The Independent’s journalism is supported by our readers. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn commission. Why trust us?
As fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) infrastructure continues to develop across the UK, 100Mbps broadband deals are becoming more accessible. 100Mbps refers to superfast broadband and is more than suitable for streaming content, playing video games and working from home.
Figuring out how fast you need your broadband to be can be tricky, which is why this guide breaks down everything you need to know about 100Mbps broadband so you can make an informed decision.
To start, it’s important to understand what Mbps stands for. Mbps, or megabits per second, are tiny bits of data, and more megabits allow more data to be transmitted at once. With this in mind, a broadband deal with speeds of 50Mbps will be slower than a 100Mbps broadband deal, and 100Mbps will be slower than 1,000Mbps, and so on.
In terms of broadband speeds, 100Mbps is impressive and allows for more intensive online activity, such as streaming or gaming. As a general rule, gaming broadband deals should be at least 50Mbps, depending on the type of game you’re playing. 100Mbps is also more than suitable for those living with multiple people or in student housing, as it can handle multiple devices being connected at once.
To find out if 100Mbps broadband is available in your area, you will need to know if you can access FTTP broadband. FTTP is one of the only types of broadband that can offer speeds of 100Mbps or higher and is the fastest type of broadband available in the country. If you want to find the best broadband in your area, use the comparison tool at the top of this page to see the best deals near you.
Generally speaking, FTTP is more accessible in urban areas, while rural communities often need to utilise fibre-to-the-cabinet or asymmetric digital subscriber line broadband, which is a lot slower in comparison. However, it’s always important to look for the best deals in your city, as you may find a smaller provider that offers 100Mbps broadband speeds.
Now that you know what 100Mbps broadband is and where you can find it, you can determine if 100Mbps broadband is right for you. Here are the major points you need to know about this type of broadband, both good and bad.
Some of the best broadband providers offer 100Mbps broadband deals with a lot of range in terms of broadband packages and contract lengths. Depending on where you live, you can choose between a wide range of providers; here are some of the broadband providers that offer 100Mbps broadband:
It’s important to note that not every broadband provider listed here will be able to provide 100Mbps broadband where you live. Using the comparison tool above is the fastest way to find out which providers operate in your area and the top speeds they can offer you.
Yes, 100Mbps broadband is ideal for a student household since it can handle multiple devices being connected at the same time and can provide fast speeds. If those living in the house are taking internet-intensive courses that involve high-usage tasks, it may be worth investing in a higher speed. However, for most students, 100Mbps will be more than serviceable.
100Mbps is considered fast for broadband. A 1GB file will take around 80 seconds to download. The same file would take around three minutes with a 50Mbps broadband deal and just eight seconds with a 1,000Mbps deal.
Yes, 100Mbps broadband is fast enough to allow for streaming video content and gaming online with no buffering issues. 100Mbps is even fast enough to allow for 4K and HDR streaming, making it ideal for households that often use applications such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney Plus.