- Broadband, TV and mobile provider Sky wins a spectacular four awards at the annual uSwitch Awards, including Quadplay Provider of the Year
- Plusnet takes home the award for Best SIM Only Network, with Vodafone crowned Broadband Provider of the Year and giffgaff winning Network of the Year
- Best Triple Play Provider goes to Now TV, which also retains its TV Provider of the Year title
- Huawei cements its arrival in the UK by winning Handset of the Year for its Mate 20 Pro while also claiming Mobile Manufacturer of the Year
- Netflix wins Best TV Content and Best TV Streaming Service.
Sky soared above the competition to take home four trophies at the 2019 uSwitch Awards, which recognises excellence in Broadband, Mobile and TV and voted for by 10,000 broadband and mobile phone users.
Held last night at the Natural History Museum in London, the annual awards ceremony saw Sky secure esteemed awards for Best Pay Monthly Network, Best Value Pay Monthly, Best Network for Customer Service and Quadplay Provider of the Year. As well as its quartet of wins, Sky came a close second in three other categories: Network of the Year, Best Network for Data and Best TV Content.
Huawei’s breakthrough into the UK market was cemented by its success in two categories, with its Mate 20 Pro crowned Handset of the Year and helping the Chinese device maker win the coveted Mobile Manufacturer of the Year prize.
Plusnet and Vodafone also enjoyed a successful evening, claiming two awards apiece while being recognised for their commitments to customer service.
EE was voted Most Popular Mobile Network and Fastest Mobile Network, while Plusnet won Best Provider for Customer Service and Best SIM Only Network. Vodafone continued to take strides out of its mobile heartland by picking up gongs for Best Value Broadband Provider and Broadband Provider of the Year.
uSwitch.com’s judging panel – comprising of experts in technology, consumer affairs and personal finance – handed the Telecoms Innovation Award to Google for the Night Sight Mode on its Pixel 3 handset, while second place went to the Huawei Mate 20 Pro’s Reverse Wireless Charging.
In the TV categories, Amazon’s Fire Stick was awarded Best Smart Media Device by the judges, while Netflix secured Best TV Content, aided by its strong 2018 output that included critically acclaimed original shows and movies such as Bird Box, Roma, the Haunting of Hill House and Black Mirror.
Netflix also scooped Best TV Streaming Service, with Now TV winning TV Provider of the Year.
2019 Award Winners & Highly Commended
Broadband & TV Categories |
Winner |
Highly Commended |
Best Triple Play Provider |
Now TV |
BT |
Best Provider Customer Service |
Plusnet |
Vodafone |
Best Smart Media Device (judges’ awards) |
Amazon Fire Stick |
Google Chromecast |
Best TV Content (judges’ awards) |
Netflix |
Sky |
Best TV Streaming Service (judges’ award) |
Netflix |
Now TV |
Best Value Broadband Provider |
Vodafone |
Plusnet |
Broadband Provider of the Year |
Vodafone |
Plusnet |
Fastest Broadband Provider |
Virgin Media |
BT |
TV Provider of the Year |
Now TV |
EE |
Most Popular Broadband Provider |
TalkTalk |
BT |
Source: uSwitch.com
Mobile Categories |
Winner |
Highly Commended |
Best Network Coverage |
O2 |
Vodafone |
Best Network for Customer Service |
Sky |
giffgaff |
Best Network for Data |
giffgaff |
Sky |
Best Network for Roaming |
Three |
EE |
Fastest Mobile Network – based on analysis derived from OpenSignal Awards |
EE |
Vodafone |
Best Pay Monthly Network |
Sky |
BT Mobile |
Best PAYG Network |
SMARTY |
Voxi |
Best Retailer for Customer Service |
Apple |
Argos |
Best SIM Only Network |
Plusnet |
Virgin |
Best Value Pay Monthly |
Sky |
iD Mobile |
Best Value SIM Only |
SMARTY |
Plusnet |
High Street Retailer of the Year |
Apple |
Argos |
Mobile Manufacturer of the Year (judges’ award) |
Huawei |
Samsung |
Handset of the Year (judges’ award) |
Huawei Mate 20 Pro |
Google Pixel 3 |
Mobile Reseller of the Year |
Mobile Phones Direct |
Affordable Mobiles |
Network of the Year |
giffgaff |
Sky |
Online Retailer of the Year (judges’ award) |
Amazon |
John Lewis |
Best Newcomer of the Year |
Xiaomi |
KTM Mobile |
Most Popular Mobile Network |
EE |
O2 |
Mobiles, Broadband & TV Categories |
Winner |
Highly Commended |
Telecoms Innovation Award (judges’ award) |
Google Pixel 3 – Night Sight Mode |
Huawei Mate 20 Pro – Reverse Wireless Charging |
Quadplay Provider of the Year |
Sky |
EE |
Source: uSwitch.com
Ernest Doku, telecoms expert at uSwitch.com, comments: “At a time when there are so much competition and innovation in the telecoms sector, it takes sustained excellence for any one provider to really stand out from the crowd, making Sky’s successes all the more impressive.
“Interestingly, three of Sky’s four wins were for its mobile service – perhaps an area where it is not historically been seen as a major player, but one where the value and quality of its offering have now deservedly been recognised.
“Huawei’s seismic impact on the UK market was confirmed by its wins for Manufacturer and Handset of the Year, a further demonstration that the smartphone industry and consumers alike are impressed by offerings beyond the usual suspects. With 5G arriving this year, expect mobile manufacturers to push the boundaries even further as they bid to counter the increasing smartphone apathy with a selection of exciting new devices.
“The variety of winners in the broadband and TV categories was a clear reflection of the impressive range of options to choose from, with consumers now able to select individual streaming services or picking a triple play provider. Vodafone was the big winner, though, taking home both Provider of the Year and Best Value Provider – a testament to their strides in offering keenly priced and attractive broadband packages to consumers.
“Netflix continues to set the standard for on-demand TV content, with Sky and Now TV also drawing deserved recognition for both their content and their user-friendly services. The ongoing word-of-mouth success of Netflix’s recent Fyre Festival documentary has shown how social media plays an increasingly important role in creating a buzz around a show or film, making original content more vital than ever for on-demand services to stand out and drive consumers to their platforms.
“Another exciting year across broadband, mobile and TV which once again raises the bar for the coming 12 months.”
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