1 / 6
Broadband Technology Explained
Learn the differences between ADSL, Cable, FTTC and FTTP broadband connections.
ADSLUp to 24 Mbps
CableUp to 1 Gbps
FTTCUp to 80 Mbps
FTTPUp to 10 Gbps
ADSL
Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line
ADSL uses old copper telephone lines from the exchange directly to your home.
Internet Exchange
➜
Copper Phone Line
➜
Your Home
Advantages
- Widely available
- Cheap to deploy
- Uses existing phone lines
Disadvantages
- Very slow speeds
- Distance affects performance
- Poor upload speeds
Cable Broadband
DOCSIS Coaxial Network
Cable broadband uses fibre to a local node, then coaxial cable shared between homes.
Internet Core
➜
Fibre Node
➜
Coaxial Cable
➜
Your Home
Advantages
- Fast download speeds
- Good availability in cities
- Better than ADSL
Disadvantages
- Shared neighbourhood bandwidth
- Slower uploads
- Can slow down at peak times
FTTC
Fibre To The Cabinet
FTTC uses fibre to the street cabinet, then copper cable from the cabinet to the home.
Internet Exchange
➜
Fibre Network
➜
Street Cabinet
➜
Copper Cable
➜
Your Home
Advantages
- Faster than ADSL
- Widely available
- Lower latency
Disadvantages
- Still relies on copper
- Speed drops with distance
- Limited upload speeds
FTTP
Full Fibre Broadband
FTTP delivers fibre optic cable directly into the property with no copper lines involved.
Internet Core
➜
Full Fibre Network
➜
Your Home
Advantages
- Ultra-fast speeds
- Symmetrical uploads/downloads
- Reliable and future proof
Disadvantages
- Not available everywhere
- Higher deployment cost
- Requires fibre installation
Summary Comparison
ADSL
- Old copper phone lines
- Slowest technology
- Most affected by distance
Cable
- Coaxial cable network
- Fast downloads
- Shared local bandwidth
FTTC
- Fibre to cabinet
- Copper to the home
- Good balance of speed/cost
FTTP
- 100% fibre connection
- Fastest and most reliable
- Future-proof technology
FTTP is the future of broadband connectivity.