Fibre optic broadband

[linuxsnow]

In the UK, if your property is close (within 1/4 mile) of the serving BT exchange your likely to get top speed for standard ADSL from and ISP so fibre optic isn't really that advantageous?

I ask because in the rural area where my sister lives the community is petitioning for a sub exchange with fibre optic but as I say, to my mind high speed standard ADSL can be assumed for close proximity to the exchange.

Comments please.   

[menotu]

Any help?

http://www.broadbandgenie.co.uk/broadband/help/what-are-adsl-and-cable-broadband

[pclinmike]

Very good site    www.kitz.co.uk

[scoundrel]

hands down.. cable will beat the socks off dsl

[ff103]

hands down.. cable will beat the socks off dsl

I agree, I tell everyone the same thing.

[µT6]

internet connection over phone lines has so many problems with noise/interference, people stealing cables for the copper, weather, poor connection between others

a optic fiber for a couple miles and then converted to .500 coaxial cable to your area and then normal coaxial cable, RG6 into your home is a better solution and can reach this way 16 mbps or more

now, if they are offering optic fiber into your home and skipping coaxial cable, that could be even better, they probably deliver you a modem/adapter and from there you can connect a router, normally the minimum offered is 8 mbps but usually they give alot more than that, 40, 80 mpbps

adsl can only offer up to 12 mbps or in the best case 25 mbps but mostly is a unstable connection, and i say this form personal experience, it is a pita and i will avoid it as the pest it is

[linuxsnow]

Interesting reading folks - many thanks.

Regarding standard ADSL, I assume different ISPs can offer you a speed from the exchange to your line depending on the ISP's individual connection configuration at the exchange?

[µT6]

adsl depends on the copper pair sent to your home, this wire gets noise from many sources and if you are far from the local phone central/substation, this effectively affects the speed and the quality of the internet service

the copper cable offers resistance over a determined distance, after 1 or 2 kilometers some companies will not offer you internet service with them and will tell you that maybe in the future they might offer you the service, until they install new equipment supporting the service

some companies uses optic fiber for x distance and in the end of it they make a substation and from there copper until they reach your home

as you see, most companies in one way or another, are using optic fiber

if you can get a service that uses more optic fiber than copper, this plays in your favor, more stable service for longer periods

[linuxsnow]

Makes sense.


I suppose different ISPs in the UK will have different contracts with BT for the lines / equipment they use.

In my local area, the Open Reach vans have been swarming all over the place for months with the role out of Firbre Optic.


Having said that, I'm still ADSL (Talktalk) and a while ago I threatened to leave if the ADSL speed  didn't improve - three weeks later, a 50% speed increase!!

[µT6]

yes, usually complain will give you a couple months with 50% less in your month bill

sometimes 3 months free, depends on the company and the country

yes, in lots of countries the conversion to optic fiber is going, fast

it has a considerable amount of advantages over any other technology with the only exception of microwaves or good signal 3 or 4G

the only disadvantage you can have with fiber optic is when there is a huge power outage in some regions that involves the route of such fiber optic cable, sometimes the signal has to be divided and such equipments requires electricity

such equipments have ups and other measures to keep working but if power hasn't returned after 1 or 2 hours, that section of the network goes down

adsl can suffer the same, on the substations you have routers, equipments converting optic fiber signal to signal on copper, they suffer the same but most times they use separated power networks and other measures and this gives them a advantage, usually just because their network is older, better implemented and with more time refining details, fiber optic in most places is still a work in progress, unless you know you neighbor had cable tv, broadband modem and phone line form the same cable, then, you know that the network is strong and well supported, just as the old adsl network

[hal8000]

Makes sense.


I suppose different ISPs in the UK will have different contracts with BT for the lines / equipment they use.

In my local area, the Open Reach vans have been swarming all over the place for months with the role out of Firbre Optic.


Having said that, I'm still ADSL (Talktalk) and a while ago I threatened to leave if the ADSL speed  didn't improve - three weeks later, a 50% speed increase!!

If youre thinking about BT Infinity, they be careful. Its not fibre  all the way, just to a green box and then on copper cable, so its what you'd really call "hybrid".  BT Infinity is not as good as cable for the reasons already mentioned and some of the underground cables have been around for 50 or 60 years.
If an ISP uses BT then they are subject to BT's rules if they are unbundled like TalkTalk and Sky then they can set their own limits and rules for dynamic line measurement, this is different to the american DSL lines and you can get different speeds by changing providers. I say "different" because sometimes it is better and sometimes worse.

You can have satellite broadband now in the UK downstream speeds of up to 16Mbps but ping is a little higher around 150ms. No need for a phone line with satellite broadband so no extra rental there either.
Hope that helps.

[scoundrel]

last I knew you needed the tele for upstream satellite ?? has that changed now ?

[µT6]

you can use a satellite antena to receive and send

yes, but speed is low and response time is horrible

http://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_por_satélite

i post that link because it has more information on spanish than on english

you can need a phone line depending on the antenna connection, if only downloads or if it uploads too

if you really need it, then it is ideal but if you really really really need it, you don't want it

[hal8000]

last I knew you needed the tele for upstream satellite ?? has that changed now ?

There are various companies that provide satellite broadband. The main package is a dish and receiver,
but its quite possible they can provide TV services as well. I cant quote any specific site as this would be
spam but the search on google has 5 million hits and prices dont look too bad either considering you dont
require a phone line :-

https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=uk+satellite+broadband&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&aq=t&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a

[scoundrel]

It was just a general question about having to use the telephone with satellite service..

since I live in Sweden I can only use what they allow..