Alternative broadband options to fixed line

If you find yourself without access to decent broadband speeds – what are the potential alternative options?

4G broadband with an antenna

4G broadband can provide superfast download speed of 30Mbps to some areas. Your chosen provider should be able to advise what speeds you should expect.

If you find you struggle to get a 4G signal inside your home, you might benefit from a compatible external antenna to your property. The antenna will pick up an outdoor 4G signal and feed it straight to your router. You can then connect your devices wirelessly to the router.

It’s considered good for browsing, gaming, streaming and uploading.

Unlimited data packages are not available, and the package costs increase depending on the amount of data required.

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available – the speeds available to your property would need to be confirmed by a provider as they can vary.
A 4G external antenna, which is usually small, should be much more effective at picking up a 4G signal than a mobile phone.
This is thought to be a good option as long as you have a good outdoor 4G signal.
There are currently no unlimited data packages available, but there are some reasonably priced plans available with relatively decent data volumes.
4G is generally considered to be faster and more reliable than satellite broadband.

Fixed Wireless Access (FWA)

FWA can provide superfast download speeds of 30Mbps. The exact speeds received depend on many factors, but the distance of your property to the mast and the number of obstructions are the two key elements. For this reason, providers will not usually guarantee service until a site visit has taken place.

The provider would install a router and mobile antenna, which is usually small, onto the side of your property.

It’s considered to be good for online browsing, gaming, streaming and file transfers. Some operators offer unlimited packages (subject to an acceptable usage policy) which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.

Whilst there isn’t extensive coverage in County Durham it appears to be growing. You can check if FWA is available to your property and find out more about the service by contacting these providers:

Key points:

Superfast broadband speeds may be available through Fixed Wireless Access – this would need to be confirmed by a provider as speeds can vary.
Unlimited data packages are available from some providers which means you don’t need to worry about data limits.
Services are not widely accessible, and you will need to check if coverage is available to your property with each provider.

Satellite broadband

Satellite broadband provides a connection that uses satellite signals to send and receive data. The main advantage is that it can be provided virtually anywhere in the world, as long as you have a clear line of sight to the south generally.

To get satellite broadband, a provider will need to install a satellite dish to your property, rather like you would for satellite television.

You’ll also need a modem installed inside your house, with wires connecting it to the satellite dish, and usually a wireless router as well.

An installation should only take a few hours and be no more disruptive than a satellite TV fitting.

Although the package costs are comparable to standard (ADSL) or fibre-based broadband packages, you’re not really getting like for like as satellite broadband usually has a limited data allowance. Unlimited satellite packages are available but can be extremely costly.

A common complaint is the lag satellite broadband tends to have, known as latency. This is due to the time it takes the signal to get to and from the satellite. This might not affect general internet use, but it can cause problems for gamers who play in real time as they could find it makes games unplayable.

Key points:

Satellite broadband is an option for decent internet speeds and may be the only option currently for some rural locations.
It can be expensive, both in terms of the monthly package charges and installation fees.
The latency tends to be high, making it unsuitable for some types of internet activity such as online gaming.

Find out if you can go faster with fibre based broadband

Are you in a superfast area?

Check if you can get fibre-based broadband to your home or property on the Openreach and Virgin websites.

If fibre-based broadband is available, the next step is to contact your chosen service provider to place your order .

Independent broadband comparison sites can often help you find the best deals. You could try cable.co.uk who are online and can also be contacted on 0800 840 5395. Other sites are available if you google broadband comparison.

Remember to look for fibre broadband and not standard or basic broadband (ADSL) which is what you may currently have.

Hi- Tech ‘onesie’ brings faster broadband to Shincliffe Village first

Pioneering communications technology is being used to bring faster broadband to a picturesque village in County Durham

Around 180 homes and businesses in Shincliffe Village are now able to enjoy some of the fastest broadband speeds in the UK following the switching on of an innovative ‘all-in-one’ fibre broadband cabinet. Normally two cabinets are needed to bring fibre broadband to an area – the existing road-side cabinet that supplies telephone services and a new one for the fibre technology. By combining all the technology into the ‘onesie’ cabinet the amount of street furniture is reduced – ideal in certain areas of natural beauty, where there are conservation restrictions as well as to overcome certain technical issues.

Cllr Jane Brown, Durham County Council’s Cabinet member for corporate services, welcomed the news.

She said: “This is fantastic news for residents and business owners in Shincliffe Village who will now be able to take advantage of faster internet speeds and all the benefits this brings both at home and in the workplace.

“It is also pleasing to see that the village is benefitting from a relatively new technology specifically developed to bring faster broadband to locations where the standard roll-out methods are not suitable. We look forward to seeing this technology used in other areas where possible.”

One resident looking forward to getting online superfast is Daniel Roe, who runs his company Concision.co.uk, writing and editing web content, sales materials and articles for businesses, from his home in the village.

Daniel, who launched the family run start-up in June last year, said that knowing fibre was coming to Shincliffe Village was a significant factor in deciding to move to the area.

He said: “We decided to move to Shincliffe Village only after we realised there was going to be fibre broadband available. Having fibre will make a huge difference to the business. We have clients all over the world so our primary contact with them is online. We rely on VoIP services like Skype to communicate with them. We also use online multi-media presentations to show them work we are doing or to pitch to new clients – at the moment we struggle to do it over our current broadband. We also need fast access to online material that we are constantly researching and reviewing for customers.

“It will make us a lot more flexible and agile and able to respond a lot quicker, which means quicker turnarounds on projects which in turn means more satisfied clients and ultimately more business.”

Thousands of homes and businesses in the nearby communities of High Shincliffe, Bowburn and Coxhoe have also been connected to the fibre network, with further upgrades planned in the coming months due to the huge demand for fibre services.

More than 95,000 households and businesses are now able to connect to faster, fibre broadband thanks to the Digital Durham programme. On average, engineers from Openreach, BT’s local network business, are switching on 22 new street cabinets and making the new fibre network available to around 4,700 more premises every month.

Simon Roberson, BT regional partnership director for the North East, said: “Rolling out fibre broadband on this scale is no mean feat. Sometimes we have do things differently in order to overcome technical issues or challenging geographies. This was one of those times. When our primary roll-out solution did not work in this part of Shincliffe Village, we had to identify a different solution. The ‘onesie’ was the perfect solution and people are already embracing the new technology.”

Fibre broadband at home means everyone in the family can do their own thing online, all at the same time, whether it’s downloading music in minutes or watching catch-up TV; streaming HD or 3D movies in a few minutes; or posting photos and videos to social networking sites in seconds. Fibre improves the quality of online experiences and supports new developments in internet services.
Benefits for businesses include faster file and data transfers, better access to cloud computing services and software, more sophisticated web-based contact with customers and support for more flexible working.

It’s an ‘opt in’ service, but because the Openreach network is ‘open’, residents and businesses wanting to upgrade have a choice of fibre broadband providers, with more than 140 companies now operating across the UK.

The Digital Durham broadband programme is delivered by Durham County Council and BT. In total, £34 million has been invested by BT, Durham County Council, Government funding from Building Digital UK (BDUK) and public sector partners in Gateshead, Sunderland, South Tyneside, North Tyneside and the Tees Valley.

A second phase of fibre deployment is already planned to begin in July 2016. This will see a further £9 million invested in the programme area. It includes £2.82 million from the Government’s Superfast Extension Plan and £4 million from BT, with the remaining investment split between the local authority partners. An additional 29,000 homes and businesses will benefit as a result. By the end of the roll-out, 97 per cent of premises within the programme area will have access to fibre broadband.

For more information about the Digital Durham programme please visit www.digitaldurham.org