FTTC - a Cheaper Alternative to getting a Leased Line
Some businesses want more bandwidth than ADSL can provide, but can't afford a leased line. Thankfully, they may be in luck. There's a much cheaper option: FTTC.
What is FTTC?
We like to think of Fibre-to-the-cabinet as 'ADSL on steroids.'
| Typical ADSL2+ | Typical FTTC2 | Typical Leased Line | |
| Contention | Yes | Yes | No |
| Max. Download Speed | Varies. Up to 20Mbps | Varies. Up to 80Mbps | Fixed. Up to 10,000Mbps |
| Max. Upload Speed | Varies. Up to 0.448Mbps | Varies. Up to 20Mbps | Fixed. Same as download speed |
| Service Level Agreement | No | No | Yes |
| Unlimited Data Transfers? | Possibly | Possibly | Yes |
| Fast Fixing of Faults | No | No | Yes |
| Suitable for VoIP? | Probably Not | Unclear | Yes |
| Underlying Technology | a copper wire | a short copper wire +fibre-optic cable | fibre-optic cable (mainly) or multiple copper wires |
FTTC Availability
At the time of writing (May 2021, updating our original article from April 2014) FTTC is available to over 95% of premises.
As Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is rolled out to much of the country, the option to order new FTTC connections will stop being available.
Can I Get FTTC? What Speeds Can I Get?
You can check whether you can get FTTC (and ADSL and FTTP) by using the BT Wholesale Availability Checker. It will tell you the connection speed you can expect - downstream (from the Internet to you) and upstream (from you to the Internet). It may also tell you which cabinet your phone line is connected to. In a few cases, near to telephone exchanges, you may be directly connected to an exchange. If this is the case, you won't be able to get FTTC.
What is FTTC2?
There are two main variants of FTTC. One offers up to 40Mbps downstream and up to 10Mbps upstream. The other offers twice those speeds. Many providers refer to that double-speed version as FTTC2. It's worth remembering that these are maximum speeds. You won't likely get them in real life, because in real-life, your office is unlikely to be directly next to the green street cabinet through which your phone line passes.
We Can Provide FTTC and FTTC2 Broadband For Businesses
To find out more, call us on 020 7847 4510. We don't provide FTTC to consumers, as we're purely focused on serving businesses.
Alternatively, if you're interested in a leased line, use the pricing tool at the top of this page to find out how much a leased line would cost in your location.
