Who needs High Speed FTTC ?
Broadband has become much more necessary to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use each day 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 everyday.
East Kilbride 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 most of us would love 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 simultaneously. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small business has the chance to do what they want online– all concurrently– with no annoying delays.
What is high speed broadband?
Super-fast broadband describes broadband connections of right up to 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 higher than most internet users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), high speed internet products deliver speeds of as high as 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks specifically Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does superfast broadband operate?
Unlike many UK broadband connections, which use telephony 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 made of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper pipes used by standard xDSL internet connectivity.
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 in the not too distant future.
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 broadband 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 range of your broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast internet by subscribing to selected ADSL2+ internet services from the providers like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This style 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 around 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “around 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the cabling and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you inhabit a city or built up area you can realistically expect speeds of around 16Mb or more. This still provides plenty of bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which high speed broadband product is the quickest ?
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 as a result of its super-fast fibre-optic 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 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 optic connectivity?
Your first step is to see which superfast broadband services are available at your exhaage. Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of high speed broadband connections
Super fast internet connectivity can let you utilise all the music streaming available on the internet. You’ll be able to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you view what you want , when you want it , and banishing the days of long waiting times for huge downloads.
Fans of on-demand TV will love 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 move favourable response times delivered by super-fast broadband means that online gamers gain an one-upmanship over the opposition and can enjoy a better more enjoyable experience.
Disadvantages of FTTC broadband
Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very near) and based upon things that are out of your control , like the quality of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the green box. Despite the fact that fibre internet is available in your area , these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in speed for a much higher annual cost .
Who is FTTC internet for?
The massive growth in the amount of people streaming music , video and watching TV online means that there is no more a typical user of high speed broadband .
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 join a fibre connectivity product – preferably fibre for the best service.
Super fast internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online games . Due to the fact faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping, which is commonly caused by slower DSL broadband products. This can seriously ruin your online gaming pleasure.
If you only use the internet for checking your e-mail and for the occasional search, it’s more prudent to pick a traditional ADSL connection.
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