Broadband is something that most people have in the modern age that we live in. It offers quick and easily accessible internet access and there are many companies who offer great coverage and competitive broadband prices so that you can stay connected. Virgin Media is one such company, offering competitively priced packages that boast numerous features – but just what has changed about the Internet and broadband over the years?
Origins
The Internet and broadband has evolved so much since the first email was sent in the 1970s. Since then we have seen the technology come on leaps and bounds. In the early stages, the Internet we would rely on dial-up connections that were utilised a connection through landline telephones. Dial-up was certainly a lot slower than its modern day broadband counterpart and there was the added inconvenience that it took up the use of your telephone line.
Broadband
Broadband first came about in the early 2000s and the technology has been developed since then to allow faster connection speeds. With broadband, users are able to make use of the Internet and their telephone at the same time. Broadband revolutionised the use of the Internet and meant that users were able to download files much faster.
Broadband technology was initially very expensive but as the technology developed the prices became more competitive with companies offering incentives such as unlimited download limits to entice customers.
Fibre optic
Fibre optic broadband is another development that has aided the growth of the broadband market. This is by far the speediest connection that you will find. Virgin Broadband for example, offers speeds of up to 100MB and fibre optic broadband carries information via light through very thin wires.
Mobile broadband
Mobile phone broadband has also played a big part in the market and 3G mobile broadband allows users to access the Internet whilst on their handset. In 2012, 4G network was introduced which increased the reliability and speed of internet access on a phone. It was hoped that the connection would be comparable to the one that users would get when accessing the internet from a home computer and further improvements are expected to occur over coming years as the new technology finds its feet.
