Availability and Setup

Don't assume that just because you have a phone or cable TV line that you can avail of broadband services. Even some wireless services might not be accessible if there is an obstacle between you and the transmitter.

Your geographic location will determine what broadband choices you have available. A phone call or email to a service provider will get you the information you need - click on the Directory section link above for details of providers in County Cork.

There are some conditions involved in making ADSL by phone line available. First, the local telephone exchange has to have special equipment installed. Once installed, the exchange is said to be enabled. However, ADSL is distance dependent - signal quality degrades as the distance increases - so you will also need to be located within a certain distance of the enabled exchange. And it doesn't end there. The condition of your individual phone line might not be up to scratch so you could still fail at the final hurdle, even if someone nearby already has broadband.

Most service providers offer a line test facility on their website so you can determine if their service is available on your line - you type your phone number into a simple online form to find out.

INSTALLATION AND SETUP

Some services are easy enough to install yourself, usually with the assistance of a set of on-screen instructions (wizard). Providers usually charge a callout fee if you want them to do the installation.

CONTENTION RATIO

Somewhere along the line you share broadband capacity with other users. As more subscribers sign up, this could be a problem. To compare services, broadband providers supply information on the numbers sharing. Called a contention (sharing) ratio, this gives you an indication of the maximum number of other users you might have to share broadband capacity with at any one time. Lower contention ratios (fewer subscribers sharing) are better.