Introduction

BT has announced that they are to upgrade the Toddington telephone exchange and offer Broadband Internet access from 10th December 2003. This article is aimed at providing information to help you to decide whether Broadband Internet access is relevant to you, what it costs and what you need to get started.

What is Broadband?

Broadband refers simply to a high-speed connection to the Internet. In the UK BT use ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line). A typical ADSL connection transfers information from the Internet to your machine at up to 10 times the speed of a conventional modem.
ADSL is a ‘contended’ connection. This means that the available capacity at the exchange is shared amongst a number of other users—typical levels are 50:1 and 20:1.
A drawback of ADSL is that it is a distance limited service – meaning that if there is more than 5.5 km of telephone cable between yourself and the telephone exchange it is unlikely that you will be able to receive the service. The BT website will allow you to get an indication of whether you are within range – use http://www.bt.com/broadband/ - enter your telephone number and click Go.

Why Broadband?

Broadband’s high-speed connection means that you can access websites, download music, play games and view movie clips much faster than previously. Email will be faster and you can use attachments (pictures, files etc.) with greater ease.
ADSL was initially an ‘un-metered’ connection, meaning that you pay a fixed monthly charge for all Internet usage and if you want to use it round the clock you can! You will, of course, still pay the standard charges for any voice telephone calls you make. However, the majority of ISPs now offer a 'capped' service which limits the amount of data you can transfer on a monthly basis, but normally at a reduced cost. Thus a balance needs to be struck between the level of usage required and how much you wish to pay.
Broadband also allows you to make calls and surf at the same time—no additional phone line is needed.
Finally, if you are already a high volume Internet user using either modem or ISDN it is quite possible that you will save money as well!

What do I need?

Firstly, you will need a standard telephone line from BT. Once the telephone exchange has been upgraded, you will need to choose a suitable ISP (Internet Service Provider). We recommend Eclipse Internet (see the link alongisde) - if you wish then visit http://www.adslguide.org/ and review their listings. Having placed the order for ADSL with the ISP they liaise with BT to run a line check to ensure that you can receive ADSL.
When choosing the ISP consider that there are two options for the installation – engineer install or ‘wires only’. An engineer install is a complete service with a technician being sent to your site (home/office) and he will complete the installation for you. The ‘wires only’ option is for those people who wish to have a level of control over the installation.

What does it cost?

What else?

Conclusion

I hope that this article has provided some useful information about what Broadband is and what it could do for you. If you have any questions or would like assistance with installing Broadband then please give us a call at Chalgrave Computers (0845 123 2841) or e-mail us at info@chalgrave-computers.com. We can supply and configure any related equipment and have experience of implementing Broadband in homes and industry.