FTTC vs FTTP

What do FTTC/FTTH and FTTP stand for?

FTTP stands for Fibre to the Premises. FTTP is sometimes called FTTH, which stands for Fibre to the Home – these are just slightly different names for the exact same technology: full fibre broadband

FTTC stands for Fibre to the Cabinet, and it's a type of part-fibre broadband. Another type of part-fibre broadband is SoGEA - this is the technology that all of our part-fibre broadband pages use.

What’s the difference between FTTP and FTTC?

Full fibre broadband (FTTP/FTTH) uses only fibre optic cables. These run from the exchange straight into your home, or premises.

Part-fibre broadband (FTTC or SoGEA) uses both fibre optic cables and copper cables. The fibre optic cables run from the exchange to your street cabinet, then copper cables run from the street cabinet to your home.

How do FTTP/FTTH and FTTC compare when it comes to broadband speeds?

Full fibre broadband (FTTP/FTTH) uses fast fibre optic cables that go straight from the exchange into your home. This means that when you choose one of our full fibre plans you can get speeds up to 2.2Gbps - depending on location, supplier and eligibility.

Part-fibre broadband (FTTC or SoGEA) use both fibre optic cables and older copper cables - the copper cables aren’t as fast. This means part-fibre broadband speeds are limited to 80Mbps.

What are the other benefits of FTTP/FTTH?

Full fibre broadband is less likely to experience faults or interference from things like bad weather.

Part-fibre is also being phased out, which means it eventually won’t be available in areas which have full fibre coverage. Upgrading now will save you time in the future.

Do I have FTTP or FTTC broadband currently?

You can check with your broadband provider whether you have a full fibre (FTTP/FTTH) or a part-fibre (FTTC or SoGEA) connection.

If you’re already a Vodafone Broadband customer and have a full fibre connection, your plan name will include the words ‘full fibre’, for example, ‘Full Fibre 500’. If you have a part-fibre connection, you will have a Fibre 1 or Fibre 2 plan. If you’re a new customer and can get full fibre broadband, you’ll see full fibre plans listed when checking your availability

Can I upgrade FTTC to FTTP?

You can upgrade to full fibre broadband (FTTP/FTTH) if your area has already rolled out full fibre. If you’re a new customer, you can check your coverage

If you’re an existing customer, we have a dedicated page where you can learn more and upgrade your broadband

If you can’t upgrade at the moment, we can let you know when full fibre is available in your area. Register your interest

Is FTTC being phased out?

The copper network which part-fibre broadband (FTTC) runs on, is being gradually phased out across the UK. This is known as the Public Switch Telephone Network (PSTN) switch off. PSTN will phase out copper cables in favour of a digital network fit for the modern era. Openreach, who manage this network, are aiming for a completion date of 2030.

Our part-fibre (SoGEA) and full fibre connections are both supplied with a Digital Voice phone line.