Expected Speeds

We believe that our customers should be aware of the broadband speed experience they can expect from our products. This page shows the maximum downstream speeds we aim to provide for all broadband traffic at all times. Although we cannot guarantee these speeds, they reflect what it is realistic for us to deliver under normal network conditions. This page should be read in conjunction with the details of how traffic is prioritised on our network.

To see the expected downstream speeds of older products please look at the 'experience' articles in the Broadband Product Archive.

1. Broadband speed ratings


2. Broadband Your Way Option 1
• Expected downstream speeds
• Expected upstream speeds


3. Broadband Your Way Option 2
• Expected downstream speeds
• Expected upstream speeds


4. Broadband Your Way Option 3
• Expected downstream speeds
• Expected upstream speeds


5. Broadband Your Way Option 4 (no longer available)
• Expected downstream speeds
• Expected upstream speeds


6. Broadband Your Way Pro
   
   • Expected downstream speeds
   • Expected upstream speeds


7. Fixed Allowance - Restricted Access Speeds
8. What do the categories represent?
9. Why do the maximum expected speeds differ at different times of the day?
10. Will the speeds shown here change?

Broadband speed ratings

It is important to remember that the speeds shown here are per-protocol and don’t reflect overall limitations on your broadband line. Internet applications not listed below, such as gaming, web surfing or video streaming have no specific restrictions at any time and are prioritised on our network at all times.

We’d ask customers to bear in mind that most ISPs operate such restrictions, but few are prepared to share these details with customers. As a rule of thumb, if you do not know what the following applications are, your normal broadband experience will be unaffected by these rate limits.

Option Experience Broadband Your Way Option 1 speeds Broadband Your Way Option 2 speeds Broadband Your Way Option 3 speeds Broadband Your Way Option 4 speeds Broadband You Way Pro speeds

Check the per-user Broadband Your Way downstream and upstream speeds for different types of Internet activities, shown throughout the course of a day:

Please note: The speeds shown below represent a guide. Your broadband speed can be affected by many factors and will also vary to help give you a stable connection. The quality of your telephone line, location and weather conditions, as well as any network congestion at your local exchange and the prioritisation process on our network can also affect your actual speeds.
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Broadband Your Way Option 1 expected maximum downstream speeds

Time 2am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 12am 12am to 2am Peer-to-Peer 256Kbps 164Kbps 128Kbps 100Kbps 50Kbps 50Kbps 100Kbps 256Kbps Binary USENET 256Kbps 164Kbps 128Kbps 100Kbps 50Kbps 50Kbps 100Kbps 256Kbps External FTP 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps Download sites NR NR NR 512Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps NR Download servers NR NR NR 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps NR Everything else NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Broadband Your Way Option 1 is ideal for web surfing and email. It is not suitable for frequent gaming, binary USENET, Peer-to-Peer, VPN, FTP or lots of music and video downloads.

Key

*Even though there are no individual restrictions, the speeds you receive are still affected by traffic prioritisation and the activities of every other customer who is sharing the network. If you are interested you can also see the Broadband Your Way expected upstream speeds.
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Broadband Your Way Option 2 expected maximum downstream speeds

Time 2am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 12am 12am to 2am Peer-to-Peer NR 448Kbps 320Kbps 228Kbps 192Kbps 192Kbps 228Kbps NR Binary USENET NR NR 320Kbps 228Kbps 192Kbps 192Kbps 320Kbps NR External FTP NR NR 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps NR Download sites NR NR NR 512Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps NR Download servers NR NR NR 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps NR Everything else NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Broadband Your Way Option 2 is ideal for all general Internet activities and occasional gaming and VPN. Designed to cater for some, although light, binary USENET, Peer-to-Peer, VPN or music/video downloads.

Key

*Even though there are no individual restrictions, the speeds you receive are still affected by traffic prioritisation and the activities of every other customer who is sharing the network. If you are interested you can also see the Broadband Your Way expected upstream speeds.
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Broadband Your Way Option 3 expected maximum downstream speeds

Time 2am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 12am 12am to 2am Peer-to-Peer NR 1 Mbps 512Kbps 320Kbps 256Kbps 256Kbps 320Kbps NR Binary USENET NR NR NR 512Kbps 320Kbps 320Kbps 512Kbps NR External FTP NR NR NR 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps NR Download sites NR NR NR 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps NR Download servers NR NR NR 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mpbs 1Mbps NR Everything else NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Broadband Your Way Option 3 is designed for serious Internet users and is ideal for all Internet activities.

