The speed of your internet service varies wildly depending on where you live.
In the UK many providers can only offer less than 1Mbps contracts while a very small number can give customers up to 100Mbps.
The BBC News website has gone to meet the select few customers with super-speed broadband and the companies re-cabling Britain.
| 1. 'Great for Gaming'3. Speed test5. 'High-speed homes' | |
2. Super-speed school4. Broadband sewer6. 'Playing catch-up' |
1. 'GREAT FOR GAMING'
Michael O'Dell heads a group of professional gamers that rely on broadband to win cash.
He says that British players are languishing with 2Mbps connections while contestants abroad have internet links up to 50 times as fast.
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2. SUPER-SPEED SCHOOL
St Joseph's College in Dumfries is part of a Scotland-wide program aimed at bringing high speed broadband to schools.
It hooks up to an 80Mbps service, enabling teachers to rewrite lesson plans to include online video.
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3. SPEED TEST
The 80Mbps service received at St Joseph's College allows pupils to access online study aids instantaneously.
Higher student Michael Osman demonstrates how the school's speedy service compares with his snail's pace home link.
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4. BROADBAND SEWER
Laying high-speed fibre optic cables usually involves digging up roads.
Broadband service installer H2O is minimising disruption by laying lines capable of carrying 100Mbps services through the sewer network.
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5. 'HIGH-SPEED HOMES'
The first 100Mbps cables being laid through sewers are connecting businesses and education institutes.
H2O's managing Director Elfed Thomas says he hopes to begin providing lines to homes within a year.
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6. PLAYING CATCH-UP
Broadband speeds depend upon the quality of phone cables laid decades ago in many areas of the UK.
BBC Working Lunch's Rachel Horne compares what is on offer from providers relying on copper wire.
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