Cable broadband explained
Cable broadband provides high speed internet access in a different way to ADSL broadband. Virgin Media is the UK's only cable broadband company and provides broadband services over cables rather than BT phone lines.
Read on for everything you need to know about cable broadband.
What is cable broadband?
Cable broadband is brought to your home via an underground fibre-optic cable rather than a telephone line. Broadband delivered via a phone line is known as ADSL broadband . Although cable broadband is delivered in a different way to ADSL broadband, the way you connect your computer to the internet is similar.
Virgin Media is the only firm in the UK to offer cable broadband and you'll need to live in a cable-enabled area to get cable broadband. However, unlike ADSL broadband, you don't need a BT phone line
What are the benefits of cable broadband?
Faster speeds are a key benefit of cable broadband. Cable broadband offers speeds of up to 50Mb while most ADSL broadband connections can only offer up to 8Mb. This means you'll be able to surf the internet and download files quicker if you have cable broadband.
Cable broadband is also more reliable than ADSL broadband and less likely to be slow or drop out. With ADSL, the further you live from the telephone exchange, the slower your connection will be - a problem that does not affect cable broadband.
If you have cable broadband you'll also have the option to receive digital TV and a phone service through your cable connection and pay one monthly price for all three products.
Are there any disadvantages to cable broadband?
The main downside of cable broadband is that it's not available everywhere. At the moment only about 50% of the UK population is covered by the cable network. In contrast about 99% of the country can get ADSL broadband. Also, with only one provider offering cable broadband, there's no choice or competition. To find out if you can get cable in your area use our broadband comparison service.
Where can I get cable broadband from?
Virgin Media became the UK's only cable broadband company after the merger of ntl and Telewest. It offers broadband as both a single product and as part of a bundle. If you buy cable broadband on its own there are a number of different deals available which offer various broadband speeds. If you sign up to a bundle can include a home telephone service and digital TV channels as well as broadband. The price will depend on the broadband speed, how many TV channels you have and whether the cost of some phone calls is included in the monthly charge.
What do I need to get cable broadband?
To get cable broadband you need to live in a cable-enabled area and sign up to Virgin Media. You will also need a modem - a device that enables your computer to connect to the internet - which will be included in your cable broadband package. Some packages also include a wireless router which lets you use your internet connection anywhere in your house.
Compare broadband services with uSwitch now.