The differences between FTTC and FTTP

It’s 2025 and in this digital age, selecting the right, futureproof broadband connection is so important for both businesses and households. New fibre broadband networks have been rolled out across most of the UK in the last five years, in particular, and now this means that many homes and businesses have the option of Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP), also known as ‘ultrafast’ or full fibre.

This compares to ‘superfast’ fibre, or Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC), which has been readily available during the last decade or so. Understanding the technical differences between these two options will help you decide which broadband is best for you.

What is Fibre-to-the-Cabinet (FTTC)?

FTTC, also known as ‘superfast’ broadband, is a part-fibre solution that combines fibre-optic and copper cables. In this setup, fibre-optic cables run from the source to a traditional street cabinet close to your home or business premises. From there, traditional copper wires complete the connection to your home or business. However, the reliance on copper wiring results in slower speeds and reduced reliability compared to full fibre solutions.

With FTTC, you can:

• Access speeds of up to approximately 80Mbps, which is suitable for everyday online activities like browsing, some streaming, and video calls.
• Experience variability in performance, as the copper wiring portion of the connection is susceptible to signal degradation over distance and environmental factors such as temperature.
• Encounter buffering, drop-outs or delays when multiple devices are connected or during peak usage times.

While FTTC has been widely available for the last decade, its limitations are becoming more apparent as internet demands grow and the number of devices connected to the internet per home or business continues to grow rapidly. You only have to think about your smart TVs, wifi connect doorbell and home sound system to realise how much smarter the modern home has become. This makes reliance on copper infrastructure less reliable and less future-proof compared to a full fibre solution.

What is Full Fibre or Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP)?

Full Fibre, commonly referred to as FTTP (Fibre to the Premises), involves a 100% fibre-optic connection, extending directly from the source, via a brand-new street cabinet into your home or business premises. This set up utilises fibre-optic cables – thin strands of glass that transmit data using light – bypassing outdated copper wiring entirely. With this seamless connection your broadband is not only ultrafast but super smooth, stable, and stress-free. 

With full fibre, you can select the speed and package you want suited to your needs and benefit from ultrafast download and upload speeds, with packages up to 900Mbps or even higher if required, which comfortably supports:

• Multiple devices like smartphones, tablets, smart TV’s and home appliances connect all at the same time without any buffering or drop-outs.
• Large file downloads and uploads.
• Simultaneous streaming across multiple devices.
• Playing video games without lagging.
• Making video calls without buffering.
• Streaming online content in high definition without interruptions.

As full fibre is rolled out across the UK, availability is increasing all the time, ensuring all homes and businesses will have access to this advanced broadband technology.

Why choose Fastr Broadband?

York has always been a well-connected digital city, apart from one missing piece of the jigsaw – ultra fast full fibre broadband! The historic centre inside the walls with cobbled streets and historic buildings initially made it difficult to lay fibre cables. 

This is where Fastr Broadband came in to help! Considerately building our brand new, gigabit-capable, full fibre broadband network in the heart of the city, connecting businesses and homes to the future so they can do what they want online, when they want, with as many as they want. 

We are now live within York city walls, and fully available on streets including Blake Street, Boothan, Church Street, Claremont Terrace, Colliergate, Coney Street, Coppergate, Gillygate, Goodramgate, Fossgate, High Petergate, Low Petergate, Lord Mayor’s Walk, Marygate, Micklegate, Skeldergate, Stonegate. Swinegate and Parliament Street.

Fastr’s ultrafast network ensures consistently high speeds and reliable performance, whether you’re running a business, working from home, or just streaming your favourite shows. Plus, as a York-based provider, we offer local support and service tailored to the community’s needs – just real people who know your area.

This makes the choice between FTTC and FTTP simple for homes and businesses in York city centre who no longer need to put up with connections that simply do not cater to their needs of multiple device connections, super fast download speeds and simultaneous streaming. Fastr Broadband brings the best broadband York has never had!