If you have been shopping for business broadband recently, you have seen the acronyms: ADSL, FTTC, FTTP. They describe how the connection reaches your building, and the difference has a huge impact on the speed and reliability you experience. Here is what they mean in plain English.

A quick history of the cable in the ground

For decades, your internet arrived over the same copper wires that carried phone calls. Fibre-optic cable - which sends data as light and is dramatically faster - was gradually rolled out, but in stages.

  • ADSL uses copper all the way from the exchange. Slow and increasingly obsolete.
  • FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) runs fibre to the green street cabinet, then copper for the final stretch to your building. Faster than ADSL, but the copper "last mile" caps performance.
  • FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) runs fibre all the way to your building. No copper bottleneck. This is "full fibre".

Why FTTP is a big deal

Because FTTP is fibre end to end, it delivers far higher and more consistent speeds, often with much better upload performance than FTTC. It is also more reliable - fibre is immune to the electrical interference and corrosion that affect copper, so there is less to go wrong.

For a typical office running cloud apps, video calls and online backups, the jump from FTTC to FTTP is immediately noticeable.

FTTP and the copper switch-off

This matters more than ever because the UK is retiring its old copper network. The same PSTN/ISDN switch-off that is ending traditional phone lines is part of a wider move to all-fibre infrastructure. If your business still relies on copper-based broadband or phone lines, now is the time to plan your move.

FTTP vs a leased line

FTTP is excellent value, but it is still a shared connection. If you need guaranteed, symmetric speeds and a strict uptime SLA, a leased line is the next step up. We compare the options in business broadband vs leased line.

Check what's available at your premises

Full fibre availability varies street by street. Our Connectivity service can check exactly what you can get at your address and recommend the best option for your team. Request a callback to find out what's available.

Frequently asked questions

What is FTTP or full fibre?

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), also called full fibre, runs fibre-optic cable all the way to your building, giving much faster and more reliable speeds than older part-copper connections.

What is the difference between FTTP and FTTC?

FTTC runs fibre only to the street cabinet and copper for the final stretch, which limits speed. FTTP is fibre end to end, with no copper bottleneck.

Is full fibre available everywhere?

Not yet - availability varies by location and is expanding rapidly. It is worth checking exactly what is available at your address.