Who needs Super-fast Broadband Connectivity ?
Broadband has become much more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use every day that rely on broadband connectivity seems to increase. The number of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that everyone has in their homes, seems to increase daily.
St Kew Highway Broadband Deals For March 2024
[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 all of us need 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 logged on all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or small company has the opportunity to do what they want online– all at the same time– without any annoying delays.
What is fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband concerns broadband connections of right up to 300Mbps in the UK.
Super-fast broadband connections enable users to connect to the internet , stream music & video and stream television at speeds that are massively above most broadband users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), super-fast broadband products deliver speeds of to 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic broadband networks including Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does fibre connectivity operate?
Unlike the majority of UK internet connections, which use telephone lines, the UK’s quickest internet 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 of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper cables used by standard DSL internet connectivity.
BT also offers a right up to 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 near 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 exclusively on offer 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 distant of your internet provider’s exchange you can still get fast broadband by registering for selected ADSL2+ internet services 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 being used it can deliver speeds of almost 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “to 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the wiring and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you live a city or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of right up to 16Mb or more. This still provides more than enough bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast broadband product is the quickest ?
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 because of its superfast fibre-optic broadband network.
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 accordance 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 cabling to carry more data.
How do I get superfast broadband ?
Your start is to decide which super-fast internet services are available to you . Check which types of connectivity are available.
Advantages of super fast broadband connections
High speed internet connectivity enables you to make the most of all the video on demand available on the internet. You will have the capacity to watch movies in a in a few minutes – allowing you view what you like, when you want it , and getting rid of the hanging around for astronomical downloads.
Fans of on-demand programmes can enjoy their best shows on the Sky Now TV, besides rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without buffering.
Reduced ‘ping’ means better response times delivered by super fast broadband means that when online gaming you gain an one-upmanship over the competition and can enjoy a better more enjoyable experience.
Disadvantages of FTTC connectivity
Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very close ) and based upon things that are out of your control , like the age of wiring 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 super-fast broadband for?
The massive growth in the range of people downloading music , video and watching on demand TV online means that there is no more a typical user of super fast broadband .
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 sense to subscribe to a super fast internet connectivity product – preferably fibre optic for the greatest service.
Super-fast internet is also ideal for fans of online console usage. This is because faster connectivity gets rid of the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is called ping, which is often as a resulted of slower ADSL broadband 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 opt for a standard ADSL connection.
[elementor-template id=”137965″]