Fibre Broadband Explained: FTTC vs FTTP

What Is FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet)?

FTTC uses fibre optic cables from the exchange to the green street cabinet, then copper wires from the cabinet to your home. This is the most common type of fibre broadband in the UK.

Because the last stretch uses copper, speeds are limited. Typical FTTC speeds range from 36Mbps to 80Mbps depending on your distance from the cabinet.

What Is FTTP (Fibre to the Premises)?

FTTP — also called full fibre — uses fibre optic cables all the way from the exchange to your home. No copper at all. This delivers the fastest possible speeds: up to 1000Mbps where available or even 1Gbps.

FTTP is being rolled out across the UK by Openreach and alternative networks. Coverage is expanding rapidly, with over 14 million UK homes now able to access full fibre.

Which Is Better?

Here is how FTTC and FTTP compare:

• Speed: FTTP is significantly faster (up to 1000Mbps where available vs 80Mbps for FTTC)
• Reliability: FTTP is more consistent as there is no copper degradation
• Upload speed: FTTP offers much faster uploads, important for WFH and cloud services
• Availability: FTTC is available to ~95% of UK premises; FTTP covers ~60% and growing
• Price: OCCTA publishes customer-facing speed bands rather than a universal technology price. Final price and technology are resolved for the address and confirmed before acceptance.

How to Check What You Can Get

Enter your postcode on our broadband page to see whether FTTC, FTTP, or both are available at your address. We will show you the exact speeds and plans you can order.