Hyperfast vs Ultrafast Broadband: What's the difference?

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Last updated: 10 February 2022

When searching the internet for a new broadband connection for your home, you’ll probably come across terms like ‘hyperfast’ and ‘ultrafast’. While these may just sound like fancy terms to describe a speedy internet connection, they are actually technical terms.

Both hyperfast and ultrafast broadband refer to a specific range of internet speeds. You may also notice some deals advertised as ‘superfast’, which is anything between 30Mbps and 300Mbps.

But hyperfast and ultrafast are even faster than this. Ultrafast refers to any connection between 300Mbps to 500Mbps, and ultrafast is any connection offering 500Mbps+.

But do you actually need these speeds? Read on to find out.

What is ultrafast broadband?

Ultrafast broadband does not actually refer to any specific type of technology used but rather is simply a bracket of connection speed.

Ultrafast broadband is defined by Ofcom as any connection which has speeds higher than 300Mbps and is generally considered to top out around 1,000Mbps.

For a frame of reference, speeds of 300Mbps should theoretically allow you to stream around 50 HD movies at the same time which, depending on exactly what kind of lifestyle you live, might seem a little bit excessive.

The issue when trying to pinpoint exactly how fast a particular ultrafast package can be is that ISPs will not always stick to the dictionary definition of what ultrafast means. For example, many ‘ultrafast’ packages maxing out at anywhere between 100-500Mbps.

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Do I need ultrafast broadband?

In general, we would say that for standard usage, most households wouldn’t need ultrafast internet. In most cases, superfast broadband would suffice. If you are regularly engaging in large file transfers or are part of a large household of committed streamers or gamers, then you might find a superfast connection might start to falter under the strain. One thing to consider is that ultrafast is often not much more expensive that superfast internet, so if your finding you your streams buffering you might want to consider the switch.

Which providers offer ultrafast broadband?

The following providers offer ultrafast broadband deals:

Virgin Media

Virgin Media’s M350 Fibre Broadband package offers average download speeds of 362Mbps and upload speeds of 36Mbps.

362Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28 / month for 6 months

Then £40.00 / month

KCOM

KCOM, based exclusively in Hull, offers a Full Fibre 300 package with average download speeds of 300Mbps and upload speeds of 75Mbps.

300Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £29.99 / month

Gigaclear

Gigaclear’s Ultrafast 400 package is available to selected rural communities, offering average download speeds of 400Mbps and upload speeds to match.

400Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£24.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

What is hyperfast broadband?

Hyperfast broadband connections will clock download speeds of at least 500Mbps. This can go up to, 1Gbps although connections this fast tend to be classified as ‘gigabit broadband’. Hyperfast broadband is not readily available and is generally only installed in very dense urban areas that contain either large office or residential buildings. Hyperfast is also available in some rural areas from smaller providers, where larger companies such as BT or Virgin do not provide fibre optic services thanks to various community initiatives.

Do I need a hyperfast connection?

Unless you are going to be continuously downloading, sharing and transferring huge amounts of information then a hyperfast internet connection probably isn’t necessary. Hyperfast is used in most cases for commercial purposes and will be routed into large office or residential buildings to serve dozens if not hundreds of different people.

If you are a homeowner, then getting a hyperfast capable line into your house might be a long-term investment. The amount of bandwidth needed to fulfil day-to-day online tasks is increasing all the time and with the increasing usage of video conferencing and high-quality streaming having a household that is hyper fast capable might add value to a house. Having a hyper fast connection would allow a large household to use all these bandwidth heavy services all at the same time which may be an asset, especially if remote working continues to grow in popularity.

Which providers offer hyperfast broadband?

The following providers offer hyperfast broadband:

BT

BT’s Full Fibre 500 package offers average download speeds of 500Mbps, and upload speeds of 73Mbps.

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£45.99 / month

£0 upfront fees

Sky

Sky’s Ultrafast Broadband Plus package provides average download speeds of 500Mbps and upload speeds of 60Mbps.

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£45.00 / month

£0 upfront fees

Virgin Media

Virgin Media also offers hyperfast broadband, with its M500 Fibre Broadband package promising average download speeds of 516Mbps, and upload speeds of 36Mbps.

516Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28 / month for 6 months

Then £46.00 / month

Vodafone

Vodafone’s Pro Ultrafast 500 deal offers average download and upload speeds of 500Mbps.

362Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£28 / month for 6 months

Then £40.00 / month

EE

EE’s Fibre Max 500 package provides average download speeds of 500Mbps, and upload speeds of 73Mbps.

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£40.50 / month

£0 upfront fees

Hyperoptic

Hyperoptic is a local ISP, providing average download and upload speeds of 500Mbps on its Fast 500 Broadband package.

500Mb / second

Average speed

Unlimited

Usage

£0 / month for 3 months

Then £35.00 / month

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Author: Harry Pererra

Harry turns on his experience in web design and programming to write about the latest news in the world of tech and broadband. When he isn’t writing for usave he is working towards his Blue Belt in Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, and prefers dogs to cats.

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