Who needs Superfast FTTC Internet?
Broadband has become increasingly more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use on a daily basis that count 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 on a daily basis.
Drumquin 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 all of us would love 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 logged on at the same time. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or local business is able to do what they want online– all all at once– without any annoying delays.
What is fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband refers to broadband connections of more than 300Mbps in the UK.
Super-fast broadband connections enable users to go online , download music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively greater than most internet users.
While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast internet products deliver speeds of as high as 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks specifically Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does superfast connectivity operate?
Unlike many UK broadband connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s fastest internet 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 made of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by traditional ADSL internet connectivity.
BT also offers an up to 76Mb fibre-optic service called 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 used BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded super fast cable broadband services of their own.
However, fast broadband 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 broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by registering selected ADSL2+ internet services from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This sort of connectivity uses the same cabling and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL internet connections, but as a result of the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of around 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “to 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the wiring 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 around 16Mb or more. This still provides sufficient bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which high speed broadband product is the best?
Among the UK’s quickest 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 superfast fibre connectivity network.
BT’s Infinity package offers a maximum speed of 76Mbps and the previously mentioned services from Sky, EE and TalkTalk, which use BT’s fibre network and feature headline speeds in line 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 broadband ?
Your start is to decide which high speed broadband services are available at your exhaage. Check which service are available.
Advantages of high bandwidth broadband connections
Super fast broadband empowers you to take advantage of all the music streaming available on the net. You will have the chance to watch movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you watch what you like, when you like it, and getting rid of the days of long waiting times for big downloads.
Fans of on-demand TV can enjoy their best shows on the Sky Now TV, in addition to rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.
Reduced latency means improved response times delivered by super-fast internet means that when online gaming you gain an one-upmanship over the competition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.
Disadvantages of fibre connectivity
Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and dependent on things that are not within your control, like the quality of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the BT exchange . Regardless of whether high speed broadband is available in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many improvements in speed for a much higher cost .
Who is super-fast internet for?
The massive growth in the range of people downloading music , downloading video and watching catchup TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super-fast 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 good sense to enrol in a super-fast internet deal – preferably fibre for the very best service.
Super-fast connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. This is because faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is known as ping, which is often triggered by slower DSL connectivity 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 select a standard ADSL service .
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