TalkTalks version. For some reason the router speed is supposed to be quicker; anyone know why?
I expect they're referring to the difference between sync speed and TCP/IP throughput. Sync is the raw number of bits per second passing through the phoneline. The amount available for useful data is somewhat less than that, on account of encapsulation, error correction and whatnot. (There used to be an artificial difference enforced by the coarse steps of BRAS rate limiting on BT wholesale lines, but BT have seen sense and are now setting the BRAS to throttle to the sync rate, so it shouldn't be an issue any more, at least on 21CN)
Helly: your string theory's the wrong way round: Wet string's the good kind (in as much as it transmits electrons more effectively than dry string, but not as well as copper wire). Of course, what you've probably got is a leaky junction box somewhere, and the packets are being eaten by frogs and fish and things when it gets wet.