Internet advice for someone clueless...

andthatmakesone

Can someone explain the pro's and con's regarding having a Virgin Media (fibre optic?) line compared to a standard BT line for the internet.

I have Virgin XL broadband which claims "up to 20MB" speeds, but there are loads of companies all claiming this.

Virgin make a big deal (at least in those old Samuel L Jackson TV ads) that their lines are "super fast" because they're fibe optic. I'm guessing a regular BT line isn't fibre optic.

So, the question is - what is the difference between Virgin claiming 20MB and someone like Sky claiming the same through a BT line? Does the Virgin line perform better? Is the difference significant?

penrhyn

Don't believe all you hear.
The UK telephone/broadband network is entirely based on optical fibre transmission systems.
However in the case of the national network the link from the subscriber to the exchange is by a copper pair.
BT plan to roll out Optical fibres to street cabinets over the next few years.

Virgin already have optical fibres to the street cabinet, however the cable that enters your property is still copper.

ADSL speed is dependent on the distance from the exchnage and the quality of the line.
DSL from Virgin is not subject to this problem.

andthatmakesone

Thanks for the info. I'm 2.66km away from the exchange (as the crow flies), so I guess it may be worth sticking with Virgin for now. At least until BT rolls out its fibre optic program.

penrhyn

You may well be right.
You can get an estimate of your likely ADSL speeds from Samknows website.