What is FTTC?

FTTC stands for Fibre to the Cabinet, and is part of the 'next generation' of broadband that is currently hot news across the country. With Fibre broadband being installed in more and more areas, FTTC installation will be the preferred installation method for many homes and businesses that look to take advantage of the super fast speeds that Fibre can offer.

The way Fibre to the Cabinet works is very much in the name: it utilises fibre-optic cables that are connected from the distribution point or local telephone exchange to a cabinet in the street. These cabinets then provide broadband to homes using traditional copper cables. These high-performance cables are capable of delivering super fast broadband speeds - up to 80Mbps in some areas. The cabinets themselves that provide broadband to a household will be upgraded with Fibre technology to ensure their compatibility with Fibre broadband. FTTC, then, works in much the same way as ADSL based broadband, but is much faster.

Fibre Compatible

BT hope to make two-thirds of the country fibre compatible by the end of 2014, which means your street could soon be benefiting from super-fast broadband - if it isn't already. The benefits of FTTC are all about speed and performance, and most areas will experience a significant upgrade of their broadband speeds. Although 80Mbps won't be available to everyone, download speeds of at least 40Mpbs are likely for the majority of people, meaning downloading music and movies will be fast and effective.

It should be noted, however, that not everyone will benefit from the super fast speeds that FTTC providers are advertising. Like previous broadband solutions, your speed all depends on your proximity to the Fibre cabinet. If you are within 100m of a fibre cabinet - Happy days! You will likely be able to take advantage of near 80Mpbs speeds. Unfortunately, only a small minority of lucky households will gain these speeds, with estimated connection speed decreasing the further you are away.

For many though, FTTC represents a significant improvement on the speeds that previous broadband's can offer. Everyone would be happier with faster internet, and FTTC can provide speeds that most will have not experience before. So, even if download speeds are a little slower in some areas, the benefits of Fibre broadband will still be there to see. FTTC represents the next generation of broadband - so take advantage when you can!

Why Atlas Support?

The internet should never inhibit your productivity. It should be a tool that increases agility, flexibility and efficiency. While the time your business spends waiting as your internet connection slows can seem minor, it can soon add up to a significant problem.

Fibre ethernet could be the answer. Atlas Support can provide a fibre ethernet solution that guarantees fast speeds of up to 10Gbps and ultra-low latency, via a private, dedicated circuit.

You’ll enjoy the same speeds all day, every day, even at peak times, and have the flexibility to scale up your bandwidth at any time.

And with your circuit fully monitored and supported 24/7, 365 days a year, with a five-hour fix time SLA, you can have confidence that your connection won’t let you down.