Is fibre broadband worth it, and should I get it?
There's nothing quite like moving from a standard broadband package to a fibre deal - it's a bit like stepping out of the darkness into the light. All of sudden, things that weren't possible before can be realised without breaking a sweat.
HD video is easy, gaming connections are smooth and reliable, and more than one person can use the internet intensively at once in a home. If you're not sure about making the leap, though, you might welcome a bit more information about what the difference actually is, and what fibre means.
What is fibre optic?
The reality is that your broadband supply may already involve fibre optic cabling, which gives its name to fibre broadband. This cabling, which transmits data at boggling speeds, can send data through to local cabinets from the telephone exchange, although not all providers use it.
Upgrading to fibre means changing to a plan that does indeed use fibre for these transmissions, ensuring that you get the best speeds. That's the step that's changed if you upgrade to fibre - those copper wires are replaced or switched over to fibre cables, making the whole process as quick as it can be.
Or, if you're lucky, you might not even need a local cabinet, meaning that you can have fibre optic straight from the source. That makes for the quickest speeds possible, and is called fibre to the home.
Is it worth it?
As far as we're concerned, if you can afford to upgrade to a plan that includes fibre internet, you absolutely should do so - it's faster and more reliable, and the internet is as important a part of most people's working and personal lives as possible right now.
In fact, living in a small flat in a Victorian block in London, we were on standard copper wires until just six months ago, when we were able to upgrade to fibre optic, and the difference has been staggering. Overnight our internet got literally ten times faster - we had previously been unable to ever get speeds higher than 12 Mbps.
It also massively helps with upload speeds, ensuring that sending a photo or a big email won't tank your internet for anyone else on the network. We work from home, and it's been an absolute god-send to be able to do so quickly without worrying about the data costs.
Should I get it?
The best news of all is that now's the perfect time to jump into fibre broadband - Vodafone has a superb offer on right now that's seen its brilliant Superfast 2 bundle discounted to the same price as the Superfast 1 level, at just £22.95 per month. In fact, if you have a Pay Monthly phone contract with Vodafone, you could also qualify for up to £3 more off that price each month.
That means that fibre is genuinely affordable, and brings you superb speeds of 55 Mbps, with upload speeds that could hit 20 Mbps - those should ensure that everyone in your home can use the internet however they like without having to worry that they're throttling the network for everyone else.
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