ADSL, FTTC & FTTP - what does it all mean?
We are spoilt for choice when it comes to broadband connections in the UK, but not all broadband connections were made equal. You are likely to enjoy the very latest broadband technologies if you live in one of the country’s major cities, but broadband availability and quality can be very hit and miss as you move further into the countryside.
Let’s start with ultra-fast fibre broadband connections. Fibre broadband utilises fibre optic cables to channel broadband to and from your property at the speed of light. Fibre comes in two flavours; fibre to the premises (FTTP, or ‘Full Fibre’) which offers the absolute best broadband in the UK with speeds up to 900Mbps and the more commonly available fibre to the cabinet (FTTC, or ‘Fibre Broadband’) which still offers impressive speeds up to 80Mbps. Full Fibre broadband coverage is constantly improving in the UK so, if you are not sure whether you are covered by Full Fibre, complete our contact form and a member of our team will check to see if you can access Full Fibre. In most cases, if you cannot access Full Fibre, you will still be able to access Fibre Broadband. It is worth noting that Fibre Broadband is still exceptionally capable and able to support demanding tasks such as 4K UHD streaming, online gaming, and working-from-home applications. Full Fibre does everything that Fibre Broadband does but can cope with multiple instances of these demanding tasks making it ideal for large households. All fibre broadband connections feature unlimited data allowing users to enjoy everything that the internet has to offer without having to worry about data caps or hidden costs.
For those in less populated or more rural settings, it is unlikely that fibre has reached you so you will probably still use ADSL broadband via copper wiring to connect you to the internet. Despite being phased out in favour of fibre, ADSL is still very capable of offering unlimited data but at slower speeds of up to 22Mbps. ADSL supports up to HD streaming (not 4K UHD) and can be used for online gaming but it will take time to download extremely large files such as video game updates. Performance does degrade depending on distance from your local exchange due to signal loss along the copper cables - something which is not experienced with fibre broadband. A small percentage of the population in the UK may find themselves located at the extremes of ADSL coverage, often in extremely remote locations or isolated communities. For those at the edge of ADSL coverage, there are solutions such as 4G LTE mobile broadband or satellite broadband connections which match the speeds available to those within strong ADSL coverage. 4G LTE mobile broadband also includes unlimited data, but satellite broadband features data capped (or quota based) service subscriptions.
Whilst it is true that Full Fibre (FTTP) offers the very best broadband available in the UK, it is not the end of the world if you cannot currently receive it. Chances are you will be able to access Fibre Broadband (FTTC) which will be sufficient for the needs of most users. Of course, if you fall outside of FTTC coverage completely, you should be able to connect to the internet using ADSL broadband. Our ADSL, FTTC & FTTP broadband connections all provide unlimited data and are supported by our UK-based customer care and support teams. However, if you find yourself outside of mainstream broadband coverage, we will still be able to connect you to high-speed broadband using either 4G LTE or satellite broadband.