How to get the Fastest Broadband Speed for the Least Money

So here is the fact and fiction about broadband speeds and a quick and simple guide to ensuring that you get the best speed possible for the least money, at your address.

What dictates broadband speeds?

Broadband speeds are dictated by the broadband infrastructure used by your broadband provider (ISP). There are two key types of broadband infrastructure: fibre-optic broadband and DSL broadband which relies on copper phone lines. DSL broadband is used by all the major broadband providers in the UK other than Virgin Media.

Fibre optic broadband should deliver closer to the advertised up to" speed as broadband speeds do not decline with distance from the telephone exchange. But they do decline at busy times due to something called contention" (which is essentially the effect of multiple users in your area at the same time).

The fact that fibre optic broadband delivers closer to the advertised speeds is borne out by the latest Ofcom research which shows that Virgin Media's up to 10 Mb broadband customers receive an average of 8.4 mbs (which is 84% of the total). This compares to AOL Broadband for example, which relies on DSL technology, that on average delivers only 45% of the advertised speed.

DSL broadband has one major drawback in that the further you live from the telephone exchange, the slower in gets. What's more, as with fibre optic broadband, it also suffers from contention, so that speeds will decline further at busy times. Such is the effect that if you live more than 5 km from your local telephone exchange, you will not be able to get broadband at all (other than mobile broadband).

One further complication is that there are a number of different DSL technologies that vary from the most basic ADSL" through to ADSL Max" and ADSL 2+". The basic ADSL technology delivers an absolute maximum of 2 Mbs; ADSL Max delivers a maximum of 8 Mbs; and ADSL 2+ delivers an absolute maximum of 24 Mbs.

How to ensure that you getting the fastest available speed at your address.

So with an understanding of how the technology works, here are four steps to getting the fastest broadband speed at your address for the least money:

1. First check what speed you are getting at peak times. There are many broadband checkers that do this for you in a matter of seconds.

2. Next review what broadband providers are available in your area and what technology they are using. This may sound tricky to do, but it's actually very simple. Some suppliers will offer a free technology report for every postcode which shows you which broadband providers are available in your area; and what technologies they are using. It also shows how far away you live from your local telephone exchange and therefore what broadband speed you should expect

3. Armed with the information in Step 2, you can review the best broadbanhttp://www.spin2submit.co.za/art-creator.phpd deals in your area. The broadband postcode lottery will determine what speed you can ever achieve, but you can ensure that you choose an ISP that has the best technology installed at your local exchange, in order to get the fastest broadband speed for the least money. There are many broadband comparison services available. Simplifydigital's is accredited by Ofcom to ensure that it is fully up-to-date and accurate.

The fastest broadband deals for the least money

Broadband packages are steadily increasing their advertised broadband speeds. But these are all up to" speeds and absolutely do not guarantee that you will get the speed advertised. Indeed it is virtually impossible to receive the advertised speed unless you set up home in a telephone exchange.