Who needs Superfast Broadband 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 range of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that each person has in their homes, seems to increase each day.
Golden Pot Broadband Deals For December 2023
[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 like 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 turned on concurrently. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or local business has the opportunity to do what they want online– all all at once– with no annoying delays.
What is fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of around 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 above most internet users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast internet products deliver speeds of around 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks including Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does super-fast connectivity operate?
Unlike most UK broadband connections, which use telephony lines, the UK’s quickest internet 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 composed of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper cables used by traditional DSL connectivity .
BT also offers an up to 76Mb fibre 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 resold BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded high speed cable broadband products of their own.
However, fast broadband 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 broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by joining selected ADSL2+ internet services from the providers like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This kind of connectivity uses the same cables and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL broadband connections, but due to the software and technology used it can deliver speeds of about 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “about 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the cabling and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you live in a town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of about 16Mb or more. This still provides more than enough bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast broadband product is the best?
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 because its super-fast fibre broadband 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 optic network and feature headline speeds in line 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 cabling to carry more data.
How do I get fibre optic connectivity?
Your start is to decide which superfast internet services are available to you . Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of high speed broadband connections
Fast internet enables you to take advantage of all the entertainment services available on-line. You’ll have the chance to download movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you watch what you want , when you like it, and banishing the days of long waiting times for big downloads.
Fans of on-demand TV can enjoy 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 high speed connectivity means that when online gaming you gain a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better playing experience.
Disadvantages of high speed internet
Speeds are never guaranteed as advertised (although are often very close ) and based upon things that are out of your control , like the age of wiring and the distance you live from the BT exchange . Although high speed internet connectivity is on offer in your area , these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher price .
Who is high speed broadband for?
The massive growth in the range of people downloading music , video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super fast 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 super fast broadband product – preferably fibre optic for the best experience.
Fibre internet connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. This is because faster connectivity eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping, which is commonly triggered by slower ADSL internet services . 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 opt for a standard ADSL deal .
[elementor-template id=”137965″]