East Ayrshire Council

Broadband

Broadband is the method of sending and receiving data over high speed networks. It has many advantages over the conventional dial up method, which uses standard telephone networks. This greater capacity of information transfer allows you to view webpages quicker, download files faster and send and receive emails without the wait.

Benefits of Broadband over Conventional Dialling

• It is nearly 10 times faster than conventional dial up connections from your computer to the Internet, 512kbps (kilobits per second) compared with the standard modem speed of 56kbps. In some areas, there is even the caspacity for speeds of 1Mbps (Megabit, or 1000 kilobits) and higher.
  
• Always on - this means that you are permanently connected to the internet and don't need to dial up a connection every time you want to surf the web, send email etc.
  
• Dedicated connection - this means your telephone line will not be busy if you are using the Internet.
  

How do I get Broadband?

Not everyone in East Ayrshire can get broadband at present, so to find out what's available in your area you can go to the Broadband fo Scotland website, which will ask you to supply your telephone number and postcode.

Broadband for Scotland - Check Broadband Availability

When you've identified what type of connection is available in your area then you can choose a service provider that best fits your needs. Each provider will offer a slightly different price and service, so it's worth researching the various options.

What if broadband is not available?

BT have set up a registration scheme where residents in a certain area can pledge to sign up for an ADSL connection. Once enough people have signed up, BT will upgrade that local exchange in order to fulfill demand. In order to determine just how many people is 'enough' BT have set up what they call trigger levels and different areas have different trigger levels. You can find out what the trigger level is in your area by going to www.bt.com/broadband and typing in your phone number. If you don't see a trigger level then that means that BT has not established a level because there may not be enough people to support the costs. Once the exchange has been upgraded you will then be free to choose from any available ISP.