Who needs Superfast Broadband Connections ?
Broadband has become increasingly more important to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every single day that rely on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The number of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that each person has in their homes, seems to increase on a daily basis.
Hollow Meadows Broadband Deals For November 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 most of us would like to avoid.
Quite simply, traditional broadband connections often struggle to manage 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 small company manages to do what they want online– all all at once– without any annoying delays.
What is fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband describes broadband connections of more than 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), high speed internet products deliver speeds of about 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks which includes Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does superfast broadband operate?
Unlike most UK broadband connections, which use telephony lines, the UK’s quickest 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 composed of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper pipes used by standard DSL connectivity .
BT also offers an as high as 76Mb fibre service called BT Infinity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK residence in in the near 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 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 range of your internet provider’s exchange you can still get fast internet by registering for selected ADSL2+ internet services from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This kind of connection uses the same cabling and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL broadband connections, but due to the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of almost 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “about 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the copper and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you live in a city or built up area you can realistically expect speeds of right up to 16Mb or more. This still provides sufficient 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 as a result 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 network and feature headline speeds in accordance 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 copper to carry more data.
How do I get fibre optic broadband ?
Your initial step is to see which super-fast internet services are available to you . Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of high speed internet
Fast internet can let you utilise all the entertainment available online. You will manage to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you view what you like, when you demand it , and banishing the hanging around for very large downloads.
Fans of on-demand show can enjoy their favourite shows on the Sky Now TV, in addition to rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.
Reduced ‘ping’ means better response times delivered by super-fast internet means that online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better gaming experience.
Disadvantages of fibre internet
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 copper connectivity and the distance you live from the exchange . Whether fibre internet is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may yield little difference in performance for a much higher cost .
Who is FTTC internet for?
The massive growth in the range of people streaming music , streaming video and watching TV online means that there is no more a typical user of super fast internet 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 high speed internet product – preferably fibre optic for the best service .
Super-fast broadband is also ideal for fans of online console usage. This is because a faster connection gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is known as ping, which is often brought on by slower ADSL internet 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 prefer a standard ADSL deal .
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