Who needs High Speed FTTC ?

Broadband has become much more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single 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 everyday.

Farnham Broadband Deals For October 2025

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 we all 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 signed on simultaneously. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or company manages to do what they want online– all concurrently– with no annoying delays.

What is super-fast broadband?

Super-fast broadband refers to broadband connections of as much 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 above most internet users.

While the current average UK broadband connection is around 12Mbps (2014), super-fast internet products deliver speeds of right up to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks such as Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.

How does super-fast internet operate?

Unlike most of UK broadband connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s fastest broadband product – the 100Mbps service from Virgin (it’s 200Mbps in some areas) – is delivered by a cable, or fibre-optic, broadband network. These cables are made up 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 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 high speed cable broadband services of their own.

However, fast internet is not only on offer 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 for selected ADSL2+ broadband services from the likes of O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This sort of connectivity uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL phone-line connections, but due to the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of almost 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “around 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 up to 16Mb or more. This still provides more than enough bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.

Which superfast connectivity product is the fastest?

Among the UK’s quickest 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 because 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 network and feature headline speeds according to 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 connectivity?

Your first step is to decide which superfast broadband services are available in your area . Check which service are available.

 

Advantages of super fast broadband

Fast internet lets you make the most of all the services available online. 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 big downloads.

Fans of on-demand programmes will love their favourite shows on the BBC iPlayer , together with rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced ‘ping’ means better response times delivered by fibre internet means that when playing game online you an one-upmanship over the opponents and can enjoy a better more enjoyable experience.

Disadvantages of fibre internet

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very near) and depend on things that are out of your control , like the age of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the exchange . Whether or not high speed connectivity is available in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in performance for a much higher annual cost .

Who is  high speed internet  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 high speed 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 super fast internet product – preferably fibre optic for the very best service.

High speed internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. Due to the fact 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 products . This can seriously ruin your online gaming experience .

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

Farnham – Other Areas

Raf Dishforth

Great Edstone

Govan

Stibbard

Kilpin Pike

Holmes

Great Henny

Cefn

Newbridge

Higher Tremar