If you have been comparing broadband deals in the UK, you have almost certainly come across the terms FTTP and FTTC. Both involve fibre optic cable. Both are sold under the umbrella of "fibre broadband." But they are fundamentally different technologies — and the difference matters considerably when it comes to the speeds you actually get, the consistency of your connection, and how future-proof your broadband is.
This guide explains both technologies in plain English, compares them side by side, and helps you work out which one is available at your address and whether it is worth upgrading.
FTTC stands for Fibre to the Cabinet. In an FTTC setup, fibre optic cable runs from the telephone exchange to a green street cabinet — the boxes you see on pavements throughout the UK. From the cabinet to your home, however, the connection reverts to the existing copper telephone wire that has been in the ground for decades.
That final section of copper — which can range from a few metres to several hundred metres depending on how far your property is from the cabinet — is the limiting factor. Copper wire degrades signal over distance. The further you live from the cabinet, the slower your connection will be. This is why FTTC speeds are quoted as "up to" figures — two houses in the same street can have significantly different real-world speeds depending on their distance from the cabinet.
FTTC is often marketed as "superfast broadband" and typically delivers download speeds between 35 and 80 Mbps for most households. It has been the dominant broadband technology in the UK for the last decade, built primarily by Openreach on its national network.
FTTP stands for Fibre to the Premises — also known as full fibre broadband. In an FTTP setup, fibre optic cable runs the entire distance from the exchange all the way into your home or business. There is no copper in the path at all.
At your property, a small device called an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) is installed — typically on an interior wall near where the cable enters. Your router connects to the ONT and distributes the connection via Wi-Fi or Ethernet throughout your home.
Because the signal travels entirely over fibre optic cable, it does not degrade with distance in the same way copper does. FTTP packages typically start at 150 Mbps and reach 1 Gbps or above — with the same speed available whether you live 50 metres or 500 metres from the nearest infrastructure point.
The table below summarises the most important practical differences between the two technologies:
| FTTC | FTTP (Full Fibre) | |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Fibre to cabinet, copper to home | Fibre all the way to your property |
| Typical download | 35–80 Mbps | 150 Mbps – 1 Gbps+ |
| Typical upload | 5–20 Mbps | 50–900 Mbps |
| Speed consistency | Varies by distance from cabinet | Consistent regardless of distance |
| Peak-time impact | More susceptible to congestion | Greater capacity, less congestion |
| Phone line needed | Yes (copper line required) | No (VoIP if landline needed) |
| Future-proof | Limited — copper being phased out | Yes — fibre has enormous headroom |
| UK coverage (2026) | ~95% of premises | ~60–65% of premises |
The speed difference between FTTC and FTTP is substantial — and it widens further when you account for real-world performance rather than advertised maximums.
A typical FTTC customer located a moderate distance from their street cabinet might receive 40–55 Mbps in practice. A customer further from the cabinet may get 20–30 Mbps. In the worst cases — long copper runs in older properties — FTTC speeds can fall below 20 Mbps regardless of the package purchased.
FTTP has no such distance penalty. A 150 Mbps FTTP package delivers 150 Mbps whether your property is close to the infrastructure or not. And because FTTP packages start where FTTC maxes out, even entry-level full fibre is a meaningful upgrade for the majority of current FTTC customers.
Speed is one dimension of broadband quality. Reliability — how consistent that speed is over time, and how often the connection drops — is equally important for households that work from home, stream in 4K, or game online.
FTTC connections are more vulnerable to external factors that degrade copper wire performance: corrosion, water ingress into street cabinets, interference from nearby electrical equipment, and physical damage to the cable. These issues tend to manifest as intermittent speed drops or occasional connection losses rather than complete outages.
FTTP connections are significantly more resilient. Fibre optic cable is immune to electrical interference, does not corrode, and is not affected by moisture in the same way copper is. Fault rates on full fibre connections are consistently lower than on FTTC infrastructure, which also means faster recovery when faults do occur.
