Who needs Superfast Connectivity ?

Broadband has become much more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use each day that rely 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.

Comber Broadband Deals For March 2024

[elementor-template id=”137965″]
Connection TypeAvailablity
FTTC / Fibre / Superfast BroadbandYes
Cable / Virgin MediaSome Areas
ADSL / BroadbandYes
4GYes

Working from home is commonplace as it saves people sitting in commuter traffic, something that all 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 signed on all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small company has the ability to do what they want online– all concurrently– without any annoying delays.

What is fast broadband?

Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of as high as 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 internet users.

While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast internet 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 super-fast connectivity operate?

Unlike many of UK broadband connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s quickest broadband 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 comprised of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper pipes used by traditional xDSL internet .

Check Out  Ballywalter

BT also offers an as high as 76Mb fibre-optic service called Infinity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK homes in in the future .

 

 

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

However, fast broadband is not only on offer 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 range of your broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by subscribing to selected ADSL2+ internet services from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This form of connection uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL internet connections, but due to the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of up to 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “about 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 town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of as high as 16Mb or more. This still provides more than enough bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.

Which super-fast internet product is the quickest ?

Among the UK’s fastest connectivity 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 broadband network.

Check Out  Donaghadee

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 super-fast broadband ?

Your first step is to decide which superfast broadband services are available to you . Check which service are available.

 

Advantages of high bandwidth broadband connections

High speed internet lets you make the most of all the music streaming on offer on the internet. You’ll have the capacity to download movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you consume what you like, when you want it , and getting rid of the hanging around for enormous downloads.

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

Reduced ‘ping’ means move favourable response times delivered by super fast broadband means that online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the opposition and can enjoy a better playing experience.

Disadvantages of FTTC internet

Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very close ) and rely on things that are out of your control , like the age of wiring and the distance you live from the BT exchange . Even if high speed internet is available in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in speed for a much higher monthly cost .

Check Out  Cunningburn

Who is  FTTC connectivity  for?

The massive growth in the range of people listening to music, video and watching TV online means that there is no more a typical user of fibre internet connectivity.

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

High speed internet is also ideal for fans of online games . Due to the fact a faster connection gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is known as ping,  which is often  as a resulted of slower DSL 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 favour a traditional ADSL service .

[elementor-template id=”137965″]

Comber – Other Areas

  • Keswick
  • Wester Broomhouse
  • Brompton-by-Sawdon
  • Talsarn
  • Dimlands
  • Rocksavage
  • Townhead
  • Charlton On Otmoor
  • Bailey Green
  • Bewsey