Most UK broadband providers use a connection that is supplied to a user's house via the standard phone network. This is know as "ADSL" or Asymmetric Digital Line Subscriber.
Some Virgin Meida customers are connected to
the Internet via a dedicated cable.
BT Wholesale
Most broadband providers use the BT network. BT Wholesale is the wholesale division of the BT Group. BT Wholesale supply broadband providers with standard broadband products that the provider brands as their own and sells to the end user.
The broadband providers are charged a connection fee and a monthly fee by BT Wholesale.
Local Loop Unbundling (LLU)
In order to reduce their reliance on BT Wholesale, some providers are installing their own equipment in the phone network. They install this equipment in the local telephone (BT) exchange. This is known as Local Loop Unbundling, or LLU.
Investing in LLU reduces the broadband providers reliance on BT Wholesale, allowing them to offer products at a lower cost and faster speed. However, the inital investment required is high, so providers will normally only invest in areas with high population densities. The providers who are investing in Local Loop Unbundling (LLU) include: TalkTalk (part of the Car Phone Warehouse), Homechoice, UK Online (part of Easynet/Sky, Be, Tiscali and Orange.
Cable broadband
Virgin Media operates the UK's largest cable network. This is as a result of the recently merged ntl, Telewest and Virgin Mobile. Virgin Media own and operate their own cable network as well as using the BT network for some customers.
The cable network is built on fibre optic cables rather than BT's copper network.
The biggest difference between the two as far as customers are concerned is that Virgin Media will install a separate cable into the house for broadband access, whereas BT uses the existing telephone network.
It is a common belief that broadband over a fibre optic cable network is of much higher quality
than the BT network.
