Who needs Super-fast Fibre Connectivity ?
Broadband has become increasingly more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single 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.
Edinburgh 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 being stuck in commuter traffic, something that all of us need to avoid.
Quite simply, traditional broadband connections often struggle to come to grips 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 has the chance to do what they want online– all at the same time– with no annoying delays.
What is high speed broadband?
Super-fast broadband describes broadband connections of up to 300Mbps in the UK.
Super-fast broadband connections enable users to surf the internet, download music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively greater than most broadband users.
While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12Mbps (2014), high speed internet products deliver speeds of about 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks especially Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does superfast internet work ?
Unlike most of UK broadband connections, which use telephone 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 cables used by traditional xDSL internet .
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 super-fast cable broadband products of their own.
However, fast internet is not exclusively on offer to people in a fibre-optic 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 getting selected ADSL2+ internet services from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This sort of connection uses the same cabling and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL internet connections, but because of the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of as high as 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “as high as 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the copper 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 about 16Mb or more. This still provides sufficient bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which high speed connectivity 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 of its superfast 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 accordance 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 start is to decide which high speed broadband services are available in your area . Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of fast broadband connections
Fast broadband empowers you to make the most of all the video on demand on offer online. You will have the capacity to watch movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you view what you want , when you want it , and banishing the hanging around for astronomical downloads.
Fans of on-demand show will love their best shows on the Sky Now TV, and even rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.
Reduced ‘ping’ means improved response times delivered by fibre broadband means that when playing game online you an one-upmanship over the opponents and can enjoy a better playing experience.
Disadvantages of high speed internet connectivity
Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very near) and depend on things that are not within your control, like the quality of wiring and the distance you live from the cabinet . Although fibre internet is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher monthly cost .
Who is FTTC connectivity for?
The massive growth in the amount of people listening to music, video and watching TV online means that there is no more a typical user of fibre 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 register for a high speed internet connectivity deal – preferably fibre for the very best service.
High speed connectivity is also ideal for fans of online games . This is because a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping, which is commonly brought on by slower traditional internet 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 go for a traditional ADSL deal .
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