Distance is key in how fast your broadband connection will be
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WHERE people live and where their workplaces are based is the most important factor which determines their internet connection speed, according to a Harborough IT firm.
However, Becky Jolliffe, sales and marketing administrator at Fernie Road-based Lily Systems, said there are ways that the network can be improved by using different types of cables.
Miss Jolliffe said: “Internet and broadband speeds can vary massively depending on where you live or work.
“If you look at companies based at The Point, in Harborough, they have a 40Mb connection which can handle a lot of information.
“If you go out to some of the villages in more remote areas, that can drop down to less than 1Mb, so they will notice a huge drop in their speed.
“This isn’t just an issue in the Harborough area – nationally, it depends on where you live in relation to a telephone exchange.”
Although distance to telephone exchanges can make a difference to broadband speeds, there are certain types of fibre optic cable which are capable of carrying far more information than the traditional copper cables.
However, firms such as BT, Sky and Virgin are not always prepared to install the cables in areas where it is not deemed commercially viable.
Miss Jolliffe said: “If your home is connected to the exchange with fibre optic cable, it should not matter how far away from the exchange you live.
“There are also other types of cable, called EFM, which provide very good connection speeds but these are also affected by how far away from the exchange you are.
“Generally, the exchanges are in big towns and cities, but there may be small exchange cabinets in streets and villages which your house is connected to.
“We do a lot of work connecting businesses to the network, so we get to see the differences in people’s connection speeds across a wide area.”
Lily Systems, based in Fernie Road off Great Bowden Road, specialises in providing telecommunications and video conferencing solutions to businesses. Among its clients are Harborough-based clothing firm Joules. For more information, visit www.lily-systems.co.uk.
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Sunday 26 May 2013
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