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If you’re a devoted gamer, then the chances are good that the speed of your internet connection matters to you.
Frenetic, fast-paced competitive play demands a low ping – because a latency of just a few milliseconds can often spell the difference between success and failure.
But even slower-paced games, like turn-based strategies, can be made more enjoyable when the action is snappy and responsive.
Even if you’re doing your gaming offline, a good internet connection can make a big difference to your experience.
After all, modern games can easily run into the hundreds of gigabytes – which means getting them downloaded and installed is something that requires a good internet connection.
If you’re based in the middle of London, then there’s good news: you’ll have access to some of the country’s most developed broadband infrastructure.
This might give you an edge over gamers based in the middle of the countryside, where fibre-optic speeds might not be available.
Let’s take a look at some of the options worth considering when it comes to providers.
Top Broadband Providers Offering Superfast Speeds in Central London
There are a number of broadband providers worth looking at. These include Community Fibre, Vodafone, Virgin Media and Hyperoptic.
Of these, the most mature and established is undoubtedly Virgin Media, which came into possession of its fibre network two decades ago.
It provides fairly solid gigabit internet, and represents something of a gold standard. In the same category we might put EE and Sky, both of which offer full fibre versions of their services.
Community Fibre is a smaller company that specialises in London. Despite this, it’s able to offer extremely competitive download and upload speeds at reasonable rates.
You might game on a connection of up to 5 Gbps, which is about as fast as it gets.
Hyperoptic is another smaller company, distinguished in part by its symmetrical upload speeds.
You’ll be able to upload data just as quickly as you download it – which can be a crucial factor not just in gaming, but in various productivity tasks, too.
Understanding Full Fibre vs. Other Broadband Technologies
Until now, we’ve used the term ‘Full Fibre’ a few times. It’s a term that’s often employed by providers. But what does it really mean?
A clue might come from a synonym of ‘Full Fibre’, which is ‘FTTP’, or ‘Fibre to the Premises’. This means that data travels along a weatherproof fibre-optic cable all the way to the router in your house.
By contrast, an FTTC (that’s ‘Fibre to the Cabinet’) connection might only be able to reach the local cabinet.
Having done so, it will travel the final few metres to your premises via a copper cable, which creates an extra, weaker link in the chain.
The result? Slower speeds and less reliability – though FTTC connections still tend to be preferable to entirely copper ones.
Broadband providers in my area offer strong speeds, so it’s wise to look at what kind of fibre-optic connection is under consideration.If you don’t, then you might end up comparing apples with oranges.
How to Check Availability and Compare Deals in Your Area
The good news is that most areas of Central London can receive a full fibre connection. In many cases, the providers themselves will be able to tell you whether you can enjoy a fibre-optic line.
Just enter your postcode into their respective websites when you’re shopping for deals. There are also price comparison websites that will provide the same service.
It’s worth bearing in mind that many broadband providers will also throw in additional services, like television packages and subscriptions to streaming services.
If you’re a devoted sports fan, for example, you might look for a package that satisfies your love for your chosen sports, as well as your love of gaming.
For gaming purists, on the other hand, the quality of your connection might be your sole criteria. Fortunately, it’s now easier than ever to switch provider.
Remember that you have a right to cancel your new deal if it doesn’t provide the required speeds, thanks to the rules enforced by the regulator, Ofcom.
You can do this within a cooling-off period of fourteen days. Beyond that, you’ll probably need to pay an early termination charge.
What this means is that you can safely try out a new provider. If you aren’t happy within the first few days, then cancel and move to a different one.
