Who needs Superfast Broadband Internet ?
Broadband has become more and more important to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use each day that depend on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The quantity of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that each person has in their homes, seems to increase daily.
North Shields Broadband Deals For April 2024
Sky Broadband Essential​
Unlimited Usage-
Average speed 11MBPS
-
ADSL Broadband
-
UNLIMITED Usage
Line Rental Included
There is no extra charge for line rental.
Guaranteed WiFi In Every Room
If you can't get WiFi in every room of your house then Sky will give you your money back.
Fast Installation + Keep Your Number
Get your new broadband installed super fast and you can keep your own number
Sky Broadband Superfast
Unlimited Usage-
Average speed 59MBPS
-
Fast Fibre Broadband
-
UNLIMITED Usage
Line Rental Included
There is no extra charge for line rental.
Guaranteed WiFi In Every Room
If you can't get WiFi in every room of your house then Sky will give you your money back.
Fast Installation + Keep Your Number
Get your new broadband installed super fast and you can keep your own number
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 logged on concurrently. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or local business manages to do what they want online– all simultaneously– with no annoying delays.
What is super-fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of about 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 internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), high speed internet products deliver speeds of about 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks like Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does high speed broadband operate?
Unlike most of UK broadband connections, which use telephone 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 made of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much quicker than along the copper cables used by standard ADSL connectivity .
BT also offers a right 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 near future .
The likes of TalkTalk, Sky and EE have piggybacked on 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 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 enrolling in selected ADSL2+ internet packages from the companies like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.
ADSL2+
This type of connection uses the same cabling and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL phone-line connections, but because of the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of up to 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “as much as 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the wiring and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you reside in a town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of as much as 16Mb or more. This still provides plenty of bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast connectivity product is the quickest ?
Among the UK’s quickest connectivity 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 due to its super-fast fibre-optic broadband network.
BT’s Infinity package offers 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 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 copper to carry more data.
How do I get fibre optic broadband ?
Your 1st step is to decide which superfast broadband services are available in your area . Check which service are available.
Advantages of super-fast broadband connections
Super fast broadband empowers you to utilise all the entertainment available on the world wide web. You’ll have the ability to watch movies in a matter of minutes – allowing you watch what you want , when you like it, and banishing the days of long waiting times for astronomical downloads.
Fans of on-demand show can enjoy their best shows on the BBC iPlayer , together with rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without interruption .
Reduced latency means improved response times delivered by high speed internet means that when playing game online you an one-upmanship over the opponents and can enjoy a better playing experience.
Disadvantages of super-fast internet connectivity
Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very near) and rely on things that are out of your control , like the quality of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the exchange . Even when high speed internet is on offer in your area , these limiting factors may not bring many benefits in performance for a much higher price .
Who is super-fast internet for?
The massive growth in the amount of people downloading music , video and watching TV online means that there is no longer a typical user of high speed internet .
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 service – preferably fibre optic for the best experience.
High speed broadband is also ideal for fans of online gaming . Due to the fact faster connectivity eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping, which is often caused by 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 pick a standard ADSL service .
Sky Broadband Essential​
Unlimited Usage-
Average speed 11MBPS
-
ADSL Broadband
-
UNLIMITED Usage
Line Rental Included
There is no extra charge for line rental.
Guaranteed WiFi In Every Room
If you can't get WiFi in every room of your house then Sky will give you your money back.
Fast Installation + Keep Your Number
Get your new broadband installed super fast and you can keep your own number
Sky Broadband Superfast
Unlimited Usage-
Average speed 59MBPS
-
Fast Fibre Broadband
-
UNLIMITED Usage
Line Rental Included
There is no extra charge for line rental.
Guaranteed WiFi In Every Room
If you can't get WiFi in every room of your house then Sky will give you your money back.
Fast Installation + Keep Your Number
Get your new broadband installed super fast and you can keep your own number