Why the ISPA Awards matter

After months of online voting, more than 600 guests will gather at the Park Lane Hilton to find out exactly who provides the best ISP or ecommerce services. And a new category this year aims to highlight exactly who are the internet villains and heroes of 2001.

You may be thinking this is just yet another pompous, back-slapping event with little real relevance to the quality of internet services. Think again.

The increasing size and profile of these awards testifies to the industry's maturity.

It wasn't that long ago that ISPs were considered little more than cowboys who rarely lived up to service level agreements (SLA) - if you were lucky enough to get one in the first place.

The modern industry is very different. Competition has meant ISPs are desperately trying to find new revenue streams and are offering a variety of 'value add' services in addition to must-have SLAs. Quality has never before been as important. Innovative services never so widespread.

But more notably, ISPs have become central to both business and society. As the internet villain/hero categories at tonight's Oscars testify, the industry is all about influencing the regulation of ecommerce, driving the roll-out of broadband services, and ensuring internet users have a right to privacy and decent content.

So while there may be an element of pomposity in tonight's awards they are also an indication the market has reached a level of maturity and influence and is shaping the future of our digital economy.

That's why the ISPA awards matter, and why we'll be bringing you a report on Thursday.