What is Full Fibre broadband?
Updated: Oct 19, 2022
Full Fibre broadband is the latest broadband network technology available, bringing much faster internet to homes and businesses. It sounds simple, but there is still a lot of confusion around exactly what Full Fibre broadband is, with many people erroneously thinking they already have it.
Why is this the case? Unfortunately the waters have been slightly muddied by providers which claim to offer a Full Fibre service but in reality do not. We call these Fake Fibre networks.
Full Fibre vs Fake Fibre
Full Fibre broadband, like what Swish offers, means the fibre optic cables travel right up to your home. As your whole network is made up of state-of-the-art fibre optic cables, you will receive lightning-fast and always-reliable broadband to your home.
Fake Fibre is different. While some of the network is made up of fibre optic cables, these only run to the cabinet on your street (the green boxes by the side of the road). The final bit of the network from the cabinet to your home is then completed using old copper cables. This means that the speed and reliability of the fibre optic cables are lost at the final part of the network, giving you a slower connection speed.
You might also hear of Fake Fibre being referred to as Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC), and Full Fibre broadband being called Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Fibre to the Home (FTTH).
With Swish, your entire network is made up of fibre optic cables, meaning you never have to worry about slower speeds. This is what true Full Fibre broadband is.
If you’re upgrading your home’s internet to fibre broadband, make sure your provider is offering a Full Fibre service.
How does Full Fibre broadband work?
When it first arrived in our homes, the internet used the old copper cables originally installed for telephone lines. Some of these cables in the UK were first laid almost 100 years ago, so unsurprisingly they are prone to failure and aren’t fit for high-speed internet.
Full Fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables, through which information travels using light rather than electricity. This allows them to provide much faster internet speeds, as well as equal upload and download speeds so you can always be certain you have a crystal-clear connection.
Why is Full Fibre broadband more reliable than regular internet connections?
As mentioned above, traditional internet and Fake Fibre networks rely on old, outdated copper cables. Not only do these offer a far slower connection, but are more prone to damage and requiring repairs or upgrades.
Due to their use of electrical signals rather than the light used in fibre optic cables, they can be impacted by inclement weather such as extreme heat or thunderstorms. Being so outdated they also require far more maintenance than fibre optic cables and need to be replaced more often.
Is Full Fibre broadband available in my area?
Swish offer the UK’s fastest available broadband, and we’re constantly extending our network to include more towns and areas of the UK. You can use our postcode checker to see if our lightning-fast Full Fibre broadband is available in your area. If we haven’t quite reached you yet, we’ll get in touch as soon as we do so you can upgrade your home to Full Fibre.