What to do with fast broadband

Not only will fast broadband make your life easier, it may well even save you money. Remember, unlike some other packages we do not cap your monthly download allowance - you can download as much as you want.

Home working

Knowing you have a reliable fast connection provides the ability to confidently work from home, allowing you to download large files, make video conference calls as you do when you are at work. set up a VPN to ensure that your company's servers are available.

Running your own business

A decent connection opens a whole new world of eCommerce including online marketing, processing customer orders, handling reviews and providing feedback.

Landline

Throw your BT line rental away and use your mobile.

Mobile

Can't get a mobile signal? All the operators now offer service through your broadband connection. Vodaphone have a Sure Signal device that plugs into the broadband router; EE have a similar device called Signal Box which you can get for free if you complain you have no signal. Both of these act as a mini base station that your phone connects to. Other operators have either WiFi calling or an app that you can use.

TV

Throw your Sky+ subscription away and watch broadcast TV live online or on demand without you having to remember to record something. It's not just BBC iPlayer - all of the channnels have their own catch-up services. If you are a fan of Game of Thrones you can always subscribe to Now TV for under £7 a month and watch 11 Sky packages.

Watch award-winning shows like The Crown on Netflix or Top Gear replacement The Grand Tour on Amazon Prime.

All these services include some bundled films and the chance to rent almost any film. If you have kids they can watch their own shows while you enjoy the latest film. Or the whole family can sit down at home and watch a film together - consider the savings compared with travelling to a cinema, parking, ticket prices, ludicrously priced popcorn and a meal out afterwards.

Radio

Listen to a huge range of radio from all over the world. Anything from US talk shows to African music. Download a podcast, listen to that episode of The Archers that you missed or download a Radio 4 play to listen later in the car.

Music

Use devices such as Sonos or Amazon's Echo to play a huge range of music that suits all tastes. Or listen for nothing with Spotify.

Homework

If you have kids then you will know that they are expected to research homework projects online. Ensure your children aren't held back by your decision to live in a beautiful rural location that BT has decided to ignore.

Banking

Online banking can be a nightmare with slow connections meaning you have to restart transactions and re-enter security details over and over again. Fast broadband means that the online systems put in place by banks - and paid for by you - can be used securely and quickly. Don't forget that you can also file your tax returns online!

Farming

Access to defra websites is essential for the farming community.

YouTube

If you have slow broadband you probably don't know how useful YouTube can be with its instructional videos. There are explanations of absolutely anything - from boning a leg of lamb to how to build a patio pizza oven or the intricacies of re-webbing a favourite chair.

Social inclusion

Many people feel isolated in rural communites - faster broadband brings social media such as Facebook etc, streaming TV and entertainment or gaming to your fingertips.