Broadband Guide

Broadband coverage

Around 98% of the UK can get online with a broadband connection, either using BT Broadband's (www.BT.com) copper wire ADSL network, a local loop unbundled (LLU) connection or mobile broadband.

But while there are now more than 18 million fixed line broadband subscribers in the UK, more than six million LLU of who are connected to a line, broadband speeds - and prices - can vary depending on your distance from the exchange and the type of technology that you’re using.

Average speeds across the country stand at around 4.1Mb, but 15% of homes still cannot get at least 2Mb.

ADSL broadband coverage

Although 98% of the UK has access to copper wire ADSL broadband - either direct from BT or from a provider using the BT network - the speeds on offer vary widely. This is the technology that many people living in non-LLU areas use.

Some providers use the latest ADSL2+ technology to offer 20Mb broadband and 24Mb broadband, but many people are still on up to 8Mb broadband packages - and few are likely to actually receive their advertised speed.

Non-LLU providers and packages are also often more expensive than those offered to customers living within one of the UK’s LLU networks. This is because LLU providers have installed their own technology in the local telephone exchange, allowing them to bypass BT and reduce costs for their customers.

If you live outside one of these areas you might pay “regional pricing” - for example, AOL Broadband (www.AOL.co.uk) charges an additional £5 a month to customers outside of its LLU network, while other providers, such as O2 Broadband (www.O2.co.uk) and Sky Broadband (www.Sky.com) offer specific non-LLU packages, in the form of O2 Access or Sky Connect.

LLU broadband coverage

There were more than 6.2 million LLU broadband lines in the UK at the end of 2009, allowing millions of people to take advantage of cheaper broadband packages and bundles.

LLU technology allows providers to offer very cheap broadband, and in some cases ISPs have even offered "free broadband" or “free line rental”, allowing users to save hundreds of pounds on their broadband bills.

Fibre optic broadband coverage

A new generation of superfast broadband networks are being developed across the UK using the latest fibre technology and allowing speeds of up to 100Mb broadband.

BT has been trialling 40Mb fibre broadband and installing fibre to the home in new build areas like Ebbsfleet, Kent, which will receive 100Mb broadband. BT has pledged to bring fibre broadband to 40% of the UK - or around 10 million homes - by 2012.

But if you live in a Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) cable area, which covers around 51% of the country, you don’t have to wait for BT’s network to go live. You can already access 50Mb broadband speeds on its XXL package - the UK’s fastest broadband package.

Mobile broadband coverage

More than 95% of the UK can also access the mobile broadband network. Mobile broadband works by using mobile phone masts to connect you to the 3G network - allowing you to go online wherever you have a signal.

However, mobile broadband coverage varies from one provider to the next, depending on where you live. Because of this you should always run a specific postcode search with your chosen provider before signing up to make sure that you'll get an adequate signal where you live and anywhere else that you'll want to get online.

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