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Shirley Stevens asked:


With the wide choice of fast broadband deals now available, there is no longer any need to struggle along at a snail’s pace, regardless of what you are trying to download. You’ll be absolutely amazed at the opportunities opening up for you around the internet.

Why is it worth taking a fast broadband package?

Fast broadband speed allows data to be transferred at a breathtaking speed, meaning no more frustrating waiting around for downloads or annoyingly missing out on game patches.

You should seriously think about faster speeds if you are a frequent downloader of movies or music, or even large files.

Online gamers stand to gain the most as the latency and ping times experienced are vital milliseconds lower, giving one that extra advantage over your opponent.

How fast is fast?

A 512kb connection was considered fast broadband a few years ago, but the newer fastest broadband packages are regarded as those above the average ‘up to’ 8Mb ADSL connection and use either fibre optic cable or ADSL2+ technology.

The highest download speed available on your broadband connection is measured in Megabits per second (Mbps), with latest technologies capable of providing broadband connections of ‘up to’ 24Mb per second.

It has been estimated that before the end of this year speeds of 50Mb will be reached, or up to as much as 200Mb employing the same technology.

How does one choose fast broadband?

It’s important to remember that the ideal fast broadband provider is one which allows you unlimited download with no restrictive fair use policy to trip you up.

Here, you will find Be Broadband particularly lenient regarding peak time usage. Virgin Media has a traffic management policy, which means that you need to watch your peak time usage carefully.

If you exceed your allowance, Virgin Media will temporarily slow down your fast broadband connection and that would just be infuriating.

Another option worth thinking about is ADSL2+ providers, with their higher upload speeds of around 256Kb.

Be Broadband and O2 Broadband are two providers which offer even faster upload speeds up to about 1.3Mb.

While upload speeds are not of much use to the average web user, gamers, home office workers and file sharers will appreciate the added oomph of a faster upload speed.

A site that allows you to compare broadband deals by speed, will help make your choice for broadband speeds much easier.

Is my area enabled for fast broadband?

Not every BT exchange in the country is enabled for fast broadband and some broadband services are restricted to particular areas. Many broadband providers have in fact installed their own equipment in various local exchanges to be able to provide such high speeds.

It is advisable to check which services you are able to receive in your area with a postcode checker.

Caroline Telford asked:


Would you like to know how to look for the best Internet Service Provider or ISP in your area?

Basically, the first thing that you need to do is to determine which types of broadband Internet connection are available in your area. Is it ADSL or Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line? Are all the other options available for you such as cable, satellite and wireless broadband?

After determining the type of broadband connections that you can choose from in your area - the next thing that you need to do is make a comparison of the deals offered by the different ISP’s.

Take a look at some of the broadband deals that you can take advantage of:

- Broadband and landline deals

- Broadband without a contract

- Cheap broadband

- Broadband with free connection

- Standalone broadband

- Unlimited broadband

When making a comparison of the broadband deals offered by different ISP’s, you should also take into consideration the different speeds which are available. The speeds can range from 1Mb up to 20Mb.

What are the Advantages of Unlimited Broadband?

No matter which type of broadband connection it is that you will have at home - your task of choosing does not end there. After deciding which ISP to go for, your next task is to determine which broadband deal will give you the best value for your money.

One of the most popular options is the unlimited broadband deal. For this, your monthly Internet usage will be unlimited, unlike when you go for a broadband deal which has a limited bandwidth that you can use on a monthly basis.

Obviously, the primary advantage of unlimited broadband is that you can use the Internet 24 hours a day, 7 days a week without having to pay excess charges if you exceed the limit set by your ISP.

What is the Fair Usage Policy?

When you choose the unlimited broadband option, there is one policy that you should learn about: the Fair Usage Policy. Most ISP’s offering unlimited packages to subscribers have this.

Simply put, the Fair Usage Policy is something which would control cyber traffic. As you already know, millions of people download music, film and other types of files on a daily basis all around the world.

Those who have unlimited broadband packages may be tempted to download as much files as they can - which is why the Fair Usage Policy is in place. Here, your ISP can impose limits on your downloading so that the other subscribers who share your broadband connection will not experience a slowdown of the speed due to heavy users or downloaders.

At the end of the day, what you need to do is look for an ISP that will give you the leeway that you need in terms of your download limit. If you often exceed the company’s Fair Usage Policy, you may want to switch to a high-end package that will allow you to download more files on a monthly basis.

Otherwise, your ISP may slap you with penalties, a reduction of your speed limit or some other ‘punishment’ for violating the Fair Usage Policy that they have. Always read the fine print of your contract, especially if you have an unlimited broadband package.