If your broadband still doesn’t feel up to scratch it might be worth checking to see if a major upgrade has finally arrived in your street. According to the very latest report from Ofcom, over 17 million homes now have access to full-fibre internet yet only around 4.6 million have signed up to have it installed. That means some 13 million properties are currently missing out on vastly improved speeds.
As a quick example, those using old-fashioned copper wires to get online will only be able to download files and films at around 70Mbps. Switch to Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) technology and things rapidly improve with some cables now capable of pushing things to over 900Mbps. At that rate it would take under 40 seconds to download a full HD movie – that’s over 10 times faster than copper.
Of course, switching over to FTTP can be more expensive but the benefits, especially if you live in a busy home, can be worth that higher price. Anyone living in a house with people working, playing games, streaming movies and listening to music should consider having at least 150Mbps speeds as this end that annoying buffering we all face from time to time.
Ofcom also says that FTTP is often more reliable and resilient than copper, with its latest analysis showing that some providers experience fewer faults on their fibre network compared with a copper-based network.
Many of the UK’s biggest Intenet Service Providers, including BT, Sky, Virgin Media and TalkTalk now offer Full Fibre so it’s worth checking what’s available in your street.
Smaller so-called Alt-networks continue to pop up all over the country with many dishing out rapid downloads at very reasonable prices. For example, Community Fibre is currently offering 1Gbps speeds for just £25 per month – that’s cheaper than BT’s 70Mbps downloads.
Speaking about the latest broadband update, Lindsey Fussell, Ofcom’s Network and Communications Group Director, said: “The rapid rise in availability of full-fibre broadband is good news for people and businesses across the UK, with millions more able to benefit from fast, reliable and future-proof internet.
“When the time comes to take out a new broadband contract, we encourage people to shop around and find out what options are available to make sure they are on the best package for their needs.”
