sector - CCS (Leeds)

SECTOR GUIDE
BROADBAND
Experience
The Internet
When it comes to accessing the Internet
there’s no doubt that broadband is what
consumers and businesses want. It offers
a low cost and reliable method of getting on the
Internet without the worry of phone bills.
As users expect ever lowering costs, how can
ISPs compete with the likes of BT, Sky and Virgin?
The answer lies in the user experience provided by
the provider.
The broadband industry is split into the large
players who offer ‘triple play’ services such as
television, telephone and broadband and smaller
outfits who just specialise in Internet access. The
triple play providers such as Virgin and Sky are in a
constant price war amongst themselves, seemingly
leaving little room for smaller companies to feed off
the scraps. Not only are they hit on price but
exposure, as many of these firms are unable to
The industry is split
into the large
players who offer ‘triple
play’ services such as
television, telephone
and broadband and
smaller outfits who just
specialise in
Internet access.
The ruthless broadband market
could just be the ideal catalyst
for retailers as smaller ISPs look
to add value added services in
order to compete. Lawrence
Latif investigates…
spend the millions required for national media
coverage.
However we spoke to three industry experts who
believe that there’s a lot more to selling broadband
than just lowering the price. Their views provide an
interesting insight into what direction smaller
providers can take the fight to the giants.
The neutral
There are a number of resources that try to
untangle the vast web of packages, providers and
prices that are available. One of the leading
websites in this area is Broadbandchoices.co.uk, run
by Michael Phillips. It affords him a unique view on
the industry.
Phillips’ site aims to display provider neutral
information and, as he states, its goal is to “help
customers make decisions based on value not just
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