Broadband experts guide

ADSL2+ Packages and Providers

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ADSL2+ currently offers the fastest broadband speeds through your home phone line, with downloads at up to 24Mb.

Since ADSL broadband was first launched, prices have decreased by about a third and speeds have increased from as little as 512Kb to the current top speed of up to 24Mb.

What is ADSL2+?

ADSL2+ is a second generation broadband service that uses new technology to offer faster connections for more users. It currently provides download speeds of up to 24Mb, though many providers advertise a top speed of 20Mb instead.

BT Broadband (www.BT.com) upgraded a large number of exchanges to ADSL2+ in summer 2009, allowing it to offer speeds of up to 20Mb and making faster speeds available for the many smaller ISPs that use its wholesale network.

A large number of other providers, including Be Broadband (www.BeThere.co.uk), O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk), Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) and TalkTalk Broadband (www.TalkTalk.co.uk) also offer these faster download speeds, with more ISPs upgrading their networks all the time.

What is the future for ADSL broadband?

While current speeds of up to 24Mb are much faster than the previously, fibre networks are the real key to superfast broadband.

Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) already offers speeds of up to 50Mb on its cable XXL Broadband package and it has been running trials of up to 200Mb - faster than even Japan or the USA.

BT is also investing in its own fibre network, running trials of up to 40Mb in some parts of the UK and offering speeds of up to 100Mb in some new-build areas where it is much cheaper to install a completely new, fibre to the home, network.

As for ADSL connections, they won’t be going anywhere for a while. It will take some years for fibre broadband networks to be up and running across the whole of the country, and the Government still needs to meet its 2012 target of 2Mb for every home.

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