Understanding Network Contention Ratios The contention ratio is the maximum number of other people you will have to share the connection infrastructure with. So a contention ratio of 50:1 would mean that the maximum number of people you could be sharing the connection with at anytime is 49 other people. If all 50 people were downloading at the same time then your download speed could drop, in reality though this doesn't happen and you can enjoy much faster download speeds. So from this you can see that a contention ratio of 20:1 will be more beneficial although for most home users you shouldn't have any problems with a contention ratio of 50:1.

Shared LLU (SPMF) Advisory Notice and Coverage Our premium broadband products are provided using Shared LLU technology, also known as SMPF (Shared Metallic Path Facilities) within the industry. A Shared LLU line, is one where the service provider, in this case Aquiss, connects the broadband part of your telephone line to our own broadband hardware at your telephone exchange, rather than using BT equipment. The telephone service will still be connected to your chosen telephone company at your telephone exchange, which means your telephone service will continue to function as it did prior to the migration, and can freely be moved to other shared services without causing service disruption. Coverage of our Shared LLU network covers over 800 exchanges currently, with further expansion of our network coverage, including a further 50 exchanges, being added during Q3 2009.

Available Payment Options Payments can be made securely via our e-billing platform using a wide range of payment options. These include Visa, Visa Delta, Visa Electron, MasterCard, Maestro, Switch, Solo and Amex. You can also use PayPal. Please Note : Please be advised that payments via AMEX can be subject to extra handling charges imposed by AMEX directly.

What speed will my line support? * The maximum speed you will received is dependant on a mixture of how far you are from your local telephone exchange and the conditions of your telephone line. However, just like up to 8Mbps products, we will automatically attempt to activate services at the fastest possible speeds, up to 24Mbps via the use of ADSL2+ technology. If your exchange is yet to be enabled with ADSL2+ technology, we will enable your line up to 8Mbps via ADSL technology, and upgrade the line as soon as upgrades are completed. In all cases we will provide you with an estimated speed that your line will support prior to agreeing a contract with ourselves, however the graph below will give you a quick estimate by using your present "Line Attenuation" figure as a starting reference. In the event that 24Mbps can not be established, your line will automatically connect itself at the highest speed available, up to a maximum of 24Mbps. In any event your line will be enabled, with a worst case situation of a 135k connection for extremely long lines from your BT exchange.