FTTP vs FTTC: What’s the difference?

Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) broadband is a type of internet connection that uses fiber-optic cables to deliver extremely fast and reliable internet directly to your home. Fiber-optic cables are made of glass or plastic and use light to transmit data, which makes them much faster than traditional copper-based connections like ADSL. 

With FTTP, the fiber-optic cable runs all the way from your internet provider to your house, rather than stopping at a nearby street cabinet. This means you get the fastest speeds possible because the connection doesn’t have to rely on older, slower wires for the last part of the journey. 

FTTP is great for households that use a lot of internet at the same time, whether for streaming, gaming, or video calling. It also tends to be more reliable because it’s less affected by distance, weather, or heavy usage by neighbors 

Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) works by using fiber-optic cables to carry data directly from your internet provider to your home. These cables are special because they use light to transmit information, giving you incredibly super-fast internet speeds. 

The process might look something like this.  

1. Your internet provider sends the signal through a network of fiber-optic cables that are connected across the country. These cables are designed to handle huge amounts of data at high speeds. 
    

2. A dedicated fiber-optic cable runs directly from the main network to your house. Unlike older broadband systems, this connection doesn’t rely on copper phone lines or shared cables for the last stretch. This direct link ensures you get the best possible speeds and reliability. 
    

3. Once the cable reaches your home, it connects to a small device called an Optical Network Terminal (ONT). This box converts the light signals from the fiber cable into data that your devices can use. From the ONT, the internet is delivered to your router, which then spreads the connection wirelessly or through wired connections to your devices. 

Because fiber-optic cables carry data using light instead of electricity, they’re not affected by interference or slowdowns caused by distance. This is what makes FTTP so fast, reliable, and perfect for households that need strong internet for streaming, gaming, and other online activities. 

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) broadband is a type of internet connection that uses a mix of fiber-optic cables and copper wires to bring internet to your home. It’s called "Fibre to the Cabinet" because the high-speed fiber-optic cables run from the telephone exchange to a green cabinet on your street or nearby. From there, the connection continues to your home using copper wires. 

This setup is faster than older types of broadband, like ADSL, because fiber-optic cables can carry data at much higher speeds over long distances. However, because the final stretch to your home uses copper wires, the speed you get can depend on how far you are from the cabinet. The closer you are to the cabinet, the faster your connection is likely to be. 

FTTC is widely available and often provides a good balance of speed and affordability for everyday internet needs like streaming, gaming, and working from home. While it’s not as fast as FTTP broadband, it’s much faster than older connections, such as ADSL, and can handle most households’ daily internet demands. 

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) broadband combines both fiber-optic cables and copper telephone wires to connect to your home:  

The process might look something like this:  

1. High-speed fiber-optic cables connect the main internet hub (called the telephone exchange) to a green cabinet located on your street or nearby. These fiber-optic cables are very efficient and can carry data quickly over long distances without slowing down. 
    

2. Once the data reaches the cabinet, it travels the rest of the way to your home through traditional copper telephone wires. Copper wires are not as fast as fiber, and they can lose speed the farther they are from the cabinet. 
    

3. Inside your home, the data travels through your phone line to your router. The router then sends the internet signal wirelessly or through cables to your devices like phones, laptops, and smart TVs. 

The difference between FTTP and FTTC broadband is the type of cable that’s used. FTTP is generally faster and more reliable because it uses all-fibre connections directly to your home, while FTTC relies on a mix of fibre and copper, which can lead to slower internet speeds, especially over longer distances. 

FTTP (Fiber to the Premises) means that the fiber-optic cable runs all the way from the internet service provider's infrastructure directly to your home or business. This provides the fastest and most reliable internet connection because the fiber reaches right to your doorstep.  

With FTTP, there is no copper cable involved, so the connection is less likely to experience issues like slower speeds or interruptions, even during peak usage times. FTTP can deliver very high-speed internet, often in the range of 1 Gbps (Gigabit per second) or higher. 

FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet), on the other hand, uses fiber-optic cables up to a street cabinet or distribution point near your home, but from there, it switches to traditional copper wires (usually from the telephone network) to reach your house. While fiber still provides a speed boost over traditional copper, the distance the signal travels over copper can reduce the overall speed and reliability.  

This means that FTTC typically offers slower speeds compared to FTTP, and the speed may drop further if you live farther from the street cabinet. 

That depends on what you’re looking for! FTTP is the better option if you need the fastest, most reliable internet, and it’s available in your area. If FTTP isn’t an option or if your internet needs are more basic, then FTTC can still provide a solid internet connection, though it may not be as fast or future-proof. 

If you’re in a location where FTTP is available, it might be the best option for future-proofing your internet connection, especially if you plan to upgrade your devices or need high-speed internet for a growing household. 

Yes! Our FTTP broadband includes our superfast Gig2 broadband, which is available in many suburban and semi-rural areas across the UK, including areas in Belfast, Cardiff, London and Glasgow. Use our helpful postcode checker to see if you’re eligible.  

Gig2 is powered by the latest XGS-PON technology and operates on a fully fibre network courtesy of nexfibre. This means you get superfast download speeds of up to 2Gbps, enabling you to download video games, films, music and large files in seconds. Those that sign up or upgrade to Gig2 will receive Virgin Media’s Hub 5x router – its first to support XGS-PON technology. 

If you’re in an area that supports Virgin Media FttP, you’ll also be able to boost your connectivity with a major upload speed add-on, providing symmetrical speeds so you can upload as fast as you can download.  

We’re also introducing symmetrical download and upload speeds on its full fibre footprint across all product tiers – the first major UK provider to offer this as an optional add-on. This technology can support 10Gbps speeds in future. 

Let’s see! Whether our FTTP broadband, Gig2, is available for you will depend on where you live and the specific infrastructure in your area. Use our helpful postcode checker to see whether you’re eligible for our full fibre broadband.