Full Fibre vs Part Fibre: What's the Difference? (2026)

**Full fibre (FTTP) delivers a fibre-optic cable directly into your home, offering speeds from 100 Mbps to 1.8 Gbps with no copper bottleneck. Part fibre (FTTC) uses fibre to the street cabinet then copper to your property, capping speeds at around 80 Mbps. Full fibre is faster, more reliable, and unaffected by distance from the cabinet. As of March 2026, 82% of UK premises can access FTTP.**

Understanding Part Fibre (FTTC)

Part fibre, technically called fibre to the cabinet or FTTC, has been the most common form of superfast broadband in the UK since 2010. Fibre-optic cable runs from the exchange to the street cabinet, but the final connection to your home uses existing copper telephone wire. This copper section, typically 100 to 800 metres, creates a bottleneck that limits speeds. FTTC delivers advertised average download speeds of 36 Mbps on standard fibre and up to 80 Mbps on superfast packages. Upload speeds max out at around 20 Mbps. Plusnet Unlimited Fibre uses the Openreach FTTC network with average speeds of 36 Mbps from £25.99 per month. Around 95% of UK premises can access FTTC, making it widely available. However, speeds degrade with distance from the cabinet, and copper is susceptible to electrical interference, water ingress, and signal attenuation during wet weather.

How Full Fibre (FTTP) Differs

Full fibre to the premises, or FTTP, replaces every metre of copper with fibre-optic cable running directly into your home. An Optical Network Terminal, roughly the size of a paperback book, is installed inside your property. This eliminates the distance penalty entirely, meaning a home 50 metres from the exchange gets the same speed as one 2 kilometres away. BT Full Fibre 900 delivers average download speeds of 900 Mbps with upload speeds of 110 Mbps for around £40 per month. Upload speeds on FTTP are dramatically better than FTTC, typically 100 Mbps or higher versus 20 Mbps maximum on copper. FTTP also offers lower latency, typically 3 to 8 milliseconds compared with 10 to 20 milliseconds on FTTC. This makes a noticeable difference for video calls, online gaming, and cloud-based applications where responsiveness matters.

Speed, Reliability and Cost Compared

FTTC packages typically cost between £25 and £32 per month for speeds of 36 to 80 Mbps. Full fibre starts at similar prices for entry-level tiers and scales up for gigabit speeds. Sky Superfast at 36 Mbps costs around £27 monthly, while Sky Ultrafast at 500 Mbps on FTTP costs £37 per month. Reliability differs substantially. Ofcom data shows FTTC connections experience 10 to 15 hours of downtime annually, while FTTP averages just 2 to 4 hours. Copper lines are vulnerable to corrosion, junction box faults, and electromagnetic interference. Fibre is immune to all three. Virgin Media offers cable broadband up to 1.1 Gbps using its own hybrid fibre-coaxial network, which sits between FTTC and FTTP in terms of technology. For households with multiple devices, remote workers, or gamers, the jump to full fibre typically delivers the most noticeable improvement in daily experience.

Checking Availability and Switching to Full Fibre

As of March 2026, FTTP covers 82% of UK premises through Openreach and alternative networks combined. Openreach alone has passed over 15 million homes. CityFibre, the UK's third national network, covers over 3.5 million premises and supplies broadband via providers including Vodafone and TalkTalk. You can check FTTP availability by entering your postcode on provider websites. Vodafone Pro Broadband offers full fibre plans with average speeds of 900 Mbps and a guaranteed minimum speed. If FTTP is available, switching from FTTC is straightforward under the One Touch Switch process, which completed 1.6 million switches in its first year. Installation involves an engineer visit lasting 2 to 4 hours to fit the fibre cable and ONT. There is usually no digging required as Openreach typically uses existing underground ducts or overhead poles to route the fibre to your property.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is full fibre faster than part fibre?

Yes. Full fibre FTTP delivers speeds from 100 Mbps up to 1.8 Gbps, while part fibre FTTC is capped at around 80 Mbps download. FTTP also offers much faster upload speeds, typically 100 Mbps or higher compared with a maximum of 20 Mbps on FTTC.

How do I know if I have full fibre?

Check your postcode on the Openreach fibre checker. If it shows FTTP available, you can order full fibre. Your current connection type also appears on your router's admin page. If your maximum sync speed is 80 Mbps, you are on FTTC.

Is full fibre more expensive than part fibre?

Entry-level full fibre plans start from around £22 per month, similar to FTTC pricing. Gigabit FTTP packages cost £35 to £50 monthly. The price gap has narrowed significantly as competition between providers increases.

Can I upgrade from part fibre to full fibre?

Yes, if FTTP is available at your address. Use the One Touch Switch process to move providers seamlessly. An engineer visit of 2 to 4 hours is needed to install the fibre cable and optical network terminal inside your home.

Related Guides

Types of Broadband UK · What Is a Broadband Cabinet · Gigabit Broadband Explained · Broadband Speeds Explained

Methodology & Sources

Information in this guide is sourced from Ofcom market reports, Openreach coverage data, ISPreview.co.uk, provider websites and independent broadband research from Point Topic and Thinkbroadband. Prices and availability are checked monthly. Speed data reflects advertised average speeds from provider Key Facts documents.