While those who follow the sector closely will already know this, AOL Broadband is actually part of the Carphone Warehouse empire after acquiring AOL's UK ISP business back in October 2006 for a substantial £370 million. Even though there were many people who baulked at the idea of paying such a price for what was then a business in trouble, Carphone Warehouse has managed to turn the business around and it has given them critical mass in a market which is getting more and more competitive.

As you would expect from a parent company such as Carphone Warehouse, we have seen a number of controversial and eye catching marketing gimmicks from the group as they attempt to force as much out of the old AOL service, and the 2 million UK customers which came with it, as possible. Free laptops, free Xbox consoles and the like have all been offered to new customers who sign up for a variety of services.