Those wishing to enter have until 11th April 2025 to submit their initial entry form using the form on this page.
Best Rural ISP
Testing registration deadline: 11th April 2025
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
Entrants must be an ISP that is providing broadband to rural / hard to reach areas. The category is technology neutral. While speeds are an important part of the testing, it also takes account of overall service levels, packages, availability, performance, customer service, community engagement and more.
Please ensure that you register your entry so testing can begin by 11th April 2025. Thinkbroadband testing data will be used to determine the shortlist for the category. The data will also inform the judging which will also take account of publicly available data from other sources such as Ofcom and trustpilot where possible.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Business ISP
Testing registration deadline: 11th April 2025
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
For Internet Services Providers offering broadband to businesses. Entrants must be an ISP that provides business-grade connectivity. While speeds are an important part of the category, it also takes account of overall service levels, packages, performance and more.
Thinkbroadband testing data will be used to determine the shortlist for the category. The data will also inform the judging which will also take account of publicly available data from other sources such as Ofcom and trustpilot where possible.
Entrants in this category must undergo technical testing from 1st May to 20th July . The technical testing (facilitated by thinkbroadband) involves entrants’ customers performing a number of tests using the details of how to do this are thinkbroadband testing tool (accessible on any browser and many devices). The testing will be used to determine qualification for the category and derive the shortlist of entrants for the judging panel to consider.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Consumer ISP (under 100k customers)
Testing registration deadline: 11th April 2025
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
For providers offering residential broadband services with fewer than 100,000 customers. The category is aimed at services and providers available in distinct areas or acting as challenger brands offering gigabit capable fibre services. However, while speeds are an important part of the category, it also takes account of overall service levels, packages, performance, differentiation and more.
Thinkbroadband testing data will be used to determine the shortlist for the category. The data will also inform the judging which will also take account of publicly available data from other sources such as Ofcom and trustpilot where possible.
Entrants in this category must undergo technical testing from 1st May 2025 to 31st July 2025. The technical testing (facilitated by thinkbroadband) involves entrants’ customers performing a number of tests using the thinkbroadband testing tool (accessible on any browser and many devices). The testing will be used to determine qualification for the category and derive the shortlist of entrants for the judging panel to consider.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Consumer ISP (over 100k customers)
Testing registration deadline: 11th April 2025
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
For providers offering residential broadband services with more than 100,000 customers. The category is aimed at services and providers broadly available, with consumer entry level pricing. While speeds are an important part of the category, it also takes account of overall service levels, packages, performance and more.
Thinkbroadband testing data will be used to determine the shortlist for the category. The data will also inform the judging which will also take account of publicly available data from other sources such as Ofcom and trustpilot where possible.
Entrants in this category must undergo technical testing from 1st May to 20th July . The technical testing (facilitated by thinkbroadband) involves entrants’ customers performing a number of tests using the thinkbroadband testing tool (accessible on any browser and many devices). The testing will be used to determine qualification for the category and derive the shortlist of entrants for the judging panel to consider.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Fibre Infrastructure
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
This category is for organisations deploying improved broadband infrastructure across any part of the UK. ISPA is looking to find the best in class fibre network, with not only the best possible bandwidth capabilities but offers an ISP a network best in class when it comes to latency, downtime, maintenance response and systems management.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Wholesale Platform
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
With an increased number of organisations bringing innovative and competitive wholesale offerings to UK ISPs, we want to highlight these platforms that are enhancing connectivity and opportunity for the sector.
This category will not only look at the underlying technology within the platform, but also the support offered to ISPs, commercial benefits, innovation in offerings and value added services which enable ISPs to thrive.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Voice Provider
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
This year ISPA is looking to find the best voice provider solution providing solutions and services to customers and UK business. With the PSTN switch off on the horizon and a market that has completely transformed in recent years, our judges will be evaluating the organisation on how they have adapted to these market changes and ensured their customers have retained high quality service and support where needed.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Most Innovative Fibre Deployment
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
As the UK’s fibre sector transitions to its latter stages of fibre deployment, this category is designed to celebrate those organisations ensuring that the final 20% of premises across the UK are upgraded to the next generation of internet infrastructure.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Technology Partnership
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
As the world undergoes a technological revolution, with emerging technology and AI driving significant societal and economic change, there is significant opportunity for the UKs internet community to use these new technologies to enhance their services.
