TalkTalk Broadband Overview

March 23rd, 2010 | Broadband, Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews

TalkTalk Broadband is a relatively new UK broadband provider, but they’ve already grown fast enough to overtake (and buy) Tiscali broadband services.  TalkTalk has been around for several years and they are notable for being the first UK broadband provider to offer “free broadband” to subscribers using their local loop unbundled network.  And while it wasn’t exactly free, it was much reduced in price over the broadband being offered by the competition, which at the time was very limited.

Competition has definitely heated up, but TalkTalk has held its own in the market.  Known originally as a cheaper telephone service provider once competition to BT opened up, they have become known for also providing broadband internet services. 

TalkTalk has two speed levels:  up to 8.2 Mb and up to 24 Mb. The bigger the number, the higher your potential download speeds.  Just remember that download speeds depend on several factors, including how far away you are from the exchange and how many other people are using the company’s broadband connection at the same time. 

Usage limit is another thing that can affect your cost.  The higher the usage limit, the more expensive your monthly cost will be.  While you don’t want to constantly exceed your usage limit, you also don’t want to pay for usage that you never use.  Consider the types of activities you usually engage in online.  If it’s not much more than limited e-mail and surfing, an entry-level package like TalkTalk’s Essentials package is probably adequate.

But if you download pictures, video and music, or want to download entire movies or play online games, an Unlimited package may suit you better.  One other consideration is the length of the service contract you must commit to.  Generally speaking, the shorter your contract, the better for you.  Should you decide the service doesn’t meet your needs, you’re free to switch faster.

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The Future of Broadband

March 19th, 2010 | Broadband

Broadband use is spreading throughout the UK and the rest of the world.  What started out as faster phone lines, at least, in one direction (ADSL), turned into both directions, for SDSL; then came cable internet, and then wireless.  Now satellite broadband access enables people to connect to the internet anywhere that they can see the sky.  Connection speeds are increasing and costs are dropping.  So what’s next?

The telephone service is even moving to the internet, with Voice Over Internet Protocol, or VoIP replacing or sharing standard landlines.  And now even those lines may be replaced with fibre optic lines. 

What is fibre optics?  The telephone line that comes into your house is made of copper, just as all phone lines have been since the beginning of phone services over a century ago.  But scientists have now figured out how to send signals over extremely thin glass cables (fibre optics).  These signals aren’t electrical; they’re light, usually either infrared or laser. 

Glass cables are cheaper than copper, use less in the way of natural resources, and have less signal degradation over distances than copper.  They are of course new, which means that if you want a fibre optic service new cables will need to be installed to your home; this is only done on a town or city basis at the moment.  But the technology is lightweight, flexible, and uses much less power than standard copper wire, which means installation is much less expensive.

Several UK broadband providers are beginning the transition to fibre optic broadband, BT among them.  Edinburgh and Glasgow will have early installation, and BT plans to have nearly 40% of UK homes accessible to fibre optics by 2012.

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Mobile Broadband Comparison – finding you the best deal

March 16th, 2010 | Broadband Deals, Mobile Broadband, Mobile Broadband Comparison

How do you compare mobile broadband services and offers?  More and more Internet Service Providers, or ISPs, are branching out into mobile broadband offerings.  But which one is the best for you?

Several websites can help you compare.  Locations such as broadband.co.uk and broadband-finder.co.uk are great places to begin your search.  They’ll compare offerings from companies such as; O2, Be, BT, Virgin Media and Sky.  They are also up-to-date on current offerings, which will save you the job of contacting each of the companies separately to find out what’s happening this month.

Your first order of business should be to check coverage in your most likely locations. 
While mobile broadband is technically available everywhere, you may find that one provider has better coverage in the areas that you work in most frequently. 

Speed can also be important, especially if you or your business deals in large graphics or video files.  Upload and download speeds can make a huge difference to doing efficient business.  If you can’t get the image or video, you might not be able to close the deal.

Equipment requirements are usually small, with most mobile broadband services being accessed via a small USB router (dongle) that plugs into your laptop or computer.  Some providers offer free equipment if you sign up, but be sure to look at the costs over a full year.  You may find that buying the equipment yourself and signing up with a provider with a lower monthly cost may be cheaper in the end.

But compare coverage first, because no matter how good the deal if you can’t establish a good connection it’s not worth even one penny.

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Virgin Media Broadband – a great all-in-one package!

