Keep pace with the latest changes

n UNDERSTAND THE SPEED A MEGABIT per second (Mbps) is the download speed at which you can access data on the internet. A single megabit means a web page takes a second to load. n PREPARE TO GO FASTER AT LEAST 5 per cent of the population is still in the slow lane – usually in rural and isolated areas. From 2020 everyone should be offered speeds of at least 10 megabits. n GEAR UP FOR NEW RULES ‘UP TO’ speeds are being replaced by an ‘average’ pledge from May 23. If a provider then fails to deliver on a promised speed from next March you will be able to rip up the contract and switch without penalty. n TAKE A SPEED TEST ONLINE speed test providers such as Broadband Speed Checker, Speedtest and Simplifydigital, can find out if a service is too sluggish. If resetting equipment or changing internet signal channels does not speed things up then consider switching supplier. n MANY suppliers only use fibre as far as a cabinet in the street – then connect the rest of the way to your home with slower copper wires. Consider fibre to the doorstep with providers such as CityFibre, Gigaclear and Hyperoptic – if available.