Who needs Quick FTTC Connectivity ?

Broadband has become more and more important 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 each person has in their homes, seems to increase everyday.

Old Penshaw Broadband Deals For April 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 being stuck 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 all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or business has the ability to do what they want online– all all at once– without any annoying delays.

What is quick broadband?

Super-fast broadband relates to broadband connections of up to 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 more than most broadband users.

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

How does high speed broadband operate?

Unlike most of UK internet connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s fastest 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 made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper cables used by standard ADSL broadband .

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 homes in years to come.

 

 

The likes of TalkTalk, Sky and EE have used BT’s Infinity service to launch rebranded super-fast cable broadband services of their own.

However, fast internet is not exclusively available 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 getting selected ADSL2+ broadband services from the providers like O2, Sky, Orange and TalkTalk.

ADSL2+

This type of connectivity uses the same wiring and telephone exchanges as regular ADSL internet 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 “approximately 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 city 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 connectivity product is the best?

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 because its superfast fibre-optic connectivity 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.

 

 

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 connectivity?

Your start is to decide which superfast broadband services are available at your exhaage. Check which products are available.

 

Benefits of fast broadband connections

Fast internet can let you take advantage of all the video on demand available online. You will have the opportunity to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you consume what you want , when you demand it , and banishing the hanging around for enormous downloads.

Fans of on-demand programmes can enjoy their favourite shows on the BBC iPlayer , and also rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.

Reduced latency means improved response times delivered by high speed connectivity means that online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the competition and can enjoy a better playing experience.

Disadvantages of FTTC internet connectivity

Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and dependent on things that are not within your control, like the age of wiring and the distance you live from the exchange . Despite the fact that high speed internet is on offer in your area , these limiting factors may yield little difference in speed for a much higher price .

Who is  fibre internet  for?

The massive growth in the number of people streaming music , video and watching on demand 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 join a fibre broadband service – preferably fibre for the best service.

High speed connectivity is also ideal for fans of online games . This is because faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping,  which is often  caused by slower traditional internet 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 take a traditional ADSL connection.

Old Penshaw – Other Areas

Acres Nook

Lidham Hill

Potter Hill

Daill

Flaxley

Norbury

Scolboa

Staple Cross

Straid

Pensford