Efficiency
It is most important that we are provided with internet that is secure and without constant disruptions. Fibre optic internet connections are by far the most efficient and consistent in regards to quality. The alternative is copper wire connections, which rely on the distance between one’s network exchange and the computer’s location. Therefore, the further your school is from a network exchange, the less secure your established connection will be.
Only Virgin and BT offer fibre optic broadband connections in the UK. While all of Virgin’s broadband packages are fibre optic, the only one for BT is Infinity.
Speed
At USwitch, we have a very handy broadband speed test to help consumers distinguish which networks provide the quickest broadband. Our speed test compares download and upload speeds of different providers, and displays the results on a monthly basis.
Based on this speed test, Virgin generally offer the fastest download levels throughout the course of the past eleven months – peaking at 20MB in February. Lingering around 10MB, BT provide their customers with the second best. *
Concerning upload speeds, BT and Virgin again come up trumps, providing their users with the fastest averages since last August.
* While Orange’s broadband download levels significantly increased to three times more than Virgin’s peak in June, the fact that their speeds were destitute for the majority of the eleven month period renders their peak figure to be less significant. The same can be said for Tiscali, whose upload speeds were triple that of BT and Virgin last September, before falling considerably low since the turn of the year.
Overview
It is clear that when it comes to quality, BT and Virgin provide the fastest and most efficient broadband for schools. As the differences between the two’s connections aren’t greatly significant, your decision on which to opt for is now free to be based on costs.
Our website allows you to compare the two in this respect, and the ‘Business’ section will help you determine which providers offer the cheapest network connections open to large numbers of people.
