The Rise Of Broadband

It wasnt all that long ago that the sound of dial-up internet could be heard in offices, studies and bedrooms across the country. Although the internet has been around Wholesale since the 1960s and commercially used since the 1990s, it has only really been in the last decade that its become the mighty force it is today.So what prompted this shift? The answer is: broadband.In 2000, broadband was made available to the public. No longer did you have to choose between being on the phone and being online; ADSL cables allowed both at the same time.However, although broadband was 10 times as fast as a dial-up connection, back then this was still pretty slow. Most ADSL cables offered speeds between 128Kb and 1MB. But, at the time, everyone thought this was amazing; a page wouldnt take half a minute to download, it would appear before your eyes in a matter of seconds.Broadband also changed the music and film industry, as people were able to download their favourite artists albums or films without buying the hard copy. It also meant people could chat live with each other across the globe using VoIP calling facilities and Skype.But in the last few years broadband has had another boost. ADSL cables are being replaced with fibre optic alternatives. These fibre optic cables greatly increase the potential for super-fast broadband speeds. Most homes now get somewhere in the region of 2MB and 24MB and in the next few years even these lightning quick speeds are going to increase.Many internet providers are investing heavily in new cable networks and developing better technology to allow speeds of Iphone Accessories up to 100MB. These kinds of speeds will make technologies such as internet TV a real possibility.But its not simply the broadband connections that have improved. Costs have been steadily falling resulting in more home internet users. 73% or 19.2 million British households had internet access in 2010, Iphone Accessories which is a 0.9 million increase on 2009 and a five million increase since 2006.Falling costs has resulted from increased competition in the broadband market. This is because more companies want Apparel Accessories a slice of the broadband action. So not only can you get faster, more reliable broadband, but media packages that include broadband as well as a home phone line and TV have become more attractive.