Who needs High Speed Connections ?
Broadband has become much more vital to our everyday lives and the amount of devices that we use per day that utilise broadband connectivity seems to increase. The quantity of tablets, smartphones, laptops, desktops, games consoles and TV’s that everyone has in their homes, seems to increase on a daily basis.
St Leonards 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 we all 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 logged on all at once. With Superfast fibre broadband though, everyone within a home or local business has the chance to do what they want online– all simultaneously– without any annoying delays.
What is super-fast broadband?
Super-fast broadband refers to broadband connections of right up to 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 more than most internet users.
While the current average UK internet connection is around 12Mbps (2014), superfast broadband products deliver speeds of as high as 300Mbps, through sophisticated fibre-optic cabled networks like Virgin Media and BT’s Infinity fibre optic cables.
How does superfast connectivity operate?
Unlike the majority of UK broadband connections, which use telephony 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 up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster than along the copper pipes used by traditional ADSL broadband .
BT also offers an up to 76Mb fibre service called BT Infinity (you can get 300Mbps in some areas), and plans to make this available to millions more UK homes in in the not too distant 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 internet 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 broadband provider’s exchange you can still get fast internet by joining selected ADSL2+ broadband 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 due to the software and technology being used it can deliver speeds of approximately 24Mbps, however most advertised speeds are around “as high as 16Mb”.
Your speed depends, as always, on the quality of the cabling and the distance you are from the exchange, but if you live in a town or built up location you can realistically expect speeds of as much as 16Mb or more. This still provides ample bandwidth for heavy internet users, and at a smaller cost than cable.
Which super-fast broadband product is the fastest?
Among the UK’s quickest broadband 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 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.
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 high speed connectivity?
Your 1st step is to decide which highspeed broadband services are available to you . Check which products are available.
Advantages of super-fast internet
High speed broadband lets you utilise all the entertainment available on the web. You will have the opportunity to watch movies in a within minutes – allowing you consume what you want , when you demand it , and getting rid of the hanging around for very large downloads.
Fans of on-demand TV can enjoy their best shows on the BBC iPlayer , along with rival services from ITV and Channel 4, smoothly and without interruption .
Reduced ‘ping’ means better response times delivered by super fast connectivity means that when playing game online you a competitive advantage over the opponents and can enjoy a better playing experience.
Disadvantages of high speed broadband
Speeds are never 100% as advertised (although are often very near) and based upon things that are out of your control , like the age of copper connectivity and the distance you live from the exchange . Even when super-fast internet is on offer in your location, these limiting factors may not bring many improvements in speed for a much higher monthly cost .
Who is high speed internet for?
The massive growth in the amount of people downloading music , video and watching catchup TV online means that there is no more 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 sense to subscribe to a super-fast broadband service – preferably fibre for the very best service.
Super-fast connectivity is also ideal for fans of online console usage. Due to the fact faster connectivity eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. This is referred to as ping, which is often brought on by slower ADSL 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 pick a traditional ADSL deal .
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