This means that the fibre optic cable that provides an internet connection runs straight from the exchange, into a Fibre ‘Node’ ( the cabinets placed on local streets) and then into the premises – home or business. It isimportant to note that, although many premises already have a fibre connection,the majority of fibre connections in the UK are currently Fibre to the Cabinet(FTTC).
In comparison, FTTC connections are a part copper and part fibre connection. Fibre optic cable connects the exchange to the cabinet but then the connection from the cabinet to the premises is, normally, completed using copper cable. Copper cable degrades and breaks down over time, becoming less reliable and increasing the chance of line faults and drops in speed. Fibre optic cable is more reliable and capable of carrying data faster over longer distances, drastically increasing the internet speed reaching the premises, upto 10Gbps (10,000Mbps).
With FTTP, the copper cables that used to deliver the country’s internet are now obsolete, and fibre optic cable provides 100% of the connectivity between the exchange, your local cabinet and your home or business. Whilst FTTC offers faster broadband speeds than ADSL telephone line connections thetransfer speed of data – both upload and download – is not as fast as a ‘full fibre’ FTTP.
Getting in touch with your current internet provider and asking if full fibre is available is the easiest way to upgrade your current connection.
However, most of the UK’s larger internet service providers are less likely tobe able to provide smaller villages and remote areas with FTTP Broadband at this stage. The infrastructure set-up costs for broadband services such as DSL and fibre are prohibitively expensive. Installing the infrastructure, alongwith obtaining the relevant permissions to do so, is not only costly but alsotime consuming. Unfortunately because of this, most of the UK’s larger internet service providers are less likely to prioritise smaller, rural communities ahead of more densely populated areas (such as cities or towns) as these arequicker to install and therefore represent a better return on investment.
At Quantum, with many of our employees living in rural areas, we empathise withthese communities who are so often left at the “back of the queue” simply because they choose to live in the beautiful countryside that Lincolnshire has to offer. Which is why we operate an inverse infrastructure rollout model to our larger counterparts which would see us meeting in the middle to provision Gigabit capable broadband for the whole county by the government’s Next Generation Access (NGA) deadline of 2025. We are working with the UK Government’s DCMS (Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport) to offer FREE installation via the Gigabit Broadband Voucher Scheme
