Choosing the Right Product
Choosing the right broadband product can be quite difficult. The two main considerations are speed and contention. Generally aim for the lower specification, that way if you need a higher one, it is easy to see that, and you can upgrade easily. If you choose a higher specification that you find you don't need, broadband suppliers are more reluctant to downgrade your service.
Speed
If you have a single PC then a 512k service is likely to be adequate in all but the most extreme requirements. If you are requiring adding more PCs to the same broadband connection then a higher speed might be required. Some suppliers force you to take a higher speed if you plan to connect more than one PC.
If you plan to make use of interactive services such as video conferencing, online gaming then there is also a case for a higher speed service.
Contention
Sharing the telecommunications resource with many others (Contention), means that at busy times the perceived speed of the line will be lower than at other times. If your requirement for broadband would be hindered by this, because you use video-conferencing a lot, for example, then you will require a product with a lower contention ratio.