Contention Explained
The actual broadband connection to the internet is shared with other users. The point at which the sharing takes places depends on the technology but it is always shared. This may be viewed the same as sharing the road network. Generally it's fine, but at certain times it gets busy with other users so the effective speed we can enjoy is reduced.
The contention ratio is the maximum number of users sharing the broadband connection. Typical contention ratios are 20:1 or 50:1, which means that up to 19 or 49 other people may be sharing the connection. The lower the ratio the higher the price you will have to pay. It is possible to have a 1:1 contention ratio which means that you have sole use of your connection pathway to the internet, but this type of connection would be expensive.