The nation’s cable broadband infrastructure is dominated by Virgin Media, which has operated on its own network since it took over the NTL: Telewest network in 2006. To find out more about internet connection speeds and download times, check out our guide to broadband download times to see what you can expect with that level of speed. Cable broadband speeds can start from 36Mbps and even exceed 300Mbps on higher-end packages. Cable broadband speedsīecause of the improved performance of coaxial cables, cable broadband connections offer significantly faster broadband speeds than those ‘superfast’ broadband connections that still use copper wire. They are easy to install and very durable, making them an efficient middle ground between copper wires and fibre-optic cables. Also known as coax cable, this type of cable is ideal for carrying high-frequency electrical signals with low losses.Ĭoaxial cables are an efficient upgrade from traditional copper wires as their shielded design allows the centre conductor wire to transmit data quickly while being protected from external interference or damage.Ĭoaxial cable is much more affordable for providers to install than fibre-optic cabling but can result in signal loss over longer distances. What is a coaxial cable?Ĭoaxial cable consists of a copper wire surrounded by a concentric conducting shield, separated by an insulating material. So while cable broadband isn’t quite as fast as a full fibre connection, it is significantly faster than ‘fibre to the cabinet’ (FTTC) broadband. However, instead of using copper wires, cable broadband uses coaxial cables to connect to the cabinet, giving you a much faster internet connection than the traditional copper phone line cables used for ‘superfast’ broadband connections (up to 60Mbps). What is cable broadband?Ĭable broadband connects your home to a fibre cabinet in your area. If you’re able to get FTTP broadband, you’ll be able to access speeds well over 200Mbps. To achieve those top-end speeds, you will need to have fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) broadband - sometimes also called fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) - which means your connection is entirely serviced with fibre optic cables, from the exchange to your street cabinet and then also from the street cabinet to your home.įTTP broadband is currently only available through BT and Hyperoptic, with limited availability. Run a quick speed test to see what connection you have in your home. ![]() Unless you have ADSL broadband which is supplied entirely through the original copper telephone network, you will likely have some sort of fibre broadband. It means that fibre cables are used at some point throughout the connection from your provider to your home. So what’s the difference between fibre and cable broadband? What is fibre broadband?įibre broadband is a fairly inclusive term. ![]() While fibre broadband is offered by many internet service providers to deliver superfast and ultrafast broadband connections, cable broadband is something specific to key providers like Virgin Media who run on their own network.
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