Fibre optic broadband offers high speed internet access for the fastest broadband.

There are two main types of broadband. One uses copper phone wire (ADSL broadband) and the other uses fibre optics (fibre optic broadband).

Fibre optic cable uses glass (as thin as human hair) to transmit emails, music, movies and so on across the internet. ADSL broadband, on the other hand, uses copper cables and speed is lost over long distances. The speed you get with ASDL therefore depends on the distance of your home is from the local BT exchange.

Can I get fibre optic broadband?

At present, Virgin Media are the only big player in the fibre optic market. They are currently offering up to 50Mb speeds for high speed internet access. The maximum speed is lower with standard ADSL (8Mb). BT is also planning to offer a super-fast fibre optic network in up to 10 million homes by 2012. This will offer speeds of up to 100Mb for the fastest broadband available.

Unfortunately, fibre optic broadband services from Virgin Media are not available in every home. They currently cover around 45% of UK households. Their TV service gives you access to over 500 movies on demand and you can benefit from their V+ box which allows you to pause and rewind live TV.