Who needs Super-fast Broadband Connections ?

Broadband has become much more necessary to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use per day that depend 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 daily.

Langstone Broadband Deals For October 2024

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 wish to avoid.

 

 

Quite simply, traditional broadband connections often struggle to deal with the simultaneous demands of downloading large files, streaming videos or music, with multiple devices and appliances signed on at the same time. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small company has the opportunity to do what they want online– all all at once– with no annoying delays.

What is quick broadband?

Super-fast broadband refers 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 broadband users.

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

How does high speed connectivity work ?

Unlike most of UK internet connections, which use telephony lines, the UK’s quickest 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 composed of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by traditional xDSL internet connectivity.

BT also offers an as high as 76Mb fibre-optic service called BT Infinity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK residence 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 broadband is not only available to people in a fibre-optic broadband area . 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 internet by enrolling in selected ADSL2+ internet services from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This kind of connectivity uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL phone-line connections, but because of the software and technology being 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 reside in a city or built up area you can realistically expect speeds of as high as 16Mb or more. This still provides ample bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.

Which super-fast connectivity product is the quickest ?

Among the UK’s fastest 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 thanks to its superfast fibre connectivity 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 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 cabling to carry more data.

How do I get super-fast connectivity?

Your 1st step is to see which fast broadband services are available in your area . Check which products are available.

 

Advantages of super-fast broadband connectivity

Fast internet lets you utilise all the video on demand on offer on-line. You will be able to watch movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you view what you like, when you like it, and banishing the hanging around for huge downloads.

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

Reduced ‘ping’ means improved response times delivered by high speed internet means that when playing game online you a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better playing experience.

Disadvantages of fibre broadband

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and dependent on things that are out of your control , like the age of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the green box. Even if super-fast connectivity is on offer 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 number of people listening to music, streaming video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of super-fast 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 good sense to enrol for a super fast internet service – preferably fibre for the very best service.

Fibre broadband is also ideal for fans of online gaming . This is because faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping,  which is often  as a resulted of slower traditional internet connectivity products . This can seriously ruin your gaming experience .

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

Langstone – Other Areas

Crosby On Eden

Ashreigney

Agglethorpe

Dragons Green

Haslucks Green

Monnington on Wye

Cushuish

Pant

Rotten End

Badley