Still on dial up

I got a reminder a few days ago that ADSL broadband can still be a distant dream for some people in the UK – even if “distant” just means a few miles down the road.

I spoke to someone who lives a few miles from me who still can’t get broadband from BT. They’re not on some rocky outcrop off the Scottish coast but in a rural (but not that rural…) green valley, within easy commuting distance of London and only a few miles from three towns.

I suggested an internet accelerator like ONSPEED, which can speed up dial-up by reducing the size of each webpage (which means it can download faster), but as I sit here looking out over green fields and sheep, merrily downloading and uploading at all hours of the day and night (me, not the sheep), it was a bit of a shock to find that just down the road they’re still struggling with dial-up and probably having to go off and make a cup of tea while they wait for a page to appear.

By Sarah, UK Broadband Finder

Broadband glossary

Because of the nature of this blog it’s hard to go into detail about some of the ideas and terms that surround broadband. So with that in mind I’ve started another blog – this time a broadband glossary, covering commonly used UK broadband terms.

You can view it at broadbandglossary.wordpress.com

I only started it a couple of days ago but expect it to grow quickly.

By Sarah, UK Broadband Finder

Business broadband

If you work from home occasionally or you run a business with no other employees, you may be able to manage fine on a standard broadband connection. But if you employ others who need access to the internet, or your one person set-up uses a lot of bandwith, perhaps it’s time to start looking for a business broadband connection.

Why business broadband?

• There is a wide range of business broadband packages available, from basic 1 Meg packages with good upload speeds to superfast business broadband; ADSL or ADSL Max (via your phone line) to dedicated data SDSL lines.

• Business broadband is typically more robust. It is often on a better contention ratio, eg 20:1 or 10:1 – this means fewer other users share your line to the exchange so at busy times your connection won’t be as affected as a residential broadband package with a higher contention ratio (commonly 50:1).

• Business broadband packages can include better service as part of the deal – essential if you need your broadband connection to buy, sell, or research products.

• Upload speeds tend to be faster. Even on slower download packages you can often get an upload speed of up to 448kb (note the “up to” on business broadband upload and download speeds – something they have in common with home broadband). Some packages have upload speeds of up to 832kb or higher.

• You can get some packages that don’t tie you in to a 12 month contract - useful if you are worried about cashflow when you start out. 

• Business broadband packages often come with extras that are actually useful – for example, email addresses, free spam filtering, an electronic fax to email service and more.

By Sarah, UK Broadband Finder