Key

*Even though there are no individual restrictions, the speeds you receive are still affected by traffic prioritisation and the activities of every other customer who is sharing the network. If you are interested you can also see the Broadband Your Way expected upstream speeds.
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Broadband Your Way Option 4 expected maximum downstream speeds

Time 2am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 12am 12am to 2am Peer-to-Peer NR 1Mbps 512Kbps 512Kbps 384Kbps 384Kbps 512Kbps NR Binary USENET NR NR NR NR 384Kbps 384Kbps NR NR External FTP NR NR NR NR 512Kbps 512Kbps NR NR Download sites NR NR NR 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps 512Kbps NR Download servers NR NR NR 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps 1Mbps NR Everything else NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Broadband Your Way Option 4 is no longer sold and is not available to new customers nor as an upgrade option.

Key

*Even though there are no individual restrictions, the speeds you receive are still affected by traffic prioritisation and the activities of every other customer who is sharing the network. If you are interested you can also see the Broadband Your Way expected upstream speeds.
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Broadband Your Way Pro expected maximum downstream speeds

Time 2am to 12pm 12pm to 2pm 2pm to 4pm 4pm to 6pm 6pm to 8pm 8pm to 10pm 10pm to 12am 12am to 2am Peer-to-Peer NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Binary USENET NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR External FTP NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Download sites NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Download servers NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR Everything else NR NR NR NR NR NR NR NR

Broadband Your Way Pro has no rate limits and traffic is prioritised at all times. This provides the highest possible speeds and network priority on all protocols, giving a 'five star' enhanced performance.

Key

*Even though there are no individual restrictions, the speeds you receive are still affected by traffic prioritisation and the activities of every other customer who is sharing the network. If you are interested you can also see the Broadband Your Way expected upstream speeds.

Protocols have the following network traffic priority levels:

• Gaming and VoIP: Titanium
• All other traffic (including Binary Usenet and Peer-to-Peer): Gold

For more information about how we manage Broadband Your Way Pro traffic look at our Traffic Prioritisation page.
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Fixed Allowance - Restricted Access Speeds

All Broadband Your Way account options come with a usage allowance between the hours of 8am and midnight. If you have chosen a fixed price option and reach the upper limit, your speeds will be restricted as follows:

Please note: These restrictions apply at all times of the day, including off-peak hours.

Should you wish to change to a pay as you go option to avoid these restrictions, you can do so in our portal in the Control Your Broadband section by choosing the Change My Usage Allowance option.
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What do the categories represent?

The applications which are subject to restrictions are those, which left unchecked, could saturate all available network capacity and have an impact on the experience that all customers receive.

Note: we won't restrict access to sites which need an interactive experience to use. If it takes a few minutes longer to transfer some files using FTP, then we don't believe that this causes a problem.

• Peer-to-Peer (High Demand File sharing applications)
  Includes applications such as: BitTorrent, Azureus, Emule, Limewire and others. Does not include applications which happen to use P2P technology, such as Kontiki (used by the BBC and Sky) and 4OD, both of which are treated as 'streaming' and prioritised on our network accordingly.


• Binary USENET
  Includes access to commercial USENET providers such as easynews.com and giganews. These speed restrictions do not apply to text-only USENET servers.


• External FTP
  FTP is a protocol used to transfer files to and from remote servers. The restrictions listed apply to all FTP data transfers not hosted on our network.


• Download sites
  A small number of high-volume HTTP download sites which are used for file sharing, such as Rapidshare, Megaupload and Imageshack, as well as a number of commercial Adult sites which provide big file downloads are included in this category.


• Download servers
  This includes speeds to some 'mirror' sites and servers run by Akamai which provide high-volume HTTP downloads.


• Everything else
Includes the vast majority of applications and sites which are not subject to speed restrictions. 70% of our customers only ever use traffic that falls into this category.

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Why do the maximum expected speeds differ at different times of the day?

Ultimately, the speeds you can expect from any network depend on how many other people share the same capacity and what they're all doing. We apply heavier speed restrictions at times when we expect demand for prioritised applications (which are never slowed down) to be highest. The busiest times on our network are between 4pm and 10pm, reflecting the point when school finishes, through to the time people start to go to bed. When demand for prioritised protocols decreases we can plan to provide higher speeds for other applications.

In time, the process of managing speeds on our network will become smoother, as discussed in our Traffic Management Roadmap.
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Will the speeds shown here change?

The speeds shown in the tables above are subject to periodic change. These changes will occur in-line with prevailing usage habits and wholesale capacity costs. As our customers' average usage increases over time, the speed each customer can receive may need to be reduced, ensuring that everyone receives a fair share of the available capacity. On the other hand, as we add more broadband network capacity, the expected speeds can be increased to allow everyone to benefit equally. We are committed to ensuring that our customers receive great value for money from our products, and will always look to improve the experience for customers wherever possible.

Whenever we make a change to any aspect of our traffic management systems we'll announce it as a news article on our Community Site. It is possible to subscribe to updates from the Community Site, which will ensure you are always up-to-date with the latest information about how our network is performing and what you can expect it to deliver.

We also regularly talk about aspects of our traffic management systems in our discussion forums. You are welcome to join the discussion, where we will be happy to answer any questions you have.
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This page last updated 5th June 2008

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