Switcher Broadband Awards 2015: UPC voted best provider

By @SimonCocking

The results of the Switcher Broadband Awards – now in their second year – reveal what Irish customers really think of their broadband providers, from speeds and reliability, to customer service and support. The winners, as voted for by an independent national survey, thirty thousand customer ratings and a judging panel of experts, were announced at an awards ceremony held at The Marker Hotel in Dublin.

Switcher, Ireland’s leading independent broadband price comparison and switching service provider, introduced the Broadband Awards as an annual event in 2014, designed to recognise the best of the Irish home broadband industry over the past 12 months.

• Headliners: UPC scoops four awards including Best Broadband Provider, while Sky takes home three awards, including Best TV Provider
• Speediest: UPC comes out on top as Fastest Home Broadband
• Value: Savvy consumers select Vodafone for Best Value Home Broadband and Best Customer Benefits
• Top-rated: UPC trumps the competition in the Best Customer Rated Home Broadband category while Sky wins Best Customer Service provider
• Pioneering: eircom wins judge’s award for Broadband Innovation

UPC won four of the 10 awards up for grabs, beating both Sky and Vodafone to take home the coveted ‘Best Broadband Provider’ gong for the second year running. Consumers praised UPC for it superfast speeds, high levels of customer satisfaction and reliable connections.

Closely following UPC in the award winning stakes at the Switcher Broadband Awards 2015 was Sky, scooping three awards on the night, including Best Customer Service, Best Technical Support and Best TV Provider.

In the Best Value Home Broadband award category, Vodafone took the gong for the second consecutive year while also winning the award for Best Customer Benefits.

For the second year running, the independent panel of expert judges selected eircom for the Broadband Innovation Award, recognising its’ continued investment in their fibre network in the last 12 months, launching quad-play and bringing 4G broadband to 80% of mobile users.

Eoin Clarke, Managing Director of Switcher, said: “The Switcher Broadband Awards recognise the companies that provide our customers with the best products and services in the industry. By highlighting the best broadband providers and products, we hope to equip broadband users with an important, independent classification that can only help when selecting the right broadband package for their needs.

“UPC continue to lead the way, coming away as the big winners. But Sky is snapping at its heels with an awarding-winning combination of best TV provider, technical support and customer service.

“Value for money is important to consumers, as Vodafone’s award attests. The success of its landline-free ‘Simply Broadband’ product is recognition that the home phone is redundant for so many people today.

“This is a market with plenty of room for innovation and improvement. By June of this year eircom will have invested €1bn in infrastructure over a three year period. TV is fast becoming one of the hotly contested parts of the telecoms market as consumers look to bundle and save on their annual package.”

To review full results, please visit the Switcher Broadband Awards 2015 webpage.

Switcher launched into the Irish market in January 2013, with the aim of offering consumers free, independent and impartial price comparison and switching services. Switcher aims to make it easier for households to compare prices, save money on their regular bills, get the best deals on offer and make their hard-earned money go that bit further.