Even if you don’t know a lot about broadband, you will probably be aware that it is generally promoted according to the kind of speed it offers you.
For example, figures such as 8Mb, 16Mb and now 50Mb are regularly advertised to try and get customers to sign up to that particular package. If you have seen a 50Mb package advertised you may be wondering what this actually offers you. Let’s find out more.
What does 50Mb broadband actually mean?
The figure relates to the speed of the broadband internet connection you will receive. The higher the number is, the faster the maximum speed will be. Needless to say a 50Mb speed is a lot quicker than a service offering 8Mb.
Another way to think about the speed of the connection is to think about how quickly you will be able to download things from the internet. It will take much less time to download a song or even a web page on a 50Mb connection than it would if you had an 8Mb connection.
Do you actually get this speed?
It is fairly common knowledge now that the speeds for broadband connections are promoted as being ‘up to’ the speed given. If a company advertises a 50Mb connection they must be able to guarantee that speed at all times.
But this is not the case, and so providers state that a 50Mb connection is ‘up to 50Mb’ at its fastest. In practice you will get a very fast connection but it will actually be less than 50Mb for the vast majority of the time – if not all the time.
Where can you find a good deal on 50Mb broadband?
The first company to offer up to 50Mb broadband in the UK was Virgin Media. Other broadband providers will no doubt follow suit in time, but Virgin Media has the distinct advantage of offering cable broadband. This means the service comes in through fibre optic cables and as such it is a lot faster than receiving broadband any other way.
But even though this company may currently be the only one offering these kinds of speeds, they still offer a variety of packages you can try. All of them are currently offered with unlimited downloading over the course of the month. With this said however, they do still have fair usage policies in place, just as most other internet providers do.
The real question is whether you just want their broadband service or whether you want telephone or cable TV services as well. Make sure you consider the options before selecting the right package for you.
50Mb broadband offers will doubtless become more prevalent as time goes on and other companies catch up with Virgin Media. But they have definitely been trail blazers when it comes to these speeds.
