"One thing to remember is this... no matter who you go with, its all the same network of cables in the ground!
(Unless you are in one of the very few areas where a company has put their own cable in the ground).
Promises of faster speeds are bollocks, as the network in your area dictates the speed you get.  "
But this relates to most network's local cable from your door, and ignores what those networks have from a few miles away, plus how they manage their network.
Many ISP's use traffic management, meaning that customers can have their speeds reduced/throttled, or selective types of internet useage will be given lower priority than other types - so other customers, incl your next door neighbour - a customer, say, with the same ISP, connected to the same cabinet in the street, using their line for something different, could be getting a faster connection.
There are also varying service types, and speeds of the same line, that are configured in the local provisioning point - again, various ISP's will have different offerings, and not potentially all of them, depending on how extensively BT, for example, has upgraded their network.
Finally, BT is now progressing fibre optic and standard copper cable service delivery, at a local level, to both customer premises or the local cabinets. These have different speeds, with copper used for the majority of UK customers atm right to the home door. If you're lucky, the local cabinet will have fibre optic, which will be faster than copper. At a premium price, there will then be the option of fibre to the home. Virgin already has its own network, as you're likely aware, with different service provisioning and network type.
Overall, don't assume that all networks are the same - they're not, even if some elements are shared. I use a 1 month contract ISP, that I can leave with a month's notice, should I not be happy, even though I've used them for a good while. With many networks peak time use will be the slowest, due to the volume of customers using the service, and any traffic shaping/throttling that many ISP's do to their customers traffic/speed. Look around to find other local people's speeds, to see what's possible, as well as review potential ISP's costs/traffic management policies, plus their reputation for service quality/speed. (Most ISP's have longer minimum contract periods than my ISP's 1 month deal, so consider how long you want to be tied to an unknown co). |
Depending where you live (Do a postcode search) Virgin website provides a timetable or estimate of when they are doubling the speed of the service FOC* Never had any issues in the past