Who needs Superfast Broadband FTTC Connectivity ?
Broadband has become more and more important to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use each day that count 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 every day.
Blackwood Broadband Deals For December 2023
[elementor-template id=”137965″]| 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 wish 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 concurrently. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small company has the opportunity to do what they want online– all simultaneously– with no annoying delays.
What is super-fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband relates to broadband connections of around 300Mbps in the UK.
Super-fast broadband connections enable users to connect to the internet , download music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively more than most broadband users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), high speed internet products deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks especially Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does high speed broadband 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 made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper cables used by standard DSL internet connectivity.
BT also offers a right up to 76Mb fibre 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 piggybacked on BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded high speed cable broadband services of their own.
However, fast broadband is not only on offer 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 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 type of connection uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL internet connections, but as a result of the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of up to 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “almost 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the cabling and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you reside in a city or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of up to 16Mb or more. This still provides sufficient bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast broadband 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 because its super-fast fibre-optic broadband network.
BT’s Infinity package offers 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 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 high speed connectivity?
Your initial step is to decide which super-fast internet services are available to you . Check which service are available.
Benefits of fast broadband connections
Super fast broadband enables you to make the most of all the music streaming on offer on the net. You will have the capacity to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you watch what you want , when you like it, and getting rid of the hanging around for astronomical downloads.
Fans of on-demand show can enjoy their favourite shows on the Sky Now TV, in addition to rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without interruption .
Reduced ‘ping’ means move favourable response times delivered by super-fast connectivity means that online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better gaming experience.
Disadvantages of high speed internet connectivity
Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very near) and depend on things that are out of your control , like the quality of wiring and the distance you live from the BT exchange . Regardless of whether high speed broadband is on offer in your area , these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in speed for a much higher cost .
Who is FTTC connectivity for?
The massive growth in the amount of people downloading music , streaming video and watching on demand TV online means that there is no more 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 super-fast connectivity deal – preferably fibre optic for the best service .
Fibre internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online games . 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 connectivity services . This can seriously ruin your gaming experience .
If you only use the internet for checking your e-mail and for the occasional search, it’s more prudent to prefer a standard ADSL connection.
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