Broadband Speeds Explained

How fast is fast?

When you see broadband internet speeds explained, get ready to see lots of numbers and acronyms!

You'll probably see 'kbps' and 'mbps' written a lot. These stand for 'kilobits per second' and 'megabits per second'. This is how much information (bits) is moving through your internet connection each second.

It is generally accepted that any speeds of above 256kbps is broadband. Virgin Broadband at Home connection is typically 512kbps (with the exception of Peer 2 Peer which is limited to 32kbps). This speed is then throttled down to 64kbps if you exceed the monthly data usage allowance.

In plain English, this means that when you're using Virgin Broadband ‘Broadband at Home' service, most web pages will load pretty much instantly. Larger files, such as some PDF forms may take a bit longer, at around 3-5 seconds. Something larger still, like a typical MP3 music file, will take about 30 seconds to download from a good website.

Your actual speed will depend on the site you're visiting or downloading from as well as the amount of interference between you and the nearest mobile signal tower (such as such as buildings, trees, electrical interference from motors, and your computer hardware and software) and the amount of other people using the network at the time.