Ask Our Expert

Be Broadband's faster downloads

Dear Michael, I am a Virgin Media Customer on their ADSL service and have had intermittent to poor service from them. When I managed to talk to them they said that the BT line in my house is more then 20 years old and so cannot receive speeds higher then 8Mb.

On their new promotional leaflets they also state that 70 per cent of British households that have a BT Landline cannot go higher then this 8Mb limit, so what is the point of upgrading any higher?

I am looking at joining up with Be Broadband when my contract runs out as I would like their up to 24Mb service, but what's the point if all I can get is 8Mb, and how do Be manage to get higher speeds?

Maya, via email on 11 May 2009

Our Broadband Expert says...

Even if you’re on an up to 8Mb broadband package, you will never receive your full advertised speed - as you’ve probably found out.

This is due to a number of reasons, such as the quality of your line, the distance from your local exchange and how many other people are using the same line at one time - the contention ratio.

Because of this, it may be possible to get faster speeds than you currently get with Virgin Media ADSL (www.VirginMedia.com) by switching broadband provider.

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Up to 7.2Mb connection speeds
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Be Broadband

Even by switching to Be Broadband's (www.BeThere.co.uk) 8Mb Be Value package you may be able to improve your speeds.

Be told us that Virgin Media’s statement that “70 per cent of copper wires cannot support more than 8Mb” is not reflected in its customer base. Be’s average speed is “in excess of 11Mb”, said the ISP.

“Be’s aim is to offer the fastest possible broadband speeds and throughput to our customers,” Be told us. “We continually monitor, develop and improve our network to reflect customer numbers and usage, and our network design and policy of non-contention means that we offer the maximum achievable throughput on your line. So our customers enjoy both faster and more consistent performance, and won't suffer from lower throughputs at peak usage times.

“So an 8Mb connection from us can give up to four times more throughput than an 8Mb product from another ISP - which all means that you can spend less time watching the clock and more time enjoying the internet.”

Although distance from the exchange will still affect your download speeds, Be also uses some of the latest technology to give you a more reliable connection.

“Be can offer faster speeds than other suppliers because it uses ADSL2+ technology,” said Be. “The copper wires that are used to carry your telephone conversations are actually capable of transmitting information at much higher speeds than is needed just for telephone calls.

“This extra bandwidth in the copper wire is normally wasted, but ADSL2+ technology allows us to take advantage of the available bandwidth by using additional equipment to transfer data at a higher frequency than that used for voice calls.”

Be users can also change the settings of their broadband to optimise how their connection depending on whether they use it for downloading, gaming or just general surfing.

Supplier	Speed (up to)	Usage limit	Contract length	Monthly charge
Unlimited (12 months)	24Mb	unlimited	12 months	£17.88	Call Be on 0808 101 3421
Unlimited (3 months)	24Mb	unlimited	3 months	£20.43	Call Be on 0808 101 3421
Be Pro (12 months)	24Mb	unlimited	12 months	£21.97	Call Be on 0808 101 3421

O2 Broadband

O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) and Be share the same network, so taking a package from O2 could also improve your download speeds.

O2 offers packages with speeds of up to 8Mb or 20Mb and has won awards for customer service. It also offers discounts to existing O2 mobile phone customers, allowing them to get an up to 20Mb connection for less than £10 a month.

O2 will tell you what kind of actual speed you could expect with one of its lines before you sign up, and will check to see how your line is faring a month after connecting you.

Before you sign up to any new ISP make sure you compare broadband providers and find out what kind of speed to expect from them.

Supplier	Speed (up to)	Usage limit	Contract length	Monthly charge
Premium - O2 mobile customers only	20Mb	unlimited	12 months	£10.00 £50 credit off your Mobile bill Ends 31/03/10
Premium	20Mb	unlimited	12 months	£15.00
Pro - O2 mobile customers only	20Mb	unlimited	12 months	£17.50 £50 credit off your Mobile bill Ends 31/03/10