Who needs Superfast Connections ?

Broadband has become increasingly more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use per day that rely on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The amount of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that everyone has in their homes, seems to increase everyday.

Couch Green Broadband Deals For January 2023

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 cope with the simultaneous demands of downloading large files, streaming videos or music, with multiple devices and appliances turned on all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small business manages to do what they want online– all concurrently– without any annoying delays.

What is quick broadband?

Super-fast broadband relates to broadband connections of about 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 above most internet users.

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

How does fibre broadband work ?

Unlike many UK internet connections, which use telephony lines, the UK’s fastest 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 composed of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by standard ADSL 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 homes in years to come.

 

 

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

However, fast internet is not exclusively 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 distant of your internet provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by registering selected ADSL2+ internet packages from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This sort of connection uses the same cables and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL phone-line connections, but thanks to the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of around 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “up to 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 area you can realistically expect speeds of more than 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 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 with the help of its superfast fibre connectivity 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 according to 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 fibre broadband ?

Your initial step is to see which fast internet services are available in your area . Check which service are available.

 

Advantages of super fast broadband

Super fast broadband enables you to utilise all the services available on the internet. You’ll be able to download movies in a within minutes – allowing you consume what you want , when you demand it , and getting rid of the days of long waiting times for large downloads.

Fans of on-demand TV can enjoy their best shows on the Sky Now TV, besides rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without interruption .

Reduced latency means better response times delivered by super-fast connectivity means that when online gaming you gain a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better more enjoyable experience.

Disadvantages of FTTC internet

Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very close ) 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. Regardless of whether fibre connectivity is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher annual price.

Who is  high speed internet connectivity for?

The massive growth in the amount of people listening to music, streaming video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super fast internet 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 fibre broadband service – preferably fibre optic for the best experience.

Fibre broadband 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 pleasure.

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

Couch Green – Other Areas

Wanson

Ba gh a Cha ise

Chartridge

New Hinksey

Pensby

Hatfield Broad Oak

Furnace End

Otterbourne

Lower Kingswood

Whitley Chapel