There are many unwanted gifts we receive at Christmas: another pair of socks, questionable ties, more mugs and kitchen appliances to squeeze into cupboards, and biographies of minor celebrities destined for the local charity bookshop.
But for anyone having full fibre broadband installed in their home or place of work at this time of year, you’re getting the gift that keeps on giving – the benefit of gigabit speeds quicker than the dash to the table when Christmas dinner is called, and superior network quality that’s more reliable than Santa Claus delivering a present to every (good) child.
Here’s your festive reminder of why you need full fibre broadband and how its far-reaching benefits can impact you, your family and your business.
Faster than Rudolph
Full fibre broadband provides symmetrical download and upload speeds of up to 1,000 Mbps – otherwise known as gigabit speeds. To put this into perspective, these speeds are around 11 times faster than the current UK average, which is based on the country’s old copper-based superfast networks in current use.
This means that, without full fibre broadband, average speeds will never improve because they’ve already reached their limit. They were built for phone lines by the Victorians, not for 21st century digital needs.
But with data demands ever increasing, such as 4k streaming and video calls with your doctor, it’s only a matter of time before our need for speed truly overtakes what current copper networks can provide – if not already.
In addition, full fibre can be upgraded easily to 10,000 Mbps speeds and beyond in the future. That’s why they are described as being future-ready.
And when we talk about speed, we’re also talking about data bandwidth. A family of four simultaneously streaming, gaming, uploading and having video calls – especially on 4k devices – are all squabbling for a greater slice of the internet pie. When you’re on old copper and getting only around 20 Mbps or even 40 or 50 Mbps, you’ll soon realise that someone, or most likely everyone, is going to suffer from buffering or no service at all.
More reliable than uneaten Brussels sprouts
It’s not just the speed and amount of data that skyrockets and transforms your day-to-day life.
In fact, for a lot of people, it’s the vastly improved reliability that’s actually of most importance.
Whether it’s an uninterrupted video call while working from home, or streaming the must-see sporting event from the likes of Amazon Prime or Discovery+, having the confidence of knowing your connection will not drop or decrease in quality due to the evening peak can have unparalleled effects on how your work and live in the comfort of your own home.
There are largely two reasons why reliability is far superior to current copper networks, or ‘part-fibre, part-copper’ networks.
Firstly, it’s the actual fibre optic technology itself and how the data travels and transmits via light in safe and secure cables usually buried underground. Secondly, unlike current copper networks where lines are shared, you get your own private dedicated fibre optic line that is carefully installed into your home at a specific location suitable for your requirements. It’s VIP access to broadband bliss.
Multi-device connectivity
As already mentioned, especially in family homes or multi-tenanted buildings, your broadband hub is feeding many digital mouths. This year, new research found that the average UK home has nine connected devices, while by 2050 there will be 24 billion interconnected devices worldwide.
But with full fibre, this is a problem you won’t need to worry about, thanks to the speed, reliability and data bandwidth that only full fibre broadband can provide.
So when friends and family come over during the Christmas and New Year festivities, you won’t need to worry about keeping tabs on who gets the Wi-Fi password. With full fibre, everyone can connect.
Streaming and gaming – better than charades
Streaming and gaming are some of the most demanding activities when it comes to broadband.
TVs and game consoles are only getting more powerful. In tandem, games are becoming more performance-demanding and pushing video quality to new heights.
Within the world of Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime, more and more content is being optimised for 4k streaming, which requires upwards of 25 Mbps to ensure quality and consistency, while the impact of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is on the cusp of being felt in living rooms across the country.
With full fibre, you can rest easy that no matter how spectacular or extreme video games and streaming become over the coming months and years, your broadband won’t break a sweat.
Whether you’re a resident or business, you can check if you’re covered in County Broadband’s rollout by entering your postcode at www.countybroadband.co.uk where you can also register your interest in finding out more about the infrastructure and service.
