Who needs Superfast Connections ?
Broadband has become much more necessary to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use each day that rely 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 every day.
Bolton Broadband Deals For March 2024
[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 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 signed on concurrently. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or company has the ability 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 high 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 internet users.
While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast broadband products deliver speeds of up to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks like Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does fibre connectivity work ?
Unlike most of UK broadband connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s fastest broadband 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 of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper cables used by standard xDSL internet .
BT also offers a more than 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 years to come.
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 internet is not only available to people in a fibre 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 internet provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by subscribing to selected ADSL2+ broadband services from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This type of connectivity uses the same cables and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL phone-line connections, but as a result of the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of approximately 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “almost 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the wiring and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you live a city or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of right up to 16Mb or more. This still provides more than enough bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast connectivity product is the fastest?
Among the UK’s fastest broadband 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 delivers a maximum speed of 76Mbps and the aforementioned services from Sky, EE and TalkTalk, which use BT’s fibre optic 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 cabling to carry more data.
How do I get super-fast connectivity?
Your start is to see which fast broadband services are available at your exhaage. Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of high speed broadband connections
Super-fast broadband lets you use all the entertainment on offer online. You will have the ability to download movies in a within minutes – allowing you watch what you want , when you want it , and banishing the hanging around for huge downloads.
Fans of on-demand show will love their best shows on the Sky Now TV, together with rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.
Reduced latency means better response times delivered by super-fast internet means that when playing game online you a competitive advantage over the competition and can enjoy a better playing experience.
Disadvantages of fibre broadband
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 copper connectivity and the distance you live from the green box. Though super-fast internet is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher annual price.
Who is FTTC connectivity for?
The massive growth in the range of people listening to music, downloading video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of fibre internet .
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 enrol for a super fast internet connectivity product – preferably fibre optic for the best service.
Super fast internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online gaming . Due to the fact a faster connection gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is known as ping, which is often caused by slower traditional internet products . 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 opt for a standard ADSL service .
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