi-Fi.
Summary: If you work from home or game, the extra £5-£10 a month for a “Good” ISP pays for itself in reliability and lack of stress.