10 reasons you need fibre-optic broadband

Speed

Depending on where you live, fibre-optic broadband speeds may vary, but you can expect an improvement from a copper connection.

95% of premises in the UK will be able to access fibre-optic broadband, with at least 2Mb download speeds, through the government’s BDUK programme.

However, this type of broadband can reach to incredible speeds of up to 150Mb, which is a huge difference in comparison to the snail pace 0.6Mb a street in Essex receives via copper connection.

Reliability

If you’re getting hacked off during peak times when your internet becomes as slow as a hard day then disconnects completely, fibre-optic broadband could save you.

Fibre cables are made up of 1,000 individual pieces of silica glass, which sends a signal using light back to the centre, which doesn’t take anytime at all. Because of its structure, there are very few interruptions, even at peak times.

FTTP and FTTC

Let’s go back to English, FTTP stands for fibre to the premise, where a connection is installed to connect straight to your home. However, this is a costly method of receiving superfast speeds, so unless you have the money, we suggest the popular FTTC.

FTTC stands for fibre to the cabinet, where you receive your connection from a green cabinet (there are many of them) that is used by other properties in your area. Depending on how far you are away from your local cabinet will determine what speed you receive.

One way to check your current speed is to use our speed test, which will give you can idea of what connection you’re receiving. Fibre-optic broadband could be the answer to your slow speed woes!

Streaming

If you love to watch TV shows or movies online, fibre-optic broadband can make streaming a dream.

For an uninterrupted viewing experience, we recommend 20Mb download speeds minimum. Fibre-optic broadband can easily reach this, unlike a copper connection.

Continuous speed no matter how many devices are connected

These days, the average UK household has about a number of web-connected devices. Whether it’s a Smart TV, smartphone, laptop or computer, all of them can be connected to one router and will not slow down your service.

This can be really useful if you’re house sharing and you need all your laptops connected at the same time.

Unlimited downloads

Some packages have a download cap, which can be a problem if you’re an avid fan of streaming or a massive social media addict.

With fibre-optic, you can expect to find most packages offering unlimited usage. This means that you can download and stream as much as you like every month.

Downloading files

With slow broadband, you had to be really determined to see through to the end of downloading a file.

We remember getting to a point where we just couldn’t wait anymore and cancel it altogether, leaving ourselves feeling very disappointed.

Thankfully, fibre-optic lets you download multiple files at the same time, downloading quickly before your impatience kicks in.

Good for business

Video conferencing receives a huge improvement with superfast broadband, so you can have a crisp clear business call without the fear of being disconnected.

If you have a medium to large business, you can connect multiple computers on your network and have the reassurance of a secure and reliable service.

Working from home

We all love the idea of working in our PJs and being productive at the same time and superfast broadband gives you the opportunity to have this kind of work environment.

Just ask your boss for permission first.

Say bye bye to buffering

Gone are the days where you wanted to watch something but knew the inevitable; that the buffering icon would appear sooner or later.

Although technology will go wrong once in a while, with fibre-optic you can be sure to watch a whole film without the tension of waiting for it to buffer. Grab the popcorn and let the good films roll.