Technology Today

Image copyrightGetty ImagesOne million households in the West Midlands will be able to access to ultrafast gigabit-capable broadband from March, Virgin media says.The company says the switch-on of its gigabit services is the largest in the UK, and will be available in Coventry, Birmingham and the surrounding areas.Gigabit technology allows for download speeds of more than 1,104 megabits per second.

The average UK speed is 54Mbps.But the ultra-high speeds will cost at least £62 a month - that's £744 a year.Customers who pay for the high-speed connectivity will be able to download an ultra-high resolution 4K film of 20 gigabytes in a little over three minutes, rather than the hour it would take on an average connection.Virgin's gigabit offering is already available in Southampton, Manchester and Reading, and the company says it plans to add "millions" more homes this year.Nicholas Baker, a broadband expert at price comparison site Uswitch, said it was "a significant moment in the drive to update the UK's broadband network, which for a long time has lagged behind other countries".But he warned initial take-up could be low."The truth is not many households will need these kinds of speeds.

Our research shows that less than a quarter are currently signed up to services with speeds in excess of 60Mbps - while more than a third don't even know what their broadband speed is."Government pledgeUpgrading the nation's broadband network was a key objective set out by the government last year.Boris Johnson pledged to provide "full fibre" broadband to every household in the country by 2025 - a target which many service providers believed was over-optimistic.

"Full fibre" means running a fibre optic cable directly into people's homes.

But the government has since shifted its plans to "gigabit-capable" connections, some of which may use older cable standards to deliver high-speed broadband.Traditionally, copper has been the backbone of the UK's internet infrastructure, as it's used in the telephone network across the country and goes into most homes, but digging up and replacing copper with fibre optic cable is expensive and involves a lot of work.

Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said the new announcement by Virgin Media was a step towards the plan to "deliver gigabit broadband to everyone in the UK"."We're working closely with companies like Virgin Media and investing £5bn to ensure the hardest to reach areas aren't left behind," he said.Future-proofingThe latest report from regulator Ofcom, at the end of last year, revealed that at least three million households in the UK can access speeds of up to one gigabit - nearly double the number of the previous year.In July, Virgin pledged to bring its gigabit services to 15 million homes by the end of 2021, and rival providers are similarly focused on delivering ultrafast broadband.Ultrafast is defined as a speed greater than 100Mbps.Openreach, which took over control of the copper phone network from BT, claims it is upgrading customers to new full fibre at a rate of one every 23 seconds.

More than two million premises are already connected to its fibre network, and it plans to connect four million by March 2021.The goal is reach 15 million premises "if we can get the right conditions", a spokesperson said.Image copyrightGetty ImagesImage caption Fibre optic cables use pulses of light to transmit data at very high speeds That network can be used by other companies - like BT - to provide faster internet to customers.

TalkTalk, meanwhile, has struck a deal with CityFibre, which is connected to three million homes."The real value offered by these faster services, is the future-proofing of broadband connections," Mr Baker said."Every year we connect ever more devices to our routers, all eating up additional bandwidth and frustrating other users in the home.

But with speeds in excess of 1Gbs, those types of broadband woes should be consigned to the history books."





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues-Publication from Jan 2021


Buy Our Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting



It's Voluntary! Take care of your Family, Friends and People around You First and later think about us. Its Fine if you dont wish to contribute and if you wish to contribute then think about the Homeless first and Feed them. We can survive with your wishes too :-). You can Buy our Merchandise too which are of the finest quality.


STRIPE


Virgin Media issues brand-new 'one metre' Wi-Fi guideline - follow recommendations or run the risk of damaged broadband


Argos now offers cheap Freeview upgrade that matches Sky TV's best features


iPhone designs that will be supported by Apple's brand-new software as giffgaff, Sky and O2 offers skyrocket


Android users placed on red alert - check your phone now for critical Google upgrade


WhatsApp verifies smash hit free upgrade that's coming to your phone this month


People fume about 'worst-ever' X update and beg for it to be reversed


Forget Gmail - Apple exposes a better way to inspect e-mails on your iPhone


Apple iOS 18 will transform your iPhone and there's a simple way to try it first


Android users joke 'welcome to 2015' as Apple unveils new iOS 18 feature


Average person remains in 83 group talks and communicates more online than face-to-face


ASDA shoppers warned to check their inbox for 'free prize' email - don't ignore it


iPhone users persuaded Apple's 'suspicious' upgrade is 'made for cheaters'


Your iPhone, iPad and MacBook will get smarter thanks to clever new Apple Intelligence


Millions of Apple fans must upgrade their iPhones or miss out on biggest update in years


Netflix will be blocked on some UK TVs next month - is yours on this list


Apple confirms greatest totally free iPhone upgrade in years - iOS 18 upgrade is coming soon


Apple confirms Vision Pro UK release date - just try to ignore the price


Worrying 'last notification' released to Gmail and Yahoo users - delete this email now


Your Samsung TV gets a blockbuster free boost this week and that's not all


iPhone users get 24-hour countdown for biggest upgrade of 2024 - do not miss it


£& pound; 69 Android phone launches this week with a feature even the iPhone can't match


Urgent alert issued to millions of UK WhatsApp users - 8 red flags you must not ignore


Popular Sky and Freeview channels are changing on your TV in major UK shakeup


2 very rare Apple rate cuts make owning a new iPad ludicrously inexpensive


Hidden deal to save ?800 at Samsung tempts shoppers to ditch Sky, Toshiba, and LG


Unmissable new freebie added to cheaper Sky Stream package that'll save nearly £300


Essential email sent to Sky users - not checking your inbox will prove expensive





54