If like myself you keep seeing the adverts on TV and the National papers for fibre optic broadband I will tell you about something that all of the people that are placing the advertisements will not be telling you. If you have cable to your home you are in a better position then most as the engineers will be able to get fibre optics to your house, but if like my self the fibre optic goes to the exchange and you have the old copper wire to your home you will find that the speed will not be as fast as they claim. Again it is the same old story that we the consumer do not get the full story it is just a ploy to get you to sign up for there contracts. I worked for an American company that made base stations for mobile phones here in the UK so I know the score, we where told about the problem over twenty years ago and a lot of homes still have the old copper wires to there homes so the speed problem has not gone away, as all the company's are trying to make out. S0 if you are going for new Broadband ask them first before you sign up for an 18 month contract, can you get the fibre optic cable to my home ( these will have to go under ground in to proper ducts) or to the phone exchange then to my home (this will be by the old copper wires) you will not get the speed claimed and you might find you will get additional cost's added you your contract to do the extra work that will be needed to get Fibre optic cable to your home. But I will tell you now that the phone company's will not go to the extra expense to Get the cables to your homes. If you want it, you will find you have to pay for it and you will find that the work can't be done because you are not in an area set a side to have fibre optics at that time as there is a slow release process.