Download speed gets most of the attention when comparing broadband packages, but upload speed has become increasingly relevant as more people work remotely, use cloud storage, attend video calls, and create and share content online.
FTTC upload speeds are notably low — typically 5–20 Mbps even on the faster 80 Mbps download packages. This is a structural limitation of the asymmetric nature of FTTC infrastructure, which prioritises download capacity over upload.
FTTP connections, by contrast, often offer near-symmetric or fully symmetric upload and download speeds. A 150 Mbps FTTP package may deliver 50–100 Mbps upload. A 500 Mbps FTTP package typically offers 100–500 Mbps upload. For anyone on regular video calls, backing up large files to the cloud, or uploading content, this difference is tangible in day-to-day use.
Enter your postcode to see which FTTP and FTTC providers are available in your area.
Compare by PostcodeFTTC's reliance on the copper telephone network is not just a performance limitation — it is a countdown. Openreach has committed to decommissioning its Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) by December 2027. This is the copper infrastructure that ADSL broadband and the final section of FTTC connections both depend on.
What this means in practice: customers who are still on ADSL or FTTC connections that rely on an active copper phone line will need to migrate to a fibre-based alternative before the switch-off date. Providers are required to contact affected customers in advance and offer a suitable alternative — but the migration process for some properties, particularly older buildings, may require physical infrastructure work that takes time to arrange.
If you are currently on an FTTC connection, this is not an immediate emergency — but it does mean that signing a new 24-month FTTC contract in late 2025 or 2026 is a short-sighted choice if full fibre is available at your address. The cost difference between entry-level FTTC and entry-level FTTP has narrowed considerably over the last two years, making the upgrade case stronger than ever.
In areas where both technologies are available, it is increasingly difficult to justify choosing FTTC over FTTP. The price gap has narrowed, the performance gap has widened, and the copper switch-off deadline is approaching. For most households comparing the two, FTTP is the right long-term choice.
FTTP coverage in the UK stood at approximately 60–65% of premises as of 2026, with the rollout continuing rapidly. Whether full fibre is available at your specific address depends on whether Openreach, Virgin Media, or an altnet provider has built infrastructure to your property.
The only reliable way to confirm is a postcode check. Coverage maps give a general indication, but availability is determined at the individual property level — not the street or postcode area. A house at one end of a street may have FTTP while a house at the other end does not.
Use our comparison tool to check which broadband technologies and providers are available at your address, and to compare current package prices side by side.
FTTC runs fibre from the exchange to a street cabinet, then uses copper wire for the final section to your home. FTTP replaces the entire path with fibre optic cable running directly into your property. FTTP is faster, more consistent, and more future-proof than FTTC.
Yes, significantly. FTTC typically delivers 35–80 Mbps depending on your distance from the street cabinet. FTTP packages start at 150 Mbps and can reach 1 Gbps or more, with consistent speeds regardless of distance from the infrastructure.
As of 2026, FTTP reaches approximately 60–65% of UK premises. Availability varies significantly by postcode and is determined at the individual property level. Use a postcode checker to confirm whether full fibre is available at your specific address.
The copper telephone network that FTTC depends on is being decommissioned by Openreach by December 2027. Customers on affected connections will need to migrate to a fibre-based alternative before this date. Providers are required to notify customers in advance.
For most households, yes. FTTP offers significantly faster and more consistent speeds, better upload performance, and greater resilience. Entry-level FTTP packages are now priced comparably to mid-tier FTTC in many areas, making the upgrade worthwhile where full fibre is available.
Yes. FTTP uses an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) installed at your property, and your router connects to this rather than a phone socket. Your provider will supply a compatible router as part of the installation. An FTTC router cannot be used on an FTTP connection without the appropriate hardware.
Compare full fibre and FTTC packages available at your postcode — and find out if it is time to upgrade.
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