Who needs Super-fast Broadband Connections ?

Broadband has become increasingly more necessary to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single day that rely on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The quantity of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that each person has in their homes, seems to increase everyday.

Upper Longwood Broadband Deals For December 2025

Connection Type	Availablity
FTTC / Fibre / Superfast Broadband	Yes
Cable / Virgin Media	Some Areas
ADSL / Broadband	Yes
4G	Yes

Working from home is commonplace as it saves people sitting in commuter traffic, something that all of us need to avoid.

 

 

Quite simply, traditional broadband connections often struggle to cope with the simultaneous demands of downloading large files, streaming videos or music, with multiple devices and appliances logged on all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or company is able to do what they want online– all simultaneously– without any annoying delays.

What is quick broadband?

Super-fast broadband refers to broadband connections of as high as 300Mbps in the UK.

Super-fast broadband connections enable users to go online , stream music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively more than most internet users.

While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast broadband products deliver speeds of around 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks including Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.

How does superfast internet work ?

Unlike most UK internet connections, which use telephony lines, the UK’s quickest internet product – the 100Mbps service from Virgin (it’s 200Mbps in some areas) – is delivered by a cable, or fibre-optic, broadband network. These cables are made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper pipes used by traditional ADSL broadband .

BT also offers a to 76Mb fibre-optic service called BT Infinity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK residence in in the not too distant future.

 

 

The likes of TalkTalk, Sky and EE have resold BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded super-fast cable broadband services of their own.

However, fast broadband is not only available to people in a fibre-optic broadband locations. Fast broadband is not exclusively on offer to people in a fibre-optic broadband area. If you live within a certain range of your broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by joining selected ADSL2+ internet packages from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This style of connection uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL broadband connections, but as a result of the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of around 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “right up to 16Mb”.

Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the wiring and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you inhabit a town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of as much as 16Mb or more. This still provides plenty of bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.

Which superfast connectivity product is the fastest?

Among the UK’s fastest connectivity products is Virgin Media’s 152Mbps service. Virgin Media, which also offers 50Mbps broadband products as a bare minimum, is able to deliver such fast connections with the help of its superfast fibre broadband network.

BT’s Infinity package delivers a maximum speed of 76Mbps and the aforementioned services from Sky, EE and TalkTalk, which use BT’s fibre network and feature headline speeds in accordance with BT.

 

 

Alternatively, broadband products offering an up to 16Mbps (or thereabouts) connection are available from most providers. The arrival of these speeds has been facilitated by an upgrade of BT’s network with ADSL2+ technology, enabling the existing cabling to carry more data.

How do I get fibre optic broadband ?

Your initial step is to decide which high speed broadband services are available at your exhaage. Check which service are available.

 

Advantages of fast broadband connections

Fast internet enables you to utilise all the music streaming on offer on the web. You’ll be able to watch movies in a within minutes – allowing you consume what you like, when you demand it , and getting rid of the hanging around for huge downloads.

Fans of on-demand TV can enjoy their best shows on the BBC iPlayer , including rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced ‘ping’ means improved response times delivered by super fast broadband means that online gamers gain an one-upmanship over the opponents and can enjoy a better gaming experience.

Disadvantages of fibre connectivity

Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very close ) and dependent on things that are not within your control, like the quality of wiring and the distance you live from the exchange . Whether or not fibre connectivity is available in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in speed for a much higher monthly cost .

Who is super-fast connectivity  for?

The massive growth in the range of people listening to music, downloading video and watching on demand TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super fast broadband .

However, if you are a heavy downloader or are one of the increasing number of consumers who prefer to catch up with TV programmes online, it makes good sense to sign up for a fibre broadband product – preferably fibre for the greatest service.

Super-fast connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. This is because faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping,  which is commonly caused by slower ADSL broadband services . This can seriously ruin your online gaming pleasure.

If you only use the internet for checking your e-mail and for the occasional search, it’s more prudent to go for a traditional ADSL deal .

Upper Longwood – Other Areas

Lem Hill

Auchleven

Wix

Philpstoun

Miltonduff

Drybrook

Monkton

Churchstow

Greenmeadow

Maidens Hall