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Fast

A broadband internet connection is significantly faster than a dial-up line. Although broadband is available at a range of ‘speeds’, the standard connection is up to 10 times faster — spelling the end of the ‘world wide wait’.

This extra speed allows you to receive up to 10 times more data through a broadband link than is possible, in the same amount of time, over a dial-up connection, but how does it help?

• You can open four web pages in the time it takes to open up one on dial-up
• Email takes much less time to download
• Software upgrades, such as virus checker or Windows updates, (or any other kind of data) download much more quickly

You can see the effects that the extra speed has in our animation (to close the animation, please click on the cross on the top right of the pop up window).

In practice, if an email attachment or piece of software takes 5½ minutes to download on dial-up, it will be ready in just 19 seconds on broadband.

This extra speed permits access to high-quality videos, online TV, web cameras, high-quality graphics and computer games. These benefits are examined more closely in the know a little section. It also ensures that using the web is a much more enjoyable experience.