What is Super-Fast Broadband and When Can You Get it?
The average British household has a broadband connection speed of around 3.6Mb but there are plans afoot for super-fast broadband products which deliver speeds up to 100Mb, usually through sophisticated fibre optic broadband networks.
Unlike the majority of UK broadband connections, that use telephone lines, superfast broadband is usually delivered by a fibre optic, broadband network. These cables are made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster along them than the copper pipes used by ADSL broadband.
Homes where the fibre-optic cable is linked directly will benefit from the fastest speeds though you don't necessarily have to be in a fibre optic broadband area to make use of super-fast broadband. If you live within a certain range of your broadband provider's exchange you can still get faster speeds by signing up for specific packages.
Have a look online for super-fast broadband checkers so you can find out if these services are available in your local area.
The advantages of super-fast broadband are far reaching, especially when it comes to downloading. Super-fast broadband lets you make the most of all the entertainment on offer on the internet as you can download movies in a mere matter of minutes and you can instantly stream your favourite on-demand television programmes and watch them immediately with no interruption.
Music fans will be delighted as albums and songs can be downloaded with ease. There is also good news for gamers as a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. Reduced ping means an improved response times delivered by super-fast broadband mean online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the opposition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.
There are plans to introduce super-fast internet to parts of London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast during 2010. The upgrade is part of a 1.5bn plan to offer super-fast broadband of up to 100 megabits a second to 40% of British households and businesses by 2012.
The UK government has said it wants super-fast broadband available to 90% of the country by the end of 2017 and everyone in the country to have access to broadband speeds of 2 Mbps by 2012.
If you cannot wait until super-fast broadband reaches your area then there are a few things you can do in the interim to make your time online speedier.
There is plenty you can do in and around your home to speed up your existing connection. Simply ensuring there are no electrical devices that could be interfering with your connection can make all the difference. Keep your modem and wiring well away from mains power cables and limit the number of electrical devices near your broadband connection.
The quality of your cables and modem can make a difference to the speeds you are receiving. High capacity cables and modems can help you enjoy a faster connection so if you think your hardware is slowing you down then start shopping around for replacements.
Unlike the majority of UK broadband connections, that use telephone lines, superfast broadband is usually delivered by a fibre optic, broadband network. These cables are made up of glass and plastic, which allows data to move much faster along them than the copper pipes used by ADSL broadband.
Homes where the fibre-optic cable is linked directly will benefit from the fastest speeds though you don't necessarily have to be in a fibre optic broadband area to make use of super-fast broadband. If you live within a certain range of your broadband provider's exchange you can still get faster speeds by signing up for specific packages.
Have a look online for super-fast broadband checkers so you can find out if these services are available in your local area.
The advantages of super-fast broadband are far reaching, especially when it comes to downloading. Super-fast broadband lets you make the most of all the entertainment on offer on the internet as you can download movies in a mere matter of minutes and you can instantly stream your favourite on-demand television programmes and watch them immediately with no interruption.
Music fans will be delighted as albums and songs can be downloaded with ease. There is also good news for gamers as a faster connection eliminates the delays to in-game responsiveness. Reduced ping means an improved response times delivered by super-fast broadband mean online gamers gain a competitive advantage over the opposition and can enjoy a better gaming experience.
There are plans to introduce super-fast internet to parts of London, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cardiff and Belfast during 2010. The upgrade is part of a 1.5bn plan to offer super-fast broadband of up to 100 megabits a second to 40% of British households and businesses by 2012.
The UK government has said it wants super-fast broadband available to 90% of the country by the end of 2017 and everyone in the country to have access to broadband speeds of 2 Mbps by 2012.
If you cannot wait until super-fast broadband reaches your area then there are a few things you can do in the interim to make your time online speedier.
There is plenty you can do in and around your home to speed up your existing connection. Simply ensuring there are no electrical devices that could be interfering with your connection can make all the difference. Keep your modem and wiring well away from mains power cables and limit the number of electrical devices near your broadband connection.
The quality of your cables and modem can make a difference to the speeds you are receiving. High capacity cables and modems can help you enjoy a faster connection so if you think your hardware is slowing you down then start shopping around for replacements.
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