What is broadband?

Broadband is the term used to describe "higher bandwidth, always on services offering rates of 128Kbps and above." (Definition given by Office of Communications (Ofcom))

What speed is broadband?

Broadband speeds can be anything from the lowest defined speed of 128Kbps to the fastest maximum speed currently available in the UK, which is 50Mbps.

What does Kbps and Mbps mean?

These are both terms used to measure the speeds available on a broadband connection. Kbps is short for Kilobits per second, and Mbps accordingly, is short for Megabits per second. Mbps is the standard rate of data transfer used to represent the download speed of a broadband service or product. It is common to see broadband services advertised with either Mbps or sometimes, incorrectly, as simply Mb. All of the speeds of the brodband products listed here on Broadband Finder are shown as Mbps.

Does everyone in the UK have access to broadband?

According to the DTI (Department of Trade and Industry), an estimated 96% of UK homes and business have access to broadband via ADSL or Cable. You can also sign up for broadband services wherever there is mobile phone signal with a Mobile Broadband package.

Can I get broadband where I live?

You can check with any service provider if they cover your area. Please use our broadband comparison tool to check if your postcode can receive broadband.

Will I need a telephone line to get broadband?

If you are looking for ADSL broadband (provided by BT or AOL for example) you will require an active phone line to receive the service. You may however live in a cabled area and will be able to receive cable broadband without a phone line, use our broadband availability checker to see if you are in an Virgin Media (previously NTL/Telewest) enabled area. Mobile Broadband services obviously don't need a phone line, but at present, mobile broadband can't compete with traditional fixed-line broadband in terms of speed and bandwidth.

What's Bandwidth?

Generally speaking, bandwidth is the amount of information you can squeeze out of your broadband connection each month. Bandwidth is generally measured in terms of Gigabytes, normally represented as GB on broadband comparison sites, including Broadband Finder.

Why should I get broadband?

A broadband connection enables you to get a lot more out of being online. You can send and receive information quicker and it is the end of busy signals or intermittent connections.

With a broadband connection you can surf the internet without tying up your phone line - you can make calls on your landline without having to turn your modem off, and multiple computers can be connected the web all through the same connections. Broadband also allows for multiple email accounts so you can differentiate between business and personal emails.

What types of broadband are there?

See our types of broadband page for a full comparison of the types of broadband available.

How do I get broadband?

Have a look at our broadband comparison page for the best offers on the web. We keep our site updated with the latest offers and features from the top broadband providers.

You can also search the availability of broadband providers in your area by entering your postcode in our availability search box.

Can I stay online for as long as I want?

Broadband service providers do not limit the time you spend online. Most ISPs will charge you a monthly fee and let you download a certain amount of data, or restrict heavy downloading until a certain time (usually after peak hours). Some providers are also now offering unlimited usage, although, again this may be restricted to certain times of the day.

Can my provider raise their charges during my contract?

You will need to have a look at your contract with your provider to find out whether they are within their rights. Most contracts include a provision for price increase but there is also usually another clause which says they have to let you know in advance. If you think they have acted in breach of the contract then complain directly to the provider and if you don't receive a satisfactory response, you may want to pass the complaint to Ofcom.

I keep reading about "contention ratios" in the press - can you explain what they are?

A contention ratio refers to the number of people who share your connection. This is of interest if you're living in a busy household and everyone plans on using the same connection, or if you are an SME client buying broadband for your business. Contention ratios are usually expressed as 50:1 or 20:1, with the former usually sufficing for smaller homes and light users, and 20:1 being the preferred contention ratio for heavy users, gamers and businesses.

My broadband runs much slower at different times of the day - can you explain this?

At peak times when several people are connected to the internet at once, you may often experience slower than usual connection speeds. Also, if you have been excessively downloading and your ISP has implemented a traffic shaping program, you may find that your connection has been throttled temporarily which would account for the slowdown. The number of people who share your connection and your browser settings (you should refresh/restart your browser every couple of hours or so) are all reasons why you might experience poor performance.

How can I protect myself and my computer from computer viruses?

Please see our page on broadband security for more information on this.

How do I switch to a different broadband provider?

Please see our page for detailed information on changing broadband providers.

How do I know if my computer can support a broadband connection?

As a general rule of thumb, if your PC or laptop is under three years old, then you should be able to support a broadband internet connection. If in doubt, check the individual Internet Service Provider websites for their minimum requirements. Every new machine these days will be capable of supporting broadband out of the box.