The A to Z of broadband

YouTube

As well as hardware, such as the Xbox, new online services are making the most of broadband.

Video-sharing website YouTube has ridden the wave of popularity - becoming the web's fastest growing site in just six months, with people logging on to watch more than 700 million videos daily. And that's not something that would happen if web users were still hobbled by dial-up connections.

The list from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for ADSL
B is for BT
C is for Cable & Wireless
D is for Dial-up
E is for Education
F is for Fibre
G is for Goonhilly
H is for HSDPA
I is for In-flight
J is for Janet
K is for Kingston
L is for Landlines
M is for Murdoch
N is for Next generation
O is for Ofcom
P is for Power lines
Q is for Quad-play
R is for Remote working
S is for Satellite phones
T is for Trains
U is for Unbundling
V is for VoIP
W is for WiMax
X is for Xbox
Y is for YouTube
Z is for Zombies

But popularity does not necessarily translate into hard cash - and questions abound over the site's business prospects. Analysts have also voiced concern over copyright issues, which have plagued YouTube since its launch.

None of this deterred Google, however, which purchased YouTube for $1.65bn last month.

YouTube has inspired other businesses to jump on the online video bandwagon. Earlier in the year CNN kicked off a new section of its website where citizen journalists can submit video content.

There was much excitement and disbelief when the UK government published some public service messages on YouTube back in August.

Unfortunately, the Cabinet Office had to pull one of the videos due to copyright violation.