Who needs Super-fast Connectivity ?
Broadband has become much more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single day that bank on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The amount of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that each person has in their homes, seems to increase every day.
Brick House End 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 handle 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 ability to do what they want online– all all at once– with no annoying delays.
What is quick broadband?
Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of around 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 more than most broadband users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast internet products deliver speeds of to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks like Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does fibre internet work ?
Unlike most UK broadband connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s quickest 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 quicker than along the copper cables used by traditional DSL broadband .
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 homes in years to come.
The likes of TalkTalk, Sky and EE have resold BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded super fast cable broadband products of their own.
However, fast internet is not only 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 getting selected ADSL2+ internet packages from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This kind of connection uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL broadband connections, but because of the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of about 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “up to 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the copper and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you dwell in a city or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of around 16Mb or more. This still provides sufficient bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which superfast connectivity product is the best?
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 due to 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 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 connectivity?
Your initial step is to decide which fast internet services are available to you . Check which service are available.
Advantages of super-fast broadband connectivity
Super-fast broadband empowers you to utilise all the video on demand on offer on the internet. You’ll manage to download movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you consume what you like, when you like it, and getting rid of the hanging around for big downloads.
Fans of on-demand programmes will love their favourite shows on the Sky Now TV, and also rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without interruption .
Reduced ‘ping’ means improved response times delivered by fibre broadband means that when playing game online you a competitive advantage over the opposition and can enjoy a better more enjoyable experience.
Disadvantages of super-fast broadband
Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very near) and based on things that are not within your control, like the age of wiring and the distance you live from the exchange . Although fibre connectivity is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many improvements in performance for a much higher annual price.
Who is FTTC internet connectivity for?
The massive growth in the number of people listening to music, video and watching catchup TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super-fast connectivity .
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 connectivity product – preferably fibre optic for the best experience.
Super-fast connectivity is also ideal for fans of online gaming . Due to the fact a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping, which is often caused by slower traditional 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 decide on a standard ADSL service .
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