Home Broadband

Broadband

Better Broadband: Cable

In today's broadband market, it is common to hear talk of cable broadband and how it is supposedly better than standard (ADSL) broadband connections. Fans of the cable broadband medium point to the following reasons when asked 'Why is cable broadband better?'

• It is faster than standard broadband
  
• It allows for greater download speeds
  
• It can be expanded in the future to become even faster
  

But before we accept these answers at face value, we need to understand a little bit about the cable broadband medium, before answering exactly, why is cable broadband better than ADSL.

What is cable broadband?

Cable broadband is a faster alternative to the usual type of broadband, which is carried over phone wires and known as ADSL.

How does it work?

Unlike ADSL, cable broadband does not use telegraph or copper wires to transmit information between your computer and the internet. It bypasses the BT telephone exchange, meaning that the speeds it can provide are potentially much higher than those offered by standard broadband.

Why is cable broadband better?

Quite simply, because it is faster. It uses the UK's purpose-built optical fibre network to send information that would normally be sent using our aging telephone network. Unlike traditional copper-wired phone lines, there is almost no limit to what can be sent via fibre optic cables.

Why is cable broadband better for the future?

There are now plans to expand and upgrade the country's fibre optic cable network, meaning that it is the best and most futureproof platform for broadband. Right now, Virgin Media is implementing plans to provide 50Mb broadband, which is only possible with cables. In the future, the hope is that every home in the country will have cable broadband running right to the property, although experts estimate this could cost around £30bn.

Sign up to our broadband newsletterStay updated with our free broadband and mobile broadband newsletter.