Broadband speeds
If you're new to broadband, choosing a plan that's right for you can be quiet daunting.
There are not only loads of broadband providers out there; there are also many different speeds that you can select when choosing your plan. So to help you along the way, we'll start from the bottom up!
2Mb
2Mb is ideal for light internet users that don't necessarily need to download large amounts of content. It's still around 4 times faster than dial up and if you do need to download a song or movie it will take around one minute and 90 minutes respectively. If you're new to broadband and your chosen supplier offers this speed its worthwhile starting here then working your way up if need be.
8Mb - 10Mb
This is a good option for light internet users that still wish to download content such as music, movies and video clips.
Web pages should pop up straight away and a standard movie should be downloaded within 30minutes.
16MB
16Mb is great if you're a moderate internet user but still like to download music and movies relatively quickly, for viewing in small screen format on laptops or PCs. 8Mb is the 'industry norm' but 16Mb will be replacing that very shortly.
20Mb-24Mb
The 24Mb service isn't available everywhere and you usually need to live in close proximity to your telephone exchange to get the full speed.
Movie and song download times are relatively fast and web pages should download instantaneously.
You can also view live stream video from sources such as iplayer in good quality standard definition. But quality will decline rapidly with multiple users in the home and large screen formats.
50Mb
50Mb broadband is a massive step up from traditional broadband speeds. Download times for movies and songs will be drastically reduced.
You will also be able to watch live stream HD quality movies and TV shows on large screens without a reduction in quality. This is very attractive for families looking to transfer content from their PC's to their family TV sets.
Another key advantage is that it allows very fast broadband access for multiple family members at the same time - so one member of the family can be streaming HD quality content whilst another member of the family enjoys high speed web access at the same time. At the moment Virgin Media are the only provider out there that offers this service as they are the only ones out there with a fibre optic network but, many other providers such as Be are working on ways to combine their existing 24Mb DSL network into a 48Mb network.
200Mb
In Spring 2009 Virgin Media announced that they are to begin a 6 month pilot to test their 200Mb broadband service to a select group of customers in Ashford, Kent.
Virgin Media are using their FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) technology and effectively combining five 50Mb connections to deliver this blisteringly fast connection. If successful, it will be the fastest speeds of internet reached in the world using this kind of technology (beaten only by fibre channel connections directly into the home). Whilst this technology is in the preliminary stages it's another positive sign that broadband in the UK is moving in the right direction.
There are not only loads of broadband providers out there; there are also many different speeds that you can select when choosing your plan. So to help you along the way, we'll start from the bottom up!
2Mb
2Mb is ideal for light internet users that don't necessarily need to download large amounts of content. It's still around 4 times faster than dial up and if you do need to download a song or movie it will take around one minute and 90 minutes respectively. If you're new to broadband and your chosen supplier offers this speed its worthwhile starting here then working your way up if need be.
8Mb - 10Mb
This is a good option for light internet users that still wish to download content such as music, movies and video clips.
Web pages should pop up straight away and a standard movie should be downloaded within 30minutes.
16MB
16Mb is great if you're a moderate internet user but still like to download music and movies relatively quickly, for viewing in small screen format on laptops or PCs. 8Mb is the 'industry norm' but 16Mb will be replacing that very shortly.
20Mb-24Mb
The 24Mb service isn't available everywhere and you usually need to live in close proximity to your telephone exchange to get the full speed.
Movie and song download times are relatively fast and web pages should download instantaneously.
You can also view live stream video from sources such as iplayer in good quality standard definition. But quality will decline rapidly with multiple users in the home and large screen formats.
50Mb
50Mb broadband is a massive step up from traditional broadband speeds. Download times for movies and songs will be drastically reduced.
You will also be able to watch live stream HD quality movies and TV shows on large screens without a reduction in quality. This is very attractive for families looking to transfer content from their PC's to their family TV sets.
Another key advantage is that it allows very fast broadband access for multiple family members at the same time - so one member of the family can be streaming HD quality content whilst another member of the family enjoys high speed web access at the same time. At the moment Virgin Media are the only provider out there that offers this service as they are the only ones out there with a fibre optic network but, many other providers such as Be are working on ways to combine their existing 24Mb DSL network into a 48Mb network.
200Mb
In Spring 2009 Virgin Media announced that they are to begin a 6 month pilot to test their 200Mb broadband service to a select group of customers in Ashford, Kent.
Virgin Media are using their FTTC (fibre to the cabinet) technology and effectively combining five 50Mb connections to deliver this blisteringly fast connection. If successful, it will be the fastest speeds of internet reached in the world using this kind of technology (beaten only by fibre channel connections directly into the home). Whilst this technology is in the preliminary stages it's another positive sign that broadband in the UK is moving in the right direction.
