Broadband

Most homes and businesses in Leicestershire can now access superfast broadband through a mix of commercial delivery and the Superfast Leicestershire project. You can find out more about Superfast Leicestershire in our About Us section.

The Digital Leicestershire team is now working with the Government and Suppliers to deliver gigabit-capable broadband to as many Leicestershire premises as possible. You can find out more about our current and future projects, including Project Gigahubs and Project Gigabit, from the drop-down menu on the top navigation bar.

Superfast and Fibre Coverage in Leicestershire

The below interactive graphic, taken from thinkbroadband.com, shows the current Superfast and Fibre coverage levels across the County.

Broadband Data Explanatory Notes
The labs.thinkbroadband.com/local site provides broadband coverage statistics, availability checker, maps and additionally speeds as recorded by the public and is produced by thinkbroadband.

Technology Split figures are based on the proportions of speed tests seen using the various technologies over the period of a quarter. The figures while not being absolute will provide a good idea of the relative popularity of different options in an area, e.g. an area with high cable take-up is likely to have a higher speed average.

Speed test results are based on analysis of the tests carried out by the public using speed test web apps that we operate e.g. www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest which are analysed every month for postcodes, and quarterly to give the results for the councils and constituences across the UK.

Where Fibre is talked about this refers to fibre based broadband which encompasses VDSL2, FTTC, FTTN, G.fast, cable broadband, FTTH and FTTB.

Superfast broadband coverage figures is a subset of the fibre based figures as it adds a speed qualifier of 24 Mbps or 30 Mbps.

Historical plots show how coverage is changing over time and may go down sometimes as new build premises are integrated into the checker.

Coverage data presented on this page is generated by an analysis of the services available to premises within the area described.

Full Explanatory Notes can be found at https://labs.thinkbroadband.com/local/

Broadband Technologies used by Digital Leicestershire

Fibre broadband is the next generation of broadband – faster, more reliable and uses a different technology. Traditional ADSL broadband is delivered via copper telephone lines whereas fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables to link between the exchange, the street cabinet, and the customer. Fibre broadband is a catch-all term, principally encompassing Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) and Fibre to the Premises (FTTP).

The Digital Leicestershire team is currently working with the Government and Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to roll-out FTTP across Leicestershire, and upgrade our networks from FTTC.

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC)

FTTC involves fibre cables being installed from the exchange to a green street cabinet. Existing copper then runs from the cabinet to the premises. FTTC is capable of providing speeds up to 80Mbps, but broadband speeds decrease significantly over copper cabling, and speeds will start to deteriorate the further away from the cabinet the properties are located.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)

FTTP, also known as full fibre broadband is a pure fibre connection which runs directly from an exchange to the property. This type of connection can provide speeds up to 1GB and beyond.

Benefits for Residents

Films and TV shows within seconds

With fibre broadband you can download the latest movies instantly or watch your favourite TV show whenever you want eliminating buffering and waiting times.

Do more online

With fibre broadband, family members can use the internet at the same time without any disruptions, whether its online shopping, downloading songs, playing games, watching movies, using social media or downloading free e-magazines and newspapers.

Gamers: Download and play games online

With fibre broadband, games will run and download faster, whilst ensuring connection won’t be lost.

Chat to family and friends

Connect with family, friends and colleagues wherever they may be in the world through high definition video calling such as Zoom, Skype or FaceTime. No more time delays or frozen screens!

Work from home

Fibre broadband enables working from home fast and effective. Allowing more flexibility, giving you a better work/life balance. You could even consider setting up your own business from home as you will have access to global markets and connections at your fingertips, and a host of online services that allow you to run your business more effectively. With faster broadband you can study online courses with flexible hours that fit in with family life and video tutorials that work immediately buffer-free.

Instant Cloud Technology

Store your files such as pictures, music, videos and other documents online in the cloud rather than on your hard drive, home computer or any electronic device. Files can also be backed up on the cloud instantly and this will free up vital space, meaning a faster and more efficient computer. Instead your files will be kept safe and you can access them anywhere and on any device.

Benefits for Businesses

Better service and increased reliability

Having access to fibre broadband will ensure that people who are using the Internet at the same time will be able to improve their services by quicker downloads and uploads, eliminating the usual lag or delay caused by the volume of user usage with regular broadband.

Boost productivity and increase profits

Faster broadband speeds with fibre technologies even at peak times of day means that you can upload / download large files such as complex graphics, videos and content relevant to your business in a fraction of the time.

Cloud Computing

Implement more efficient security protocols. Get access to the latest and best business software through cloud computing services such as instant data back-ups – removing the need for manual security and upgrades.

Reduce costs

Reduce energy use by using cloud computing - this means less need for energy hungry servers at every business premise or office. Virtual private networks (VPN) allow business PCs or laptops to be remotely hosted, saving energy too. A VPN is a system where people can access work data files, intranets and private networks over the internet.

Work from any location

Working from home, on the move or in a different country can be seamless and easy. Save money at the same time by reducing travel costs to the office and face-to-face meetings whilst also reducing the environmental impact.

Enhanced customer relationships

Connect with existing and new customers and suppliers in innovative ways via Zoom, Skype, MS Teams, and high definition video conferencing.