As for speeds for ADSL, it can be up to 8Mbps but in our experience this is unusual not the norm. Things that influence the speed you can get are distance from the BT exchange, state of the copper running to your site/home. If it’s been there years there will be corrosion and the grade of the copper itself will limit speed.

In some areas there is an option for cable, this is currently the biggest commercial project going on in the UK hence all the dug up roads What the cable providers offer is effectively a network link as you would have in an office but on a huge scale known as a WAN (wide area network) The speeds that you get on cable are quick, up to 16Mbps at the moment and about to rise. But Cable has limited distribution at the moment and not really likely to go out into rural areas until a new technology arrives.