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Revise: What is Broadband?
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[h3]Broadband[/h3] There are two main kinds of Broadband connection in the UK (a) ADSL (b) On the same Cable that you get CableTV etc Broadband provides a connection to the Internet that is at least 10 times as fast as a 56Kbps modem and yet can be always-on without preventing the normal use of a phone line for voice calls or fax. ADSL is done by superimposing a signal on top of a normal BT phone line; after suitable filters are installed in your home the ADSL signal has no significant effect on the use of the phone for voice calls or fax, incoming or outgoing. The normal range of ADSL is about 7 kilometres of wire from the exchange to you and it can normally handle 2,000Kbps (2Mbps) at that range. The usual domestic speed is 512Kbps (576Kilo Bits/Sec) and is normally easily available at up to 7 kilometres. BT have been testing Adaptive ADSL for ranges greater than 7 kilometres or for poor quality lines. These will automatically slow down the line for poor conditions. I don't know the normal range for Cable broadband, but it is much more than you imply and the top speed of Cable broadband is much higher. In fact the cable modem that they fit in your house throttles down the bandwidth to whatever rate you are paying for. [People have been prosecuted for fiddling with the cable modem to make it go faster]. Cable broadband is only available if you are in a cable TV area AND that area is also rated for broadband. You buy the service from your cableTV company: NTL or Telewest. ADSL is marketed in a weird way. You buy the service from one of very many Internet Service Provider (ISP), then they in turn buy the service 'wholesale' from a part of BT called BT Wholesale. This was done as a restriction on BT by Oftel to prevent them becoming a monopoly. BT have got around this restriction, they created a sub-company called BT OpenWorld which is an ISP (currently being renamed BT Yahoo). BT Yahoo buys its ADSL services from BT Wholesale, just like other ISPs. [[a]http://www.adslguide.org.uk/[/a]] BT also market as "BT Broadband" which is a sort of an ISP but it only does ADSL connectivity, it does NOT do mailboxes or virus removal or web space etc. BT Broadband service is intended only for specialist users. However BT Openworld and BT Broadband are heavily advertised on TV, so much so that almost all the public are totally confused into thinking that they can only get ADSL directly from BT. However in my opinion it is NOT a good idea to get broadband from them. It is fine while it works, but when you get a fault, you are likely to go round & round in circles with their Support Services. If you want ADSL in the UK, I recommend that you either get it from my friends Wizards Ltd [[a]http://www.wizards.co.uk[/a]] or from Zen [[a]http://www.zen.co.uk[/a]]. Mine is with Zen, because Wizards had not started doing ADSL when I got mine. Zen also host this website for me. Bill PS: BT Wholesale used to be called BT Ignite. The quango Oftel has been renamed Ofcom. Bill. Revised on 19 Jan 2004
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