My current ISP (Be) has been having horrendous networking issues for the past two weeks and seems to have no idea on how to fix them. I am therefore looking to move providers.

Does anybody have experience with BT Business broadband and reliability / throughput? From what I understand, they're OK when they are working, but not when there are problems. How has anyone's experience been (particularly re Forest Hill)

I am not interested in feedback on their residential HomeHub service. (sorry )

I can echo the report that when BT Business Broadband is working it is OK, however particularly if performance levels are sub-standard, you have to work very hard to get to BT to address the issues in an effective manner.

That said, if you persevere, and on one occasion that took 8-10 weeks, their service can be made to meet their own standards.

As far as treating Business lines as a priority (over presumably domestic customers), I feel that this is entirely questionable. Plenty of engineers may turn up - but it takes the guy with the local knowledge to find a clean line that is reliable for broadband use.

The HG2700 Two-Wire Modem router that comes as part of the package has variable qualities - all dependent on the firmware versions present on the box.

Most disappointingly it is not an "N" class wifi router and has its feet of clay planted in the outdated "G" class - a difference between 54mbps and 140mbps for wireless connected kit. Interestingly despite Newforesters request not to refer to "residential HomeHub use" , the HomeHub V3 can happily be substituted for the HG2700 to provide a very good wifi footprint with "N" class performance. There are many other modem routers that are commercially available and that can also perform to "N" class standards.

Some versions of the HG2700 have proven to be "noisy" at the modem level contributing to degradation in the line performance - and once more the HomeHUb3 can eliminate this problem.

Infuriatingly and despite a major rollout of FTTC and FTTP services for home users within Forest Hill, BT obstinately refuse to offer either variants to BT Business customers or offer a timetable that would enable customers to plan their internet requirements. This defies logic and represents a substantially sub-standard offering to business customers who need reliable high speed internet connections to sustain their competitiveness.

This commentary makes no effort to compare levels of performance between ISP's.