Andrews & Arnold Ltd

AAISP provide unfiltered, at-​cost commodity internet and telephony services with excellent technical support for people who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty with technology. It’s not the cheapest but you pay for a better quality of service all round. They are the middle-​man on your side: they battle on your behalf with BT Openreach to keep you online, and with HM Government’s ministers to keep the Internet free and functional.
Before AAISP I was with Eclipse, then Plusnet, then Be Unlimited (now Sky.) By way of example, say you want to buy a table. Be/​Sky is a bit like Argos. You’ll get something with four legs that holds your beer level and 28 inches above the floor and it’ll be just fine. It probably won’t fall apart but they ban some types of beer and will complain at you if you drink too much.
Some ISPs are a bit more techy. It’s like going to Ikea. You have some satisfaction in being able to put the table together yourself. It’s kind of configurable and once you’ve bought it they leave you alone.
AAISP is like going to B&Q. They sell some flat pack tables that are solid and will last but more importantly they’ll sell you tools, screws and timber and help you build your own. You make the furniture you want with the professional support of a company that knows everything about the trade.
The Internet connection (on DSL and on the phone) is completely unfiltered. If that wasn’t enough AAISP and Adrian Kennard, their Managing Director, are also politically active trying to ensure it will remain unfiltered.
They separate your technical accounts from your billing accounts which is incredibly useful if you manage multiple sites, though it’s also a overly complex if you are just a single household with a single broadband connection.
The telephony services are amazing — I have multiple custom public and private numbers that route to VOIP accounts connected to a pair of handsets (a smartphone and a much cheaper disposable handset) and software telephones. I have call blocking, outgoing caller ID adjustments, and secure IMAP based voicemail and call logging. Phone logs are, of course, available online as well as in machine readable XML.
My bills from AAISP are quite complicated. Going back to the DIY analogy: instead of a receipt saying «1 table» I have a long list that shows every plank, screw and hammer because I pay for a box of bits that together handle my home internet connection and telephony. While there’s a downside in that the bills are complicated the upside is I can do things no other ISP lets me do! A monthly bill typically lists the following:
* Internet connection at 1 site:
* Physical layer: a PSTN copper phone line
* Data layer: the FTTC connection
* Network layer: the «Home:1» product
* Charge for increased speed to 80/​20Mbps
* Charge for quota increase to 200GB/​mo
* Broadband router (free, but listed for accounting purposes)
* Telephony:
* 3x phone number registrations + VOIP accounts
* 8x inactive phone number reservations
* 3x SIM cards
* Voice and SMS traffic on the SIM cards
* Voice traffic on the VOIP accounts
* Other accounts:
* Domain registration and DNS service
* IMAP account
* Charge for increased IMAP quota
In summary: I am incredibly satisfied with AAISP and would recommend them in a heartbeat to anyone who embraces technology.