Fibre Optic
There is no denying that fibre optic broadband is the future here in the UK. The copper wiring that currently brings the majority of consumers their internet connection is just not going to cut it in the long run. There are inherent limitations to the current technology in terms of both speed and consistency.
Worse still, anyone living a long way from their local telephone exchange is getting left behind. Fibre optic broadband means faster connections for more of the time and the good news is that you should not need to pay much more for these privileges. In some cases the fibre optic alternative will be cheaper than the traditional ADSL broadband option.
Having said that, it is worth noting that telephone lines will still have a part to play, particularly in the short to medium term.
This is because BT is in the process of upgrading the telecoms network that links most properties in the country, changing from what is a bit of a muddled, multi-faceted system into a unified, fibre-powered national network of the future.
This is set to involve FTTC (fibre-to-the-cabinet) technology, which is essentially a hybrid of the old and new. It brings fibre optic cabling all the way to the street level cabinets which serve residential properties and from the cabinet, the older copper wiring takes over, allowing for download speeds of up to 40Mbps with minimal drop off caused by the resistive properties of copper wiring.
Virgin Media is also an option for some, with fibre optic broadband brought right to your door. Its download speeds are 10Mbps faster than BT’s current offering, but its upload speeds do not quite match up to those of BT at the moment.
However, both providers are looking into technology that will see download speeds rise even further in the future, all thanks to fibre optic technology.
To some, fibre optic broadband and its capabilities may seem a little meaningless out of context, with download and upload speeds obviously faster than before, but little to help explain how this will be felt by the average consumer.
In essence, faster download speeds mean that higher quality content is available online. It is currently possible to watch TV shows and movies streamed from the internet, even if you have a fairly modest ADSL connection.
However, you will find that there will often be a delay whilst the video loads and during some periods it will be impossible to get any of this kind of content in your home because of the level of traffic that is clogging the information superhighway.
Once bandwidth limitations have been eliminated by fibre optic broadband, you will be able to watch on-demand movies, TV shows and even live sporting events online.
This revolution is already occurring, but it is only with widespread fibre optic broadband availability that it will become a mainstream fixture.
High definition content is also becoming common online and if you do not want to be left twiddling your thumbs waiting for the video to buffer, then you would be better off with a fibre optic connection.
Faster download speeds can also help when you are downloading large files and particularly if you are a frequent user of P2P file sharing.
More firms such as are making their software and games available as digital downloads and as the complexity of graphics and programming increases, so too does the average file size of downloads. As such, fibre optic broadband is an essential time-saving technology that brings the latest in entertainment and information to the users of today.
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