In this award, we want to showcase a particular partnership from across the sector that has leveraged transformational technology to enhance the delivery of internet services. We will be assessing the efficiencies this innovation made and the overall impact it had on an organisation's delivery of services.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Customer, Network and Data Security
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
This category is for the ISP who stand out in how they protect their customers, network and data, whether through cyber security initiatives, customer education, online safety initiatives or similar work. Supporting data, testimonials and specific examples are encouraged.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Network Integration
Testing registration deadline: 11th April 2025
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
The UKs internet sector is undergoing a significant transformation, with many fibre networks looking to merge and consolidate assets to provide a more comprehensive offering to the market.
With so much consolidation happening, we want to showcase the integration of these networks, and the organisations that have merged their assets most effectively. This category will evaluate the steps taken to ensure a successful integration, how the integration enhanced the merged assets offering to the market and the positive impact it generated.
Entrants in this category must undergo technical testing from 1st May to 20th July . The technical testing (facilitated by thinkbroadband) involves entrants’ customers performing a number of tests using the details of how to do this are thinkbroadband testing tool (accessible on any browser and many devices). The testing will be used to determine qualification for the category and derive the shortlist of entrants for the judging panel to consider.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Engineer of the Year
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
The UK fibre market can be proud of its collective achievements, excelling in the deployment of the next generation of connectivity infrastructure, now covering over 80% of UK premises.
The backbone of these fantastic achievements are the sector's engineers, who have worked tirelessly to bring infrastructure to communities nationwide and connect consumers to technology that can transform everyday lives.
To celebrate the hard work of our industry engineers, we want to highlight an individual engineer from the sector that has worked tirelessly to deliver outstanding work that encompasses the positive trajectory of our sector in recent years.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Customer Experience
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
This category is for ISPs who look to enhance their broadband with improved customer experience. The category will be evaluated on the use of support, technology, data and management systems that improve the overall experience for a customer using your network.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Customer Loyalty
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
With market competition now increasingly prominent and customer expectations increasing, having a best in sector customer care and services team that mitigates churn and ensures retention of an organisations customer base is essential.
We want to assess ISPs on their overall trust pilot scores, as well as their customer support systems and specific case studies that exemplify why there organisations is deserving of the accolade of having the Best Customer Service in the UK internet sector.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion Champion
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
Working towards a more inclusive world is one shared by the ISP sector and those that fund the organisation. Over recent years, many across industry have implemented schemes and initiatives designed to promote Diversity, Equity and Inclusion in their organisations and the society they serve.
The DEI award celebrates the organisation who are doing most to promote employees from all walks of life, from recruitment and training programmes through to public speaking, all culminating in helping growth in their people.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Sustainability Champion
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
The ISP sector is committed to lowering its impact on the planet. While its green credentials are not necessarily well known as some other industries, there is a lot to shout about: fibre uses less energy than copper, reliable and fast broadband reduces the need to travel and the current nationwide upgrade to FTTP will be in place for decades to come.
This award celebrates organisations that have gone above and beyond to ensure sustainable business practices, carbon neutral objectives and environmental commitments.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Best Community Engagement
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
This category showcases organisations working in partnership with local communities to deliver fast and reliable infrastructure and services. The category is looking for UK organisations that have worked collaboratively to ensure the positive benefits of connectivity are realised.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Digital Inclusion Champion - Industry
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
Access to reliable good quality technology, and being equipped with the skills to be able to make the most of our digitally connected world, are no longer luxuries - they are essential for all of us. However, 8.5 million individuals lack basic digital skills and 3.7 million families fall below the Minimum Digital Living Standard, facing barriers such as limited internet connectivity, outdated devices, and insufficient digital literacy support. Recently, a heightened burden has been placed on industry to overcome these hurdles and we believe that organisations who have gone above and beyond to improve digital inclusion are deserving of recognition for their contributions.
