Apart from faster downloads, what are the advantages of 20mb fibre optic broadband?

Question

Virgin Media 20mb broadband.

Answer 1

Aside from a higher download speed if you don't download heavily it will be able to provide a better service for people running multiple online devices concurrently, for example if you have a number of users in one house connecting to the internet on different devices - xbox/ps3/PCs/laptops/ etc etc. there will be less slowdown than if the bandwidth was lower with a number of devices sharing the same connection.

Answer 2

you can watch HD movies online , perform several task at the same time without loss of quality ( download large file , brows web , use VOIP services and etc.)

Answer 3

Sure, people like Be do provide fast broadband. But the fact is that they use BT's network like most ISPs and they do make it clear in the small print that the further away from the BT exchange you are then the less likely you are to get the top speeds, whereas Virgin have their own digital network and so aren't affected in this way.

So they're not limiting the amount you can download unlike some ISPs do, but just the speed and as I said you'd have to be a very heavy user for that to happen.

I have been a Virgin Media customer since 2002(when it wasTelewest Blueyonder) and in that time I've probably only had about ½ a dozen outages.

I do get near enough 20mbps most of the time, I've run tests to confirm this. Again, read the small print regarding the speed capping and you'll see that it only applies to people downloading more than about 3GB at peak times.

As for advantages, I use it for online gaming and enjoy low ping(latency), webpages load faster and streaming video and audio run much smoother.

Answer 4

Streaming video should be better (in terms of quality), with some online games you may experience no latency.  Otherwise, just compare the cost to what a regular line would cost and go from there.

Answer 5

Would be nice if they gave you 20mb all the time. As one poster has already said, they throttle you down to 5mb for fun.

Couple of other options for fast internet are Be* (24mb) & O2 (20mb) These guys give unlimited downloads with NO bandwidth throttling.

Answer 6

nothing really, Virgin Media also strangle your download speed at peak times during the day which is from about 6pm until 9pm i think. They say it is to stop the heavy downloaders from slowing the download speed, but i thought fibre optic was made to cope with heavy downloads.. I think before signing any contract with Virgin Media check the small print they have already been done once for false advertising.

Answer 7

Dedicated system. No copper wire, telephone exchanges, crappy connections, and not paying a penny to BT or any other ISP who has to use their system. One outage 7 years ago when an electricity substation caught fire and shut a mainframe down.

Have used cable since it first came on line when Virgin was Telecential way back in the 90's. Wouldn't have ADSL if they paid me to have it! That just about sums it up I think.

Regarding the two comments about throttling. Load of cobblers, Virgin don't have to throttle because no one else uses their system.

Answer 8

Well one option is that you can grant and independent phone and internet connections to your neighbours houses and charge them as i do.

My internet and phone cost me nothing now!