Comparing home broadband in Fife
There are three main types of fixed-line home broadband service in the UK, all of which are available in the Fife area.
ADSL is the standard home broadband service and available to most of the population. Speeds will average 10-11Mb, depending on whether your exchange has been upgraded to ADSL2+, which is the case for almost everyone.
Fibre optic broadband using the Openreach (BT) network to deliver an average speed of around 65Mb, 50Mb or 65Mb, and is widely available in Carlisle. And you should usually get very close to the quoted rates as this is a more reliable connection than ADSL.
Both ADSL and fibre deals are available, mostly on unlimited packages, from a wide number of providers such as Plusnet, EE, TalkTalk, BT and Sky so there's plenty of competition, which means lots of bargains!
There’s also Virgin Media fibre. This is the quickest mass-market broadband with a top speed of 518Mb, but it does not have the reach of either BT fibre or ADSL, and as Virgin Media is the only provider there’s not the same choice of prices or packages. However, Virgin cable is the only major provider to offer broadband without a phone line.
Fibre optic is best suited to homes with multiple users or for anyone who needs the extra speed, while ADSL is a very good budget option. Whichever you choose you’ll find a wide variety of bundles including premium TV, telephone services, broadband only offers and mobile SIMs.
To get started comparing home broadband simply enter your postcode into the comparison tables. This will filter results by location and show only those services that should be available to your home. Once you’ve done that use the filters to further refine the results, these can show you options based on speed, provider, ADSL/fibre and more. You can also use the filters to view specific types of deal; everything from student deals to broadband with no setup fees.
Superfast broadband coverage and speed in Fife
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Area
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Superfast (24Mb+) coverage
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Mean download speed
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| North East Fife | 91.1% | 24.8Mb |
| Dunfermline and West Fife | 98.1% | 37Mb |
Source: Thinkbroadband (last checked 11/19)
Broadband improvements across Scotland are being paid for by the BDUK program, with Digital Scotland handling more than £120m in funding for the country.
Comparing mobile broadband in Fife
In the Fife area, there’s a generally good level of 3G mobile broadband coverage, with most towns and villages having access to a 3G signal that should at least function well outdoors, though most residents should also not have a problem getting the signal inside.
3G is the cheapest way to get mobile broadband and has good coverage right across the UK. While it never had a great reputation for speed the performance of 3G is now very good, especially if you take advantage of the newer, faster 3G standards offered by Three, EE and O2 for no extra cost.
For the best performance though you’ll want to consider a next-generation 4G mobile broadband service. Costs may be a little higher, and you’re probably going to need a new dongle or tablet, but in return, you get very quick speeds which can comfortably beat many home broadband connections.
However, keep in mind that 4G coverage is much more limited. It is available in parts of Fife but you should confirm availability in your area before buying. When 4G is not available you will automatically switch to 3G.
The key to fast mobile broadband is a good signal so it’s extremely important to check coverage when buying any mobile service. Click the logos below to access the network’s own coverage check tools, and be sure to read our guide to mobile coverage for more help.
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