ISPA announces internet 'Oscar' results

One.Tel has won this year's internet industry award for Best National Consumer Internet Service Provider (ISP).

Judges at the annual awards, run by the ISP Association, praised One.Tel's 1p per minute access tariff and its bundling of telephony services as it gives consumers diverse and good internet services.

Other winners in the consumer division include two awards for Freeserve and one for Pipex.

Freeserve won the award for the Best Unmetered ISP with a service that the judges said gave value for money access and services, and good customer support.

It was also commended for its flexibility as there are no fixed contracts that tie consumers to the ISP.

Freeserve also won an award for Best Consumer Application for its Sitebuilder package that allows even non-technical consumers to develop their own websites with ease.

Pipex won the accolade of Best Consumer Broadband Provider for its pricing policies.

ISPs catering for the business world were also present. For the second year in a row, Claranet won Best National Business ISP. The judges cited the company's continued focus on good customer service to the business community.

The Best Small Business ISP award went to Fastnet, which was praised for its transparent pricing policies and for tailoring services to fit the needs of individual small businesses.

West Dorset Internet, an ISP delivering fixed wireless broadband to rural areas, walked away with the prize for Best Small or Niche Market ISP.

It also picked up the award for Best Broadband supplier for the innovative way it delivers services to rural areas through bypassing local loop unbundling.

Best Business Broadband Provider winner was Eclipse Internet for its commitment to customer service as well as its R&D efforts and determination to offer value added services such as virtual private network solutions to businesses.