📋 Quick Summary
- FTTCFibre to the Cabinet — fibre runs to your street cabinet, then copper to your door. Speeds up to ~80Mbps. Available almost everywhere.
- FTTPFibre to the Premises — fibre goes all the way into your building. Speeds up to 1Gbps+. The gold standard for business internet.
- TL;DRIf FTTP is available at your premises, get it. If not, FTTC is a reasonable interim — or consider a leased line instead.
What is FTTC?
FTTC stands for Fibre to the Cabinet. It's what most UK businesses currently have when they think they're on "fibre" broadband. Openreach runs fibre optic cables from the telephone exchange to green street-side cabinets — and from the cabinet to your premises, it's still the old copper telephone wire.
That last stretch of copper is what limits FTTC. The further your premises is from the cabinet, the slower your speed. At 50 metres from a cabinet you might get close to the advertised 80Mbps. At 500 metres, you might only achieve 30–40Mbps. At over a kilometre, speeds can fall below 20Mbps.
For a business with 2–5 staff doing basic browsing, email and video calls, FTTC can be adequate. For businesses running cloud software, VoIP phone systems, large file transfers or multiple simultaneous users, FTTC starts to struggle — especially as speeds drop during peak hours.
What is FTTP?
FTTP stands for Fibre to the Premises — also called "full fibre." With FTTP, the fibre optic cable runs all the way from the exchange directly into your building. There's no copper in the loop.
The practical difference is significant. FTTP delivers symmetrical speeds — meaning your upload speed matches your download speed — at up to 1Gbps on consumer-grade products, and higher still on business-grade connections. Because there's no copper degradation, you get the speed you pay for regardless of distance, and the connection is more stable in bad weather.
For businesses, FTTP means cloud applications load faster, video calls are rock-solid, VoIP call quality is flawless, and large files transfer in seconds rather than minutes. It also tends to have better SLAs from ISPs because it's easier to fault-find and repair a pure fibre network.
⚡ The Speed Reality Check
A VoIP phone call uses approximately 0.1Mbps per line. A 4K video call uses 20–25Mbps. Uploading a 1GB file on FTTC at 20Mbps takes about 7 minutes — on FTTP at 200Mbps, it takes 40 seconds. For businesses relying on cloud storage (Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox), the difference is immediately felt.
FTTP vs FTTC: Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | FTTC | FTTP |
|---|---|---|
| Download speed | Up to 80Mbps | Up to 1Gbps+ |
| Upload speed | Up to 20Mbps | Equal to download |
| Speed consistency | Varies by distance | Consistent |
| Reliability | Good | Excellent |
| Availability | ~97% of UK premises | ~60% and growing |
| Typical business cost | £30–£60/month | £40–£90/month |
| SLA / fault repair | Standard (2–3 days) | Enhanced (same/next day) |
| Future-proof | No — being replaced | Yes |
Is FTTC Being Switched Off?
Not immediately — but it's heading that way. Openreach has committed to retiring its copper network by 2030 (previously 2025, then 2027 — the date keeps slipping). This means that FTTC, which relies on copper in the final stretch, will eventually be replaced by FTTP. New builds in many areas are already FTTP-only.
If you're signing a new business broadband contract on FTTC today, be mindful that you may be migrated to FTTP within the contract term. Most providers will handle this automatically, but it's worth asking your supplier what their migration plan looks like.
What If FTTP Isn't Available at My Business?
If FTTP hasn't reached your area yet, you have several options depending on your speed requirements:
📶 FTTC Broadband
Perfectly adequate for smaller businesses with modest bandwidth needs. Shop for a business-grade product with an enhanced SLA rather than a consumer tariff.
🔗 Ethernet Leased Line
A dedicated, uncontended fibre connection direct to your building — not shared with neighbours. Available almost anywhere regardless of FTTP rollout status. Starts from around £200–£300/month for 100Mbps, with a guaranteed uptime SLA.
📶 4G/5G Business Broadband
Where mobile coverage is strong, 4G and 5G broadband can deliver 100–300Mbps+ with no installation and next-day setup. Ideal as a primary or failover connection.
🛰️ Starlink Business
For rural businesses where no other high-speed option exists, Starlink satellite broadband now delivers 100–300Mbps with low latency — a genuine revolution for rural connectivity.
Which Should Your Business Choose?
The decision tree is straightforward:
Is FTTP available at your premises?
→ Yes: Order FTTP. It's faster, more reliable and future-proof.
→ No, but high bandwidth is critical (e.g. 20+ staff, heavy cloud use, VoIP): Order a leased line.
→ No, and FTTC speeds are adequate for now: Take FTTC on a short contract and switch to FTTP when it arrives.
→ Rural with no other options: Consider Starlink Business.
One thing worth noting: many businesses are surprised to find FTTP is already available at their address — the rollout has been faster than headlines suggest. It's always worth checking availability before assuming you're stuck on FTTC.
Check Your Business Broadband Options
We'll check FTTP availability at your address and compare all options — FTTC, FTTP, leased lines, 4G and Starlink — to find the best fit for your business.