You may have noticed the words full fibre broadband slip into conversation here and there in recent years. Or caught whisperings and rumours of full fibre broadband being installed in your area. And while it sounds exciting, many people in the UK are still at a loss to what it all means.
This article is for those of you who simply don’t have a clue and want to know more about ultrafast full fibre broadband before it’s installed in your area. In this article, we explain what it is, how it works, and why it is being installed around the country.
What Is Full Fibre Broadband?
Firstly, let’s understand what this means and how it differs from your current broadband.
Full fibre broadband is a new type of broadband that uses fibre optic cables to connect both homes and businesses to the internet. The term fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) is also used to refer to it and you may notice businesses using this term when making the switch.
Full fibre is essentially set to be the future of broadband connectivity. Providing users with ultrafast internet access, without the worry of lagging, slow loading and downloading speeds, and frequent dropouts.
How Are Fibre Optic Cables Installed?
In order for homes and businesses to connect to a new full fibre broadband, fibre optic cables must be installed within the area. Replacing older, less-reliable copper cables that have traditionally been used to provide internet connectivity.
In recent years you may have noticed a lot of underground work being carried out by cable teams. Possibly shutting streets and closing down roads. This work is all for the benefit of households and businesses in the area. However, some areas may still rely on overhead infrastructure, such as telegraph poles to connect to the new fibre network.
With teams laying the fibre optic cables necessary to deliver full fibre broadband to areas across the UK.
Once the fibre optic cables have been installed an engineer can undergo the work necessary to connect your home or business. This may include the following steps:
- A broadband engineer will install a fibre optic cable, either from a nearby telegraph pole or via an underground route, to a junction box on the exterior of your building.
- Following this, a thinner cable will be threaded indoors to connect with a compact, powered unit mounted on the wall, into which your router will be plugged.
- Once this process is completed, you should be able to connect remotely to your new broadband provider.
Why Are Homes Switching to Fibre Broadband?
There are a number of benefits that come with making the switch to full fibre broadband, including:
- More reliable internet connection
- Faster download and loading speeds
- Fewer dropouts in comparison to standard broadband. Meaning you can stay connected without any fuss
- No shared bandwidth. Full fibre broadband doesn’t require you to share bandwidth with your neighbours. Allowing more flexibility within your household. Run multiple devices at once, from your work desktop to your gaming consoles.
To put it simply; full fibre directly connects fibre cables to your home, eliminating data slowdown between the street cabinet and your property. So, you can enjoy faster, stress-free internet access in your home or your business.
