Who needs High Speed FTTC ?

Broadband has become increasingly more important to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single day that bank on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The quantity of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that everyone has in their homes, seems to increase daily.

Halesowen Broadband Deals For March 2024

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Connection TypeAvailablity
FTTC / Fibre / Superfast BroadbandYes
Cable / Virgin MediaSome Areas
ADSL / BroadbandYes
4GYes

Working from home is commonplace as it saves people sitting in commuter traffic, something that we all 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 turned on at the same time. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small company has the chance to do what they want online– all all at once– without any annoying delays.

What is high speed broadband?

Super-fast broadband relates to broadband connections of about 300Mbps in the UK.

Super-fast broadband connections enable users to go online , stream music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively more than 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 which include Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.

How does fibre broadband operate?

Unlike most UK internet connections, which use telephony 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 up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper cables used by traditional ADSL connectivity .

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BT also offers an as much as 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 resold BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded super-fast cable broadband services of their own.

However, fast internet 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 range of your broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast internet by registering selected ADSL2+ broadband packages from the providers like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This kind 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 as high as 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 inhabit a town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of more than 16Mb or more. This still provides plenty of bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.

Which super-fast broadband product is the fastest?

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 superfast fibre connectivity network.

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BT’s Infinity package delivers 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.

 

 

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 broadband ?

Your initial step is to decide which super-fast internet services are available at your exhaage. Check which service are available.

 

Benefits of super fast broadband

Super fast internet connectivity lets you take advantage of all the music streaming available online. You will have the capacity to download movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you consume what you like, when you like it, and banishing the hanging around for astronomical downloads.

Fans of on-demand show will love their best shows on the Sky Now TV, including rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced latency means improved response times delivered by super fast broadband means that when playing game online you an one-upmanship over the opposition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.

Disadvantages of super-fast broadband

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very near) and dependent on things that are not within your control, like the age of wiring and the distance you live from the BT exchange . Even if super fast internet is available in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in speed for a much higher cost .

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Who is  FTTC internet  for?

The massive growth in the range of people streaming music , downloading video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of high speed broadband .

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 connectivity service – preferably fibre optic for the best service .

Super-fast broadband is also ideal for fans of online games . This is because a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping,  which is often  as a resulted of slower traditional connectivity services . 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 choose a traditional ADSL connection.

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Halesowen – Other Areas

  • Chelwood Gate
  • Hulland Village
  • Trinity
  • Ugford
  • Nether Burrow
  • Hamsey
  • East Langwell
  • Foyers
  • Fennifach
  • Stutton