Broadband Guide

Superfast broadband

Updated: Tuesday 04 January, 2011

By Garnet Roach - garnet@consumerchoices.co.uk

A new era of fibre optic broadband connections means that you can now get online at superfast speeds of up to 40Mb, 50Mb and even 100Mb.

Virgin Media (www.Virginmedia.com) currently delivers the fastest downloads in the UK, with headline speeds of up to 50Mb broadband. The cable provider is also set to launch an even faster 100Mb broadband package in December 2010 - which will become the fastest consumer broadband package in the country.

However, BT broadband (www.BT.com) is also developing its own fibre optic broadband network that will bring speeds of up to 40Mb broadband to two-thirds of homes and businesses by 2015.

What is superfast broadband?

Superfast broadband is essentially the internet at much faster speeds than you've ever experienced before. Using fibre optic cables instead of older copper wires, suppliers are able to transfer more data at faster speeds.

Although Virgin Media offers the both the fastest advertised and actual download speeds in the UK, its superfast packages are only available to customers living in its cable areas, which cover around 51% of homes.

All 12.7 million homes in its cable network can already sign-up to the provider’s 50Mb package, and Virgin Media will start rolling out its 100Mb service from December. It will be available in parts of London, the South East and Yorkshire first, and Virgin Media says it expects the roll-out to be complete by mid 2012.

More than 4,000 registering for BT Infinity packages every week, and the provider plans to bring its fibre network to four million homes and businesses by the end of 2010.

Both Virgin Media and BT will also be offering faster upload speeds of up to 10Mb on their top broadband packages.

What can you do with superfast broadband?

Superfast broadband opens up a whole new world on the internet, with high-definition and even 3D movie downloads, online gaming and a sharing experience that isn’t hampered by slow bandwidth.

Running at full speed, customers on Virgin Media’s new 100Mb broadband package will be able to download an entire music album in just five seconds; a TV show in around 30 seconds, a high quality movie in as little as 1½ minutes and a high-definition movie in as little as seven minutes, says the provider.

But it is families and anyone sharing their internet connection that will benefit most from superfast broadband. You'll be able to stream high-definition content from the BBC iPlayer, while the kids watch an online movie and someone else uploads videos to Facebook - all without any losing speed or quality.

What is the future for superfast broadband?

BT has pledged £2.5billion to help bring its superfast broadband network to two-thirds of the country. And with prices from £25.60 a month for a 40Mb broadband only connection, the competition will help to drive down other supplier’s prices too.

It is also aiming to deliver around a quarter of these connections using even faster fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) technology that will see fibre run straight into homes and businesses to offer speeds of up to 100Mb broadband.

Virgin Media aims to complete its roll-out of 100Mb broadband by mid-2012 but has already been trialling speeds of up to 200Mb on its existing network.

It also says that the routers customers will receive when they sign-up to 100Mb will be capable of handling speeds of up to 400Mb.

The government has also pledged £530million to help bring superfast broadband to those parts of the country that aren’t covered by Virgin Media’s cable network - and are unlikely to be part of BT’s initial roll-out because there simply aren’t enough people connected to the local telephone exchange.

You can help your area get ahead by registering your interest with BT’s Race to Infinity.

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