What is FTTC Broadband?
FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) is the most common type of "fibre" broadband in the UK, offering speeds up to ~70 Mbps.
How FTTC Works
FTTC uses fibre optic cables from the telephone exchange to the green street cabinet (the box you see on pavements). From the cabinet to your home, it uses the existing copper telephone cables.
This "last mile" of copper is the bottleneck that limits FTTC speeds. The longer the copper cable run to your home, the slower your speeds will be. Homes very close to cabinets can get near the maximum ~70 Mbps, while those further away might only get 20-30 Mbps.
Despite these limitations, FTTC is still a significant upgrade from old ADSL broadband and is sufficient for most household needs.
FTTC Key Facts
- ✓Hybrid Technology: Fibre to the cabinet, copper to your home.
- ✓Max Speed: Up to ~70 Mbps download, ~20 Mbps upload.
- ✓Distance Dependent: Speeds decrease the further you are from the cabinet.
- ✓Widely Available: Available to ~96% of UK premises.
- ✓Uses Phone Line: Requires an active phone line connection.
- ✓Affordable: Generally cheaper than full fibre options.
Should I Upgrade to Full Fibre?
If full fibre (FTTP) is available in your area, upgrading is usually recommended. Full fibre offers significantly faster speeds (up to 1000+ Mbps), better reliability, and is increasingly competitively priced.
However, if FTTC speeds are meeting your needs and full fibre isn't available yet, there's no urgency to change. Many households manage perfectly well on 50-70 Mbps FTTC connections.
Use our comparison tool to check what's available at your address and compare prices between FTTC and full fibre options.