We want to highlight the good work being done by companies to fix the digital divide and help those in need stay or become connected. We want to hear about strategies that you have implemented and the impact you have made. It could be improving digital literacy, solving digital poverty, providing key equipment that has enabled people to get online or unlocking digital to change lives for the better.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Digital Inclusion Champion - Charities and Communities
Written Entry deadline: Friday 20th June 2025
A lack of digital skills and access can have a huge negative impact on a person’s life, leading to poorer health outcomes and a lower life expectancy, increased loneliness and social isolation, less access to jobs and education. It can mean paying more for essentials, financial exclusion, an increased risk of experiencing poverty. People who are digitally excluded also lack a voice and visibility in the modern world, as government services and democracy increasingly move online.
We want to highlight the good work being done by communities & charities to fix the digital divide and help those in need stay or become connected. Whether you’re an individual, organisation or community group, we want to hear about the impact and change you have made. It could be improving digital literacy, helping people get connected or using digital to change lives for the better.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
Internet Hero
Entry deadline: 30th September 2025
This Award is for an organisation or individual who has had a significant impact on the improvement of UK broadband. Whether through advocacy, deployment, advancement or digital transformation, this award is for anyone who has been a key contributor to the great work of the sector during their career/ existence.
For more information and the full written form visit the main ISPA Awards page for this category.
About the AwardsThe awards and categories explained.
The ISPAs
The ISPAs - the UK Internet industry awards - are the longest established and most respected awards in the internet industry. Since 1999, the ISPAs have been rewarding and celebrating the best in the UK internet sector. The ISPAs are run by the Internet Services Providers' Association (ISPA UK) to herald the best of the Internet industry and to celebrate innovation and best practice. In 2002 the awards were dubbed The ISPAs.
Sponsors
You can sponsor the ISPA Awards contact ISPA for a sponsorship pack.
Timeline
The 2025 Awards launched in February, with registration opening followed by technical testing of various categories running during May, June and July. Full written entries for each category are expected by end of 1st July with the shortlists announced later in 2025. The winners find out at the awards ceremony on 13th November 2025.
About Technical TestingRegistration is the first step.
Technical Testing
Not every category is technically tested to create the short list for the judges to consider, the tested categories are the broadband and hosting categories. VoIP was previously tested by the differences have been so marginal for a few years that testing was becoming irrelevant due to the reliability of the services. For the non-tested categories shortlisting is carried out by a number of the judges ensuring that entrants are addressing the various key criteria for the award they are entering.
thinkbroadband has been a long term technical testing partner for the ISPA Awards and helps to ensure that services are judged on not just their ability to write a good entry but also whether the service delivers to a level worthy of consideration for an award.
Testing of Broadband Categories
Providers will be expected to ensure that thinkbroadband is able to identify their customers, e.g. provide details of IPv4 and IPv6 blocks that customers use and when a provider claims to have IPv6 support we do expect to see customers connecting via IPv6.
The tester used is embedded on this page (standalone URL is https://st.thinkbroadband.com/ispa and we will email details when responding to registrations on how you can embed a copy on your own website to increase the test volume, for smaller entrants this is particularly important.
Results are also included from the full range of testers that thinkbroadband supplies to third parties too.
Testing of Hosting Categories
The hosting testing will be using the same system as previous years, with hosting entries required to host some files on the appropriate hosting platform. Details can be supplied when you register in the form at the top of the page.
How to embed speed tester on your own website
Embedding the speed test is accomplished by wrapping it up in an iFrame, some code and a copy of the tester embedded using this code is shown below:
If the dark styling is too contrasting to the rest of your webpage, you can change the iFrame link to be //st.thinkbroadband.com/ispa/?site=omegajdsfjieDFD3 which uses a transparent background.