Who needs Superfast Broadband FTTC Internet?

Broadband has become much more essential to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every day that depend on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The range of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that everyone has in their homes, seems to increase each day.

Bestwood Broadband Deals For March 2026

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 being stuck in commuter traffic, something that most of us would love to avoid.

 

 

Quite simply, traditional broadband connections often struggle to manage 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 small company has the chance to do what they want online– all at the same time– with no annoying delays.

What is super-fast broadband?

Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of as much as 300Mbps in the UK.

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

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

How does fibre broadband operate?

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

BT also offers an 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 future .

 

 

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

However, fast broadband is not only on offer to people in a fibre-optic broadband area . 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 subscribing to selected ADSL2+ internet packages from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

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

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

Which high speed connectivity product is the quickest ?

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 because of its superfast fibre-optic connectivity network.

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

 

 

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 super-fast broadband ?

Your start is to decide which superfast internet services are available at your exhaage. Check which products are available.

 

Advantages of fast broadband

High speed internet can let you utilise all the services on offer on the internet. You’ll manage to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you view what you like, when you want it , and getting rid of the hanging around for astronomical downloads.

Fans of on-demand TV will love their favourite shows on the Sky Now TV, as well as rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced ‘ping’ means better response times delivered by high speed connectivity means that online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the competition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.

Disadvantages of FTTC internet

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and based on things that are out of your control , like the quality of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the cabinet . Regardless of whether fibre connectivity is available in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many improvements in speed for a much higher annual price.

Who is  fibre connectivity  for?

The massive growth in the number of people downloading music , streaming video and watching TV online means that there is no more a typical user of fibre 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 internet connectivity service – preferably fibre optic for the best service .

High speed connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. Due to the fact a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping,  which is commonly triggered by slower ADSL connectivity products . This can seriously ruin your online gaming experience .

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

Bestwood – Other Areas

Waddingworth

Stratton Chase

Gosforth

Shawlands

Cwmcarn

Wind Hill

Fullarton

Roch

Wilkin Throop

Mansel Lacy