Exchange speed same for BT AND Cable?

[johnny5alv]

Hi

I'm currently with Virgin Media broadband (10MB) and was considering going to Sky's 16MB Max service. So I've just rang BT to ask what speed ADSL I can get (just to make sure I can get 16MB) in my area...

Because the BT line I have is inactive she did an online check and told me that the local exchange for my area is 4.5MB.. I asked if this would be upgraded in the future and she said, 'no, it will always be that speed'.. Further more she said this is the speed that cable will be on also.. Is this true?

I'm no expert on Internet speed so I always assumed that the 10MB service I am on, was in fact 10MB. On a good connection/site I get just over 1MB/s transfer rate, though I average around 800k/s.. Does that sound about right for 10MB?

Thanks for any info
Jon

[Rygar]

Not sure which BT you rang, but I suspect the figure given to you was based on BT Wholesale ADSL max.

Exchanges dont have speed ratings at such. They carry certain types of technology. Today, mainly ADSL & ADSL2+

ADSL is up to 8Mb
ADSL2+ is up to 24Mb

What speed you get on either of these technologies depends on various factors, but crudely speaking, the closer you are to your exchange the faster speed you will get.

It is hard to tell what speed you may get on either of these technologies, especially since you dont have a BT line.

The best advice I could give is to to an avilabilty search at Sam Knows:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/checker2.php

Ener your details, then on the next screen click on locality to see roughly how far you are from your exchange. Also click on LLU xDSL to see which (if any) ADSL2+ services you can get. The 16Mb Sky service is carried by Easynet.

I have to say though that unless your exchange is right on your doorstep, I would be inclined to stick with what you've got if speed matters to you more than money. You seem to be getting between 8Mb to 10Mb at present if you can download files at 800kBps to 1MBps despite what the BT rep told you.

By the way I quite liked her abilty to see into the future...any chance you could ring her back and get Saturdays lotto numbers for me? :)

[johnny5alv]

Hi

Thanks for the info :)

I did get the feeling she was talking nonsense but wanted to be sure.. From the link you gave me, my exchange is just under a mile away and it says Sky Broadband/Easynet is available in my area..

So, from this can I safely assume I can get Sky's 16MB Max service?

I know people tend to favor Cable over ADSL, which I am taking into consideration.. Speed is important yes, but £10 for a 16MB service over £35 for 10MB is very tempting..

Thanks again for the info

Jon

[Rygar]

Well if your exchange has been unbundled for Easynet then you can be fairly certain you can get Sky's up to 16Mb package.

Their site now has a checker, so you can double check to be sure:
http://check.skybroadband.com/

To be honest it's a tricky one. At that distance I would guess in theory you should get between 7Mb to 12Mb. Some people are having great success with Sky, while others seem to be having lots of problems in terms of performance & customer service. Since your existing service seems pretty good, the decision becomes harder. If only Sky had one month contracts...but thats wishfull thinking. Maybe flip a coin? lol

For what its worth I have no preference for cable over ADSL. Cable has its share of contention, shaping issues etc just like any other broadband service has for under £50/month.