The current standard for broadband packages in the UK is ADSL for fixed line broadband and 3G for mobile broadband. However, with the increase in technology that is always happening, the future of broadband connections is bright. There are many connection types that could replace the ones in existence now. The reason for replacement could be a more stable connection or greater connection speeds. Providers like Plusnet Broadband, Sky, BT, Virgin and BE are continually investing to improve their service.
The future threats to ADSL and 3G
There are a few connection types that in the future will possibly replace the standards that we have. There are three main contenders that you should know about.
4G mobile broadband
Fibre optic or cable broadband
WiMAX broadband
4G mobile broadband packages
4G is the next step in the evolution of mobile broadband packages. Of course to better understand 4G you need to understand 3G and its limitations. 3G has been the sole means of getting high speed mobile broadband for many years. Of course over time the infrastructure for this connection could no longer cope with the increased demand.
3G first came about when mobile broadband was still in its infancy. The web pages you were able to access via 3G were basic and mostly comprised of text. In fact the web pages that are best accessed on this connection today are still text based. However, the way we use mobile broadband has changed since the creation of 3G. More people are using their mobile devices for data and speed heavy activities such as media streaming and video calls. There are also more mobile devices trying to use the network than 3G can actually handle.
4G stands for fourth generation mobile broadband and was created to help with two of the main problems suffered by 3G. These problems were speed and stability. The speed of a 4G connection is around 5 times faster than a 3G connection. It is possible to get maximum speeds of 40mb per second with many 4G packages. The network is also more stable as it was created to handle the ever increasing demand for mobile broadband.
The speed and stability of 4G does not only make it a contender and likely replacement of 3G but ADSL as well. The speeds offered by this connection are faster than many ADSL connections. It is also possible to get a wireless router which allows you to share your mobile broadband with a number of devices.
Fibre optic or cable broadband packages through Plusnet broadband, Sky, Virgin etc
Fibre optic or cable broadband packages are already available to 60% of the UK population. The main advantage that this connection has over the ADSL connection is the speed. Of course it is best to know how ADSL works before you look at how fibre optic connections will replace it.
ADSL runs on the phone line infrastructure. This means that most people will be able to get this kind of connection. However, the speeds of ADSL often leave a lot t be desired. Regular ADSL connection offer top speeds of around 14mb per second. This has been improved with the advent of ADSL2 and ADSL2+ which increased the speeds of the connection to around 28mb per second. While this is much faster it is nowhere near what you can get with a fibre optic connection. The cost of ADSL should also be looked at.
While ADSL does cost less than cable broadband there is one additional cost in particular that needs to be considered. This is the cost of your phone line rental. If you do not use your home phone at all you still have to pay month line rental because your broadband uses the phone line. This cost is usually not included in the ADSL package and can cost you quite a bit each year.
Fibre optic broadband can replace ADSL in the future because of the speed of connection. Fibre optic is the fastest of all broadband connections as the maximum speed you can achieve is over 100mb per second. This speed is more than most people will ever need for any activity they may do online. Of course not everyone will get this high speed as cable packages often limit the speed to something a bit more reasonable.
Fibre optic broadband does not run off the phone network. This means that if you do not use your home phone for anything other than broadband you can get rid of it when you have fibre optics. This is a great way to save some money each month. Fibre optic or cable broadband will really only replace ADSL in the future because it is not a form of mobile broadband. Fibre optics will also not have to worry about the 4G network because the speeds it can offer is greater than the 4G network.
WiMAX broadband
WiMAX is a type of technology that you probably have not heard about. This technology looks to offer high speed broadband through radio waves. The main point which puts this connection into descriptionion is the wide reaching limbs of radio signal. Radio waves can reach just about everywhere if this correct frequency in used. This means that you would never be without a broadband connection if WiMAX was offered.
However, the reason why you have never heard of this connection before is because it came a little too late. By the time WiMAX hit the broadband industry the mobile broadband network of 3G had already got its head start. This head start was great enough to make it very hard for the WiMAX connection to take off. Many experts believe that this head start has made it impossible for this connection to every take off. Of course you can never tell what is going to happen in the future.
There are a number of ways that the internet connections as we know them may change in the future. The use of 4G and cable broadband has already started and as the networks grow the numbers using them will as well. It is important that you know about what may happen in the future so you can see if it is worth getting into these connections now.
Sam Jones liked nothing more than to save his family and friends some money. He advised his sister to log onto uSwitch and other price comparison sites to check out the Plusnet broadband and other offerings on the market, when she wanted to upgrade her home internet.
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