March 15th, 2010 | Broadband, Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews

Virgin Media is opening up the UK Broadband market with its offering of broadband services in cabled areas.  Virgin is one of the newer companies to offer broadband internet in the UK, and since they’re fighting to gain market share, they’re offering quite a few attractive deals.  If you’ve been considering moving from dial-up to a broadband connection, Virgin Media Broadband might offer a bundle that will make sense for your situation.

Since December 2008, when Virgin Media launched its 50Mb service, it has been the exclusive provider of that speed of service.  No one else offers speeds that high.  Virgin Media also offers a 10Mb service and a 20Mb service for those who don’t need the higher download limits.  If you don’t regularly play online games or download entire movies, one of the lower limits might suit you just fine.  The broadband plans with lower limits cost less per month, as well, and may suit your pocketbook better.

And since Virgin Media is a full-service media company, you can often save money by bundling your phone service with your internet service.  Now that “media services”, including telephone, television and internet can be sold by more companies than just BT, you can often make deals by picking and choosing.  Sometimes selecting services from two or three different companies will provide what you need; other times “bundling” with one company will not only get you what you want, but save you money as well.

For residential power users, though, the Virgin Media 50Mb cable service is an option you’ll probably want to explore.

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Faster Broadband Speeds Becoming the Norm

March 12th, 2010 | Broadband, Business Broadband

Broadband has reached most areas in the country by now, and its ADSL technology – essentially an upgraded telephone line – means much faster speeds and download times than were the case with dial-up, plus a line to the internet that is always open, even when you’re on the phone. In deciding which of the broadband providers best suits your needs, a glance at the many broadband comparison websites and mobile broadband comparison websites should point you in the right direction. These provide all the information on deals and special offers from broadband providers such as O2 broadband, Tesco broadband, TalkTalk broadband and the vast range of others seeking to get you signed up.

The normal, private home internet user will usually go for the basic package if their usage of the internet is light to medium. They may also choose to wrap their telephone and TV in with the same package, in a bundle, as offered by Sky broadband and Virgin Media broadband.

For the business owner there are other factors to take into consideration, and for them a business broadband package is the better option, as offered by Plusnet broadband, BT Total broadband, TalkTalk broadband and many others. With a business broadband package, you get faster speeds and unlimited downloads. Another important available option is 24-hour support, with an engineer on call if the line goes down, and a guaranteed restart time limit. A comprehensive business broadband package will also mean that your connection grows with the business, and that security is a priority feature.

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Cable or ADSL Broadband?

March 10th, 2010 | Broadband

When choosing a broadband connection you will find that many providers offer ADSL or cable broadband, but not both.  There are a few simple differences between the two that can help you make a decision about what service to go for.  You might have to make a call to the providers under consideration, but it will be worth it to ensure you’re receiving the fastest service you can for your money.

The basic difference is distance versus users.  An ADSL connection is a dedicated circuit from the provider to you.  The advantage to this type of connection is that, in most cases, the number of people logging on to the service does not have a significant impact on your service quality or speed.  Your distance from the telephone company’s nearest “node” or DSL hub will be the biggest determinant of your service quality.  There are several internet sites that can give you ideas of hub locations, but calling the providers in your area can give you a better idea of whose hub is located closest to you.  Ideally, a hub within 1.5 kilometres is best; quality degrades slightly beyond that, and more precipitously the further from the hub you are.  Beyond about 5-7 kilometres your service will be likely to be seriously impaired.

Cable broadband has generally higher transfer speeds, but it is impacted by the number of users.  Cable is not a dedicated line to your house like ADSL; it’s shared by all users.  This means that as more users log on, the more your speed degrades. 

Of course, ultimately, your decision will be based upon what’s available in your area, but if you have a choice between the two, you’ll need to consider hub location as well as the number of people around you who could share the connection when you’re making your final decision.

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Searching for the Best Broadband Deals

March 9th, 2010 | Broadband, Broadband Comparison, Mobile Broadband

It seems there’s no end of broadband and mobile broadband providers to choose from these days. Fortunately, there are also lots of broadband and mobile broadband comparison websites. A quick Google search will yield a wealth of information to help you come to a decision, whatever your needs.

Sky broadband and Virgin Media broadband will cover your telephone and TV as well, in an integrated package that offers great broadband deals when you tie them all in. It also simplifies your domestic accounts. You could take out a mobile broadband deal instead of this, or even in addition, if you’re on the move a lot, and again it’s advisable to take a look at a broadband comparison website to get a feel for the broadband deals on offer.

