Who needs Super-fast FTTC Internet?

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

Ablington Broadband Deals For March 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 we all wish 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 turned on simultaneously. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or business has the capacity to do what they want online– all concurrently– without any annoying delays.

What is fast broadband?

Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of more than 300Mbps in the UK.

Super-fast broadband connections enable users to surf the internet, stream music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively above most internet users.

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

How does high speed connectivity operate?

Unlike many of UK internet connections, which use telephone 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 comprised of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by traditional ADSL connectivity .

BT also offers a right up 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 near future .

 

 

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

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

ADSL2+

This form of connectivity uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL broadband connections, but because of the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of almost 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “approximately 16Mb”.

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

Which super-fast internet product is the fastest?

Among the UK’s quickest internet 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 due to its super-fast fibre-optic broadband network.

BT’s Infinity package offers a maximum speed of 76Mbps and the previously mentioned services from Sky, EE and TalkTalk, which use BT’s fibre optic network and feature headline speeds according to 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 copper to carry more data.

How do I get superfast connectivity?

Your first step is to see which superfast broadband services are available in your area . Check which service are available.

 

Benefits of fast broadband

Super-fast internet connectivity can let you enjoy all the music streaming on offer on the world wide web. You will have the chance to download movies in a within minutes – allowing you consume what you want , when you demand it , and banishing the hanging around for huge downloads.

Fans of on-demand TV will love their favourite shows on the BBC iPlayer , together with rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced latency means move favourable response times delivered by super fast connectivity means that when playing game online you an one-upmanship over the opposition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.

Disadvantages of FTTC broadband

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and based on things that are out of your control , like the age of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the exchange . Although super fast internet connectivity is available in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher cost .

Who is  FTTC connectivity  for?

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

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 sense to sign up for a high speed broadband service – preferably fibre optic for the best service .

Super-fast internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online gaming . This is because a faster connection gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping,  which is commonly triggered by slower DSL connectivity 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 opt for a standard ADSL service .

Ablington – Other Areas

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Stalmine Moss Side

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Agden

Tilley Green

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