Four in five 世帯s can now get 雷-急速な／放蕩な gigabit broadband... but do they need it?
- The number of homes that can 接近 gigabit broadband is at an 史上最高?
- But the speediest broadband comes at a price, and most homes don't need it?
雷-quick gigabit broadband is now 利用できる in 24 million UK homes, equating to four in five 世帯s.?
Gigabit broadband is 有能な of download 速度(を上げる）s of 1 gigabit per second, or 1,000 megabytes.
Now regulator Ofcom has 確認するd that the broadband is 利用できる to 80 per cent of UK homes, up from 73 per cent a year ago.
The 推論する／理由 is that Openreach has 増加するd the number of homes that can 接近 gigabit broadband to 14 million.
速度(を上げる）, at a cost: Gigabit broadband 申し込む／申し出s 極端に quick internet, but at a high price
Openreach is owned by BT and 力／強力にするs the broadband 利用できる from 会社／堅いs such as BT, EE, Plusnet, Sky, TalkTalk and Vodafone.
Virgin マスコミ runs a separate 網状組織, with all homes it connects to also 存在 able to 接近 gigabit broadband 一括s.
But gigabit broadband remains unpopula r, with the 普通の／平均（する） broadband 速度(を上げる） 存在 just 69.4 megabytes per second, or Mbps.
Which? director of 政策 and advocacy Rocio Concha said: 'A 急速な／放蕩な and reliable internet 関係 is 必須の to modern life and while it's 肯定的な that gigabit-有能な broadband 組織／基盤／下部構造 has 進歩d, more needs to be done to 改善する （問題を）取り上げる levels の中で 世帯s.
'消費者s need better （警察などへの）密告，告訴（状）, clearer and more 一貫した 条件 述べるing these services 同様に as 的d 保証人／証拠物件 and 割引 計画／陰謀s.?
'The 政府 and Ofcom also still need to consider gigabit 能力 for more 田舎の areas so that no part of the country gets left behind.'
So what are the advantages of gigabit broadband, what are the drawbacks - and who really needs internet that 急速な／放蕩な?
The プロの／賛成のs of gigabit broadband
速度(を上げる）
The main advantage of gigabit broadband is the obvious one - the incredible 速度(を上げる）.
Many 世帯s will not need gigabit-急速な／放蕩な broadband, but 平等に it may come in handy in many living 状況／情勢s.
This 含むs large 世帯s, those working with big 数字表示式の とじ込み／提出するs, or homes that do a lot of gaming and streaming.
Reliability
Gigabit internet runs on physical wires, either fibre 視覚の or co-axial cables. This makes gigabit service very reliable when it comes to patchy 関係 or outages.
The 反対／詐欺s of gigabit broadband
Cost
Gigabit broadband is expensive when compared to 伝統的な broadband.
The cheapest 取引，協定s depend on a variety of factors, 含むing where you live and what you can 交渉する from your would-be provider.
The cheapest 取引，協定 設立する by This is Money is for £40 a month, from Fibrely, but a more typical cost is between £50 and £80 a month.
基準 fibre broadband 普通は costs between £15 and £30 a month, so is かなり cheaper - but for much lower 速度(を上げる）s.
How much? 調印 up to gigabit broadband can cost up to £80 per month
And like most broadband 一括s, the cost of gigabit broadband will almost certainly go up every year in line with インフレーション.
This year broadband 顧客s saw インフレーション-linked?internet price 引き上げ（る）s of up to 7.9 per cent.
Ofcom is planning on banning 中央の-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 broadband 関税 増加するs, but the earliest this would happen is this summer.
If the regulator does take 活動／戦闘 then the 初期の cost of all broadband, 含むing gigabit, could rise to （不足などを）補う for the loss of income to providers.
Overkill
Many homes 簡単に do not need to have internet as 急速な／放蕩な as gigabit can 供給する. Browsing the internet, streaming and even gaming can be done 効果的に enough on far slower 関係s, for most people.
It may not be 利用できる
Ofcom 人物／姿／数字s 示唆する that 20 per cent of homes cannot get gigabit broadband even if they 手配中の，お尋ね者 to, as they are not living in parts of the country where it has been rolled out.
Broadband price 落し穴s to be aware of
When considering any broadband 一括 it is also sensible to look beyond the 初期の advertised 月毎の price.
This is because broadband 会社／堅いs know that 世帯s and price comparison websites 階級 取引，協定s based on 月毎の cost.
This has led to the growth of introductory 申し込む／申し出s and 始める，決める-up 料金s which muddy the waters when trying to work out what a 取引，協定 really costs.
For example, some 取引，協定s advertise a low 率, but this only 適用するs to the first few months. After that point a higher 率 kicks in for the 残り／休憩（する） of the 取引，協定.
Another thing to look out for is 始める，決める-up 料金s. As the 指名する 示唆するs, these are one-off costs paid at the beginning of a new broadband 取引，協定, and are 普通は around £10.
There may also be an 出口 料金 to 支払う／賃金 if you leave your 存在するing provider before the 直す／買収する，八百長をするd-称する，呼ぶ／期間／用語 契約 is up.
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