For those who prefer not to go down the services bundling route, there are scores of other broadband providers to choose from, each offering competitive deals in a cut-throat marketplace. The customer can be a clear winner if he puts a little thought into his broadband requirements. The additional features that come with most broadband business packages will be surplus to domestic requirements, and by the same token a business will find itself handicapped by too basic a deal.

Broadband providers such as Broadband UK specialise in the business end of the market, with advanced technology that can be customised to a vast range of business requirements. TalkTalk broadband and BT Total broadband amongst many others are also providing competition in this area.

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Sky Broadband – TV and internet in one package

March 5th, 2010 | Broadband, Broadband Providers, Broadband Reviews

One of the “new kids on the block” in UK broadband offerings is Sky Broadband.  While Sky has been around for a while offering telephone services to compete with BT, their broadband offerings are a relatively new service.

Sky offers three levels of broadband service:  Base, Everyday, and Unlimited.  The Base level is the entry-level for many people.  If you need more than dial-up internet can offer but you’re not moving around large audio or video files, this might be the package for you.  It offers broadband speeds of around 2 megabytes (Mb) of download, which would provide plenty of e-mail and text information, but limited music and video.

Their Everyday package has the same fast broadband speeds as the Base package, but allows more download capacity.  This will allow you to download music, photos, and video clips, but not entire movies.  This package is suitable for most people who have limited time to spend on the internet, but like staying in touch through all kinds of media.

Sky Broadband’s Unlimited package allows up to 20 Mb of download speed and unlimited usage.  With this package you can download entire movies, along with songs, pictures, and video clips.  If you have someone in your household who enjoys online gaming, this is definitely the package for you, as it will allow uninterrupted play.

Sky’s broadband offerings may be new, but they compare favourably with other offerings from BT Total Broadband, TalkTalk Broadband, and Tesco Broadband, among others.  Determine your needs, see which companies service your area, and then begin to narrow down your choices.  The switch to broadband isn’t any more difficult than that.

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What you need to know about business broadband

March 3rd, 2010 | Broadband, Business Broadband

When you are considering fitting out your workplace with an internet connection, you will find that you have many different packages of broadband to choose from the internet providers.

If you need broadband for your business it is very likely that there will be more than one computer using the broadband at a time.  Furthermore, it is likely that the machines using the broadband connection will be downloading large amounts of information over longer periods of time.  If this is the case, then you should consider one of the better broadband internet deals around that will allow you to download at a much faster pace, such as 20mb (not possible in all areas of the UK).

It is important that if you are considering installing business broadband to shop around and compare the various broadband internet deals from the different providers.  If you cannot find what you need on their website, then give them a call and let the broadband provider know what your needs are and they may be able to help.  The broadband provider might be able to tailor a broadband package specifically to your needs, and it is likely that you will be able to negotiate a good price if you are flexible as to the length of the contract.

Business broadband will inevitably be more expensive to run than having the typical broadband package in your home.  Although business broadband will cost more to use, it will be a whole lot faster and will allow more computers to connect and download data at a much faster pace than if you had only a conventional home broadband package.

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Remote UK Broadband Access

February 28th, 2010 | Broadband, Broadband Providers

You might live in a remote corner of the UK, far away from the noise and pollution of London, Birmingham, Edinburgh, Glasgow, or the other major cities.  You love the quiet, your neighbours, the fresh air, everything is great, until you need to access the internet!  You may then have a problem.

Demand for broadband provision in rural areas has risen faster than in urban areas, and has even affected property prices.  Sales of some properties will not go through unless the house or commercial premises is in an area where broadband is available.

Residents in one area of Cumbria became so fed up with BT’s inability to provide a service that they did it themselves by creating their own broadband cooperative, the first of its kind in Britain.  Once fitted with a broadband connection, some homes saw a rise in price of upwards of 20% when put on the market.  Rural areas have become a popular place for working from home business people and entrepreneurs, but their livelihood is often dependant upon internet access, and most usually broadband access. Without that there is probably no pay cheque, and of course no ability to pay the mortgage.

If you’re considering a move to a more rural area be sure to ask around about what types of internet access are available, and at what speeds.  BT’s “up to 8 Mb” speed is notoriously well below that in rural areas, sometimes so far below that a dial-up connection might be a cheaper option.

Talk to your potential neighbours or a knowledgeable estate agent to find out what types of reliable service are available in the location you’re considering, and what the advertised speeds are likely to be in reality. 

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