Welcome to Tesco Telecoms

Broadband Made Simple Guide:

Key elements to compare Broadband Packages

Broadband Type

Two main technologies are currently available on the UK market:

• ADSL technology
• Cable technology

ADSL technology is delivered using the normal home telephony network, and uses the Phone line to transmit the broadband. It is the most popular and the most common access method used by ISPs.

Cable technology is delivered using fibre optic cables / coaxial cables to the home. It is mainly used by cable companies to deliver broadband, phone and TV.

Speed

The broadband speed is dependant on several factors including the technology used.

ADSL Speed:

ADSL speed can be divided into three main categories:

• Headline Speed (also known as Sync Speed) - This is the speed advertised by the ISPs, and generally can be achieved if you live in specific areas where the ISPs have deployed their equipment. This speed is usually advertised in Mbps.
• Attainable Speed - This is the speed that customers will attain according to their distance to the exchange. This speed is usually displayed in Mbps.
• Throughput Speed - This is the actual download speed that customers will attain while surfing the internet. This speed is usually displayed in kbps.

All ADSL speeds will depend on many factors. The most current ones being:

• Distance to the exchange.
• Phone Line quality.

Cable Speed:

Cable broadband is delivered using either coaxial or fibre optic cables. These two methods deliver the following speeds:

• Headline Speed & Attainable Speed - These two speeds tend to be similar and due to the technology used, these speeds are not impaired by the distance to the exchange, nor the Phone line quality.
• Throughput Speed - This is the actual download speed that customers will attain while surfing the internet. This throughput speed is displayed in kbps and is impacted by the network contention rate.

Traffic Management

Traffic management is a key element of any Broadband Package. It enables the ISP to monitor and manage the Internet traffic to allow the best overall customer experience.

Overall traffic management rules are put in place during Peak Hours to regulate the use of file sharing applications in order to provide the best customer experience.

Usual traffic management activities are listed below:

• Traffic Prioritisation & Shaping: ISPs prioritise traffic during peak hours to allow more bandwidth for web-browsing, online streaming...etc. Applications such as Peer-to-Peers (P2P) tend to run at a lower level during peak hours.

Unlimited and Capped.

Two types of broadband products are usually available from ISPs:

• Unlimited Products. Most unlimited products are not unlimited, they tend to have a fair usage policy with their Terms and Conditions. The fair usage policy (FUP) allows the ISPs to warn, charge or disconnect heavy users. A usual FUP allowance is close to 40Gb in peak time.
• Capped Products. Capped products tend to be entry-level products for light users. These capped products usually come with 2Gb, 4Gb or 8Gb capping. Once the cap has been breached, ISPs either charge the customer for the extra usage, or cut their services.

Average Usage

Average usage depends from one individual to another. In the UK, the average usage is growing month on month thanks to the growing popularity of applications such as BBC I-Player and Youtube, and is now reaching c.3Gb per month.

The following table is a quick summary of what is achievable with the current products on the market. Please note that the unlimited product hasn't been represented due to its nature.

*** Price subject to paying by Direct Debit and taking E-Billing. Other options are available.

* £17.97 a month thereafter. Terms and conditions apply.

** This offer does not apply in conjunction with any other offer. New customers only.