Broadband guide

Fibre optic broadband

Add a comment

Print

Send to a friend

You might have heard about fibre optic broadband, but how does it work? And is it the next big thing in broadband? Compare packages, prices and speeds before you buy.

Read our guide to fibre optic broadband: what it is, how it works, and how it could improve your life.

Fibre optic broadband packages

Virgin Media (www.VirginMedia.com) currently offers three fibre optic packages - also known as cable broadband - at different prices according to your download speed. You can also choose to bundle your fibre optic broadband with other services such as home phone and digital TV. Use the Broadbandchoices.co.uk calculator to find out more about the cable broadband options available in the UK.

Fibre optic broadband providers

The only provider currently offering fibre optic broadband in the UK is Virgin Media, which offers connections at speeds of up to 50Mb broadband across its network.

However, while Virgin Media only covers 51% of the UK, BT Broadband (www.BT.com) has recently begun developing its own fibre network, so that speeds of up to 40Mb and higher will also be available through BT and other providers who have previously only offered ADSL copper wire lines.

The BT network should be in place across the UK by 2012, covering around 10 million homes and businesses, starting with households in Kent, London and Wales.

Please see our BT vs Virgin Media guide for a comparison of each provider's fibre optic broadband packages.

What is fibre optic broadband?

Before fibre optic broadband, your only broadband option was an ADSL copper wire line, which works by using telephone lines to deliver information across the internet. ADSL broadband lines - connected via your BT phone socket - offer up to 24Mb broadband, but speeds can vary widely depending on your distance from the local exchange, the quality of your line and a number of other factors.

Fibre optic broadband promises to eliminate this problem and offer hassle-free superfast broadband connections.

With fibre optic broadband, light signals are delivered through fibre optic cables, made of glass rather than copper wire. Information travels along these cables almost instantaneously, and there is very little deterioration in your download speed - even over long distances. This means customers can benefit from extremely high-speed connections, perfect for downloading music and high definition films, watching internet TV or playing online games.

Add a comment

Print

Send to a friend