UK Online broadband review: Pro
IS UKOnline the UK's best kept broadband secret?
Fairly well-priced, reliable and highly recommended, the UKOnline Pro (Up to 8Mb) broadband deal not only offers unlimited up to 8Mb speeds, but also boasts a stunning 20 to 1 contention ratio (more on that below).
Did we mention free technical support too?
Fast and reliable broadband speeds
With up to 8mbps download speeds your internet experience should be nicely whippy, allowing you to download an MP3 file in as little as 4 seconds if the wind is blowing in the right direction, and there are no download or usage limits.
A UKOnline fair use policy is in force though, but this is generous and is only intended to limit the heaviest of downloaders.
The deals have suffered from staying still while other companies lower their prices, however: its now very common to pay under £10 a month for 8Mb.
Businesses, gamers and computer nerds will be pleased to note that the upload speed for this package is 768kb.
UKOnline Pro is a very well priced 8Mb package especially in light of the much-lower-than-standard contention ratio of 20:1.
For the non-tech-nerds out there, this is a good thing!
It means that you'll only be sharing your line with 19 other people instead of the more common 49, which in theory and practise means faster speeds and less congestion at busy times.
Unusual 20:1 contention ratio
Something to note here though is that the 20:1 contention ratio only applies if you live in an area covered by UKOnline's own broadband network.
If you are outside of it, you will still receive the service, but at a 50:1 contention ratio instead.
The excellent price of this UKOnline package is offset somewhat by the a one-off connection charge of £25, however this is currently waivered as part of a special offer, as long as you sign up online.
You'll also have to buy your own modem, but this can be bought from UKOnline during signup for less than £30 for a standard modem, and around £50 for a wireless router.
Top marks for customer service
UKOnline Up to 8Mb comes with 5 email addresses, with 200MB of storage for each one!
To top it off, they offer freephone 24/7 UK-based call centre support with defined service levels such as promising to answer 90% of phonecalls within 30 seconds, or answering all emails within 12 hours.
We would suggest that this is one of the most responsive and high quality broadband support services we have ever come across.
The UKOnline Pro broadband package also now includes a year's free McAfee Internet Security Suite which includes both anti-virus and firewall software.
Highly recommended if for nothing more than the 20:1 contention ratio, and that brilliant 0800 free-phone support.
Pro Broadband
Pro
