Byline: ADRIENNE McGILL

INTERNET users the world over will have experienced the frustrations of waiting while they dial-up the web and then sit twiddling thumbs while the pages download. Finding faster ways to surf has become a regular cry!

However, the World Wide Wait is finally over with the introduction of new high-speed internet services which are set to revolutionise the way we use the web.

Communication providers ntl and BT are to the fore in providing access to a new range of high-speed internet services to customers in Northern Ireland, who are among the first in the UK to try out the broadband packages.

Domestic customers will, with the help of new broadband technologies, be able to use the internet at speeds up to 18 times faster than those provided by current dial-up services.

In the UK, there are two main options for broadband internet access at home:

Cable Modem which connects the home PC to the state-of-the-art fibre optic backbone network, such as that offered by ntl's Broadband Internet service;

ADSL (asymmetric digital subscriber line) which uses the traditional copper wire telephone network and which is offered by BT Openworld.

Currently, most homes access the internet via a standard dial-up modem connected to a telephone line which delivers data at a speed of up to 56 kilobits per second (kbps) but means that users have the frustration of waiting to dial-up the internet.

However, ntl's broadband service for home internet use provides a high- speed connection to the web via a cable modem.

The connection is always on and provides download speeds of up to 512 kbps - nearly nine times faster than home users currently experience but even higher access speeds will be available in the future.

The internet has been seen as a method of communicating (e-mail, chat rooms etc) and as a source of information (web pages, archives). However, broadband internet access allows it to be used much more as an entertainment medium, with users able to quickly download or stream movie clips, short films, music tracks - they can even put together a personal desktop jukebox in minutes rather than hours.

And, if you are on the move, it's just as easy to transfer your favourite tracks on to a portable MP3 player and take them with you.

"This is the internet as it was designed to be,'' explains Jerry Roest, group managing director of internet for ntl, who was in Belfast last week to detail the benefits of the broadband internet service.

"Almost instantaneous downloads - enriching the user experience and allowing the benefits of the internet to really come alive.''

For example at maximum speed a typical 5Mb MP3 music track can be yours in just over a minute, compared to around 14 minutes when downloading using a dial-up modem.

Another benefit of broadband internet is that, unlike a 56kbps dial-up modem, it doesn't tie up your telephone line while you're connected to the internet. As the connection is via the same cable as your TV service, all phone lines remain free for you to use as normal while using the net. …