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Broadband Types

What is broadband · Broadband types · Speed and performance · Usage and costs · Package combinations

There are a variety of broadband types. Not only does the technology differ, but the speed and cost can vary greatly. Read about the different types of broadband available.

ADSL Broadband

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is a technology that delivers broadband over your existing copper phone line. With ADSL, information is downloaded more rapidly than it is uploaded, making it particularly useful for homes and businesses.

ADSL broadband is widely available throughout Britain, covering around 80% of UK households.

Cable broadband

Cable broadband is a type of broadband which is delivered to your PC through a fibre optic cable. This type of broadband is similar in quality and price to ADSL and is most commonly used by those who already have cable TV or live in an area with cable access. Cable companies such as ntl provide broadband, television or phone packages to around 45% of homes and businesses in the UK.

Satellite broadband

There are 2 types of satellite broadband services - one-way satellite and two-way satellite.

One-way satellite services download information via satellite and upload information via a telephone or IDSN line, where as two-way satellite services download and upload information through satellite, which provides an even higher bandwidth and a faster speed.

The cost of installing and running satellite broadband can be quite expensive compared with other types of broadband. Other down sides include the time delay that can be experienced due to the distance the signal has to travel, which makes satellite broadband unsuitable for certain types of internet access such as online gaming. Connection can also be affected by bad weather conditions.

Wireless Broadband

Wireless broadband is a type of broadband that uses a Wi-Fi radio system to connect to the internet rather than your phone line. This type of broadband is particularly suitable for distributing information between buildings and for homes where access to ADSL or cable broadband is unavailable.

Wireless broadband should not be confused with 'wireless networking' (also known as wireless broadband/internet), which involves the use of a router that has the ability to send and receive its internet signal to remote devices such as phones and laptops as well as your home PC.

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