When you look at broadband in the UK you have to consider where you are. There is a great divide in the broadband that you can get in the urban and rural areas of the UK. When you look at this divide you should consider the types of broadband that you can get in the urban areas and the rural areas. You should also consider what the alternatives are for people who are living in rural areas.
The Urban Broadband Situations
There are a lot of broadband options available to people who are living in urban areas. This is not only related to the fixed line broadband, but mobile broadband as well. It is important that you know what is on offer in regards to both fixed line and urban broadband.
When you look at the fixed line broadband you can get you will notice that there are two options. These options are ADSL and fibre optics. There are also two types of ADSL and two types of fibre optics that you can get in urban areas. The two ADSL options are regular ADSL and ADSL2+. The ADSL2+ option offers a better and faster connection. The two fibre optic options are FTTH and FTTC. The difference between these options is the type of cabling that is used to bring the broadband connection into the house.
In terms of mobile broadband there are two options available in certain cities. These options are 3G and 4G mobile broadband. 4G broadband is not available in all urban areas, but it is set to roll out to more cities. The benefit of 4G broadband is that you get a faster and more stable mobile broadband experience.
The Rural Broadband Situation
When you are looking at rural broadband you will see that the options are severely limited when compared to the urban areas. Most of the rural areas of the UK will not be able to get fibre optic broadband. There are also certain areas that do not get very good ADSL broadband, if they can get it at all. The same can be said about the mobile broadband that you can get in the rural areas. There are some rural areas where you are not able to connect to 3G at all.
There is one alternative that rural homeowners can use that many urban people do not consider. This is satellite broadband. However, there are many problems that come with satellite broadband and the costs are generally very high. This makes satellite broadband a last resort and a connection that many people do not want to use.
Considering How Great the Divide Is
To properly see how great the divide between urban and rural broadband is you have to consider more than the types of connections available. You have to consider all the points of broadband that you generally look at. This will include the speeds, the type of connection, the provider choices and the costs.
The Providers You Can Use
When you look for broadband you have to consider which providers operate in your area. There are a number of areas where you will not be able to get certain providers. In urban areas you have a greater range of providers to choose from including the large companies and the small ones. However, when you are in a rural area you are going to be limited. There are certain fixed line broadband providers who do not offer services to rural areas.
The Type of Connection
As we have displayed the choice of connection that you get in urban and rural areas does vary. One constant that you should be able to get in both areas is an ADSL connection. This connection works on the copper phone lines of the telephone system. The telephone system does reach all areas of the UK.
However, the ADSL connection does not reach everywhere in the UK because of the phone exchanges. To get an ADSL connection you have to be a certain distance from the phone exchange. There are many rural homes that are too far from the local exchange to realistically get ADSL broadband.
3G broadband is available to 99% of the country. However, there is 1% of the UK population that is not able to get this connection. You also have to consider that the connection you are getting in certain areas is not very strong or stable. This means that of the 99% of the UK that can get 3G there are some who are not getting a very good service or broadband experience.
The Speed of the Broadband
One of the biggest differences between broadband in the urban and rural areas of the UK is the speed you can get. The speeds for the same kind of connections will be higher in urban areas due to a number of factors. There is also the fact that there are many urban broadband solutions that offer high speeds which you cannot get in the rural areas.
Fibre optic broadband and 4G mobile broadband are the fastest fixed line and mobile broadband solutions. These solutions are only available in urban areas and in the case of 4G in certain urban areas. This means that rural broadband users cannot get the super fast speeds of these connections. The speed can also be determined by the router, if you are wondering what is a router, then search online to find one to suit you.
The ADSL connection that you can get in urban areas is faster than the rural ones. This is due to the number of phone exchanges in the urban areas being greater. This means that the distance the data travels is not very far so you will not have speed degradation. The speeds o 3G broadband is also better in the urban areas because the signal strength is greater.
The Costs of Broadband
The costs of broadband in urban areas will vary depending on the provider you are using and the type of broadband that you are getting. However, rural users have to pay more for their broadband particularly if they have to use satellite broadband. The costs of satellite broadband can be extreme as you have to pay for the dish and the installation which can cost hundreds.
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