What is broadband?

Broadband is a way of connecting to the internet at a higher speed than dial up. Broadband is capable of delivering content at least 40 times faster than dial up with audio files loading typically in 5 minutes. Broadband internet connections are always on so you don't need to dial up every time you want to go online and therefore it doesn't tie up your telephone line.

Types of broadband

There are five main types of broadband - Each catering to different users needs.

ADSL Broadband

ADSL  stands for Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line and this is the most common type of broadband in the UK. This type of broadband connects to the internet through your telephone line but it doesn't kick you off the internet every time your home phone rings. You will need to plug a microfilter into each telephone socket in your home which will stop you from getting interference when you make phone calls. These microfilters are usually provided with your broadband (depending on supplier) but can also be purchased from a good PC retailer for a fiver or so.

Cable Broadband

Cable broadband utilizes the cable network, and is usually provided by a cable operator such as Virgin Media. You do not need a telephone line in order to obtain cable broadband services.

Cable internet services are connected via an optical fibre cable which is capable of supporting very high speed internet services, such as 50Mbps. The cable feed for cable broadband services is taken into your home from the street, and connected to a special cable modem, which is capable of decoding the cable broadband signal.  The cable modem can then be connected directly into your computer, or to a wireless router which can connect to several PCs if you wish to share the internet connection. Cable broadband is currently available to around 60 per cent of the UK's population.

Mobile Broadband

Mobile broadband can give you a fast high speed broadband connection in areas where you can get a 3G mobile telephone signal. Mobile broadband speeds are generally between 1.5Mbps and 2Mbps which is a lot faster than dial up but still significantly slower than your average 'fixed line' broadband.

When you sign up to mobile broadband, you will usually get a mobile broadband modem which typically connects to a USB port on your PC, this is also referred to as a mobile broadband 'dongle'. The dongle loads up some software which is provided by the company that provides you with mobile broadband - It should also provide you with signal strength details and give you your monthly usage total.

You do not need a phone line to obtain mobile broadband services but mobile broadband services tend to be slightly more expensive than ADSL or cable broadband. Keeping this in mind there are also options for pay as you go.

Wireless broadband

If your PC has wireless capabilities then you will be able to connect to a Wireless broadband service or hot spot. If the broadband service that you sign up to also has a wireless router included, then you can connect your computer to this wirelessly, and share your broadband connection with several PCs. This type of broadband suits people who want an internet connection with more freedom because you don't have to use any wires.

Satellite broadband

Satellite broadband is an option for those of us that want broadband at home but aren't in a 'broadband area'. As the name suggests, this type of broadband doesn't involve your phone line or an independent cable network, it involves a special two-way satellite. The satellite signal is beamed to a precise coordinate in the sky which reaches another satellite in space. This gives the user an internet connection wherever their home is located in the world. Satellite broadband generally comes at a higher cost due to the set up and equipment charges but it does offer a high speed 2Mbps internet solution to those of us outside the traditional broadband areas.

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!

2Mbps

2Mbps 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.

8Mbps - 10Mbps

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 30 minutes.

16Mbps

16Mbps 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. 8Mbpa is the 'industry norm' but 16Mbpa will be replacing that very shortly.

20Mbps-24Mbps

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.

50Mbps

50Mbps 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 PCs 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 is the only provider out there that offers this service as it is the only one with a fibre optic network but, many other providers such as Be are working on ways to combine their existing 24Mbps DSL network into a 48Mbps network.

200Mbps

In 2010 Virgin Media announced that it is to begin a six month pilot to test their 200Mbpa broadband service to a select group of customers in Ashford, Kent.

Virgin Media is using its FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet) technology and, if successful, will be the fastest speeds of internet reached in the world using this kind of technology. Obviously, this is in the preliminary stages but it's another positive sign that broadband in the UK is moving in the right direction.