Full Fibre Broadband UK 2026: What Is FTTP, How to Check Availability and When It Arrives

What full fibre broadband is and how it works

Full fibre broadband uses fibre optic cables -- glass or plastic strands that carry data as pulses of light -- to connect your home directly to the network. The technical name is FTTP: Fibre to the Premises. The distinguishing feature is that the fibre runs the entire distance from the local exchange or distribution point all the way to a box on the wall inside your home. There is no copper telephone wire involved anywhere in the connection.

This matters for two reasons. First, optical fibre can carry vastly more data than copper wire -- the physics of light-based transmission allows bandwidth that copper cannot approach. Second, unlike copper, fibre performance does not degrade with distance. A customer 2 kilometres from the exchange gets the same maximum speed as one 200 metres away. This is the fundamental advantage of full fibre over the older superfast FTTC technology.

Full fibre versus superfast: what the difference means in practice

Most UK broadband customers who describe themselves as being on 'fibre' are actually on FTTC -- Fibre to the Cabinet. FTTC runs fibre optic cable from the exchange to a green street cabinet, but then uses the existing copper telephone line for the final stretch to your home. It is this final copper section that limits speeds and causes the degradation most customers experience.

On FTTC, the maximum speed you can achieve depends on the length and quality of the copper line between the cabinet and your home. A house 100 metres from the cabinet might achieve 70 Mbps. A house 600 metres away on old copper might achieve 20 Mbps. Weather, line quality and the number of joints in the cable all affect this. FTTC speeds also degrade over time as the copper infrastructure ages.

Full fibre (FTTP) eliminates all of this. There is no copper, no distance-related degradation, no weather sensitivity in the line itself. Speeds are consistent regardless of how far you are from the distribution point. Latency -- the responsiveness of the connection -- is also lower on FTTP, which matters for gaming, video calls and any real-time application.

Who builds full fibre in the UK

Full fibre infrastructure in the UK is built by two types of organisation: Openreach (the wholesale network division of BT Group) and alternative network providers (altnets) who build independently.

Openreach

Openreach is the dominant FTTP builder in the UK. It constructs and maintains the physical network -- ducts, cables, distribution points and the connection to your home -- and then makes this wholesale network available to ISPs: BT Retail, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone, Plusnet and dozens of smaller providers. When any of these ISPs offer you full fibre broadband, they are almost certainly reselling access to Openreach's network.

Openreach is legally separate from BT's retail business and is regulated by Ofcom under significant market power (SMP) obligations. This means Openreach must provide wholesale access to its network on fair and regulated terms, preventing BT Retail from gaining an advantage over competitors. Ofcom opened a Call for Inputs on Openreach's proposed commercial pricing offers in June 2026, reviewing how these terms affect competition in the wholesale broadband market.

Altnets

Alternative network providers build their own FTTP infrastructure independently of Openreach, competing with it in specific areas. The major altnets in 2026 are:

Altnets have attracted significant private and institutional investment, with CityFibre alone targeting eight million premises across 150-plus UK cities. In areas where both Openreach and an altnet have built FTTP, consumers benefit from genuine infrastructure competition -- not just ISP competition over the same physical network. Altnet ISPs are often cheaper or offer faster symmetric speeds than Openreach-based equivalents.

How to check if you can get full fibre broadband

Full fibre availability varies street by street, sometimes house by house. Two neighbours on the same road can have different answers. The only reliable way to check is to use a coverage checker with your full address or postcode.

Ofcom coverage checker

Ofcom's broadband and mobile coverage checker at checker.ofcom.org.uk shows whether gigabit-capable broadband is available at your postcode. This is the independent, regulator-published tool -- it is not operated by any commercial provider and does not direct you to specific deals. Enter your postcode and it shows current superfast, ultrafast and gigabit-capable availability across all major network providers.

Openreach checker

Openreach publishes its own coverage checker at openreach.com/fibre-broadband, which shows whether FTTP has been built to your street or is planned. It also shows approximate rollout dates for streets where build is underway or confirmed. If your street is not yet on the Openreach map, you can register interest to be notified when FTTP reaches your area.

Altnet coverage checkers

If you live in an area served by an altnet, you will need to check that provider's own coverage tool. CityFibre's checker is at cityfibre.com. Community Fibre (London) at communityfibre.co.uk. Hyperoptic at hyperoptic.com. Toob at toob.co.uk. Because altnets build in specific geographies, Ofcom's checker may show no gigabit availability even where an altnet has built, if that altnet's data is not fully reflected.

When full fibre is coming to your area

If full fibre is not yet available at your address, the question of when it will arrive depends on who is building in your area and where you sit in their deployment plan.

Urban areas, particularly in cities and large towns, typically receive full fibre first -- the return on investment per metre of cable laid is higher in dense areas. Suburban areas follow. Rural and semi-rural properties are often the last to be reached commercially, and some will only receive FTTP through government-subsidised schemes such as Project Gigabit.

Openreach publishes a street-by-street rollout indication on its checker. Properties can register interest which feeds into Openreach's commercial deployment prioritisation. CityFibre publishes a city-by-city rollout map on its website. For rural areas, check with your local council about Project Gigabit coverage in your area -- DCMS publishes maps of planned and funded coverage.

The UK Government's target is nationwide gigabit-capable broadband coverage by 2030. Progress is tracked in Ofcom's Connected Nations reports. As of January 2026, approximately 85% of UK premises can access gigabit-capable broadband (FTTP or cable). Reaching the remaining 15% -- which includes the most rural and hardest-to-reach properties -- is the most expensive and challenging part of the rollout.

The Openreach ONT: what gets installed

When Openreach installs full fibre at your property, an engineer visits to run a fibre optic cable from the nearest distribution point (typically on a pole or in a duct outside) into your home. Inside, they install an ONT -- an Optical Network Terminal. This is a small box, usually white, fixed to a wall near where the cable enters the building.

The ONT converts the optical signal from the fibre into an electrical signal that your router can use. Your router plugs into the ONT via an Ethernet cable. The ONT replaces the old master telephone socket as the point where your broadband connection enters the home. Once FTTP is installed, the copper telephone line is no longer used for broadband.

If you have an existing router from your ISP, you will likely need a new one when you upgrade to FTTP, as older routers designed for FTTC connections may not work correctly with the ONT. Most ISPs send a new router when you order a full fibre product.

Openreach FTTP multiport withdrawal

In 2024, Openreach announced the withdrawal of its FTTP multiport product -- a specific wholesale provisioning arrangement that allowed ISPs to connect multiple services through a single ONT port. The multiport product withdrawal affects ISPs' technical approach to provisioning FTTP services, particularly for complex installations such as flats and apartments where a single ONT may serve multiple units.

For most residential customers, this technical change is invisible -- it affects how ISPs order and provision services from Openreach's wholesale systems, not the end-user experience. However, for ISPs and property developers planning FTTP deployments in multi-dwelling units, the multiport withdrawal required planning and system changes. Openreach provided transition guidance and timelines to affected ISPs.

Full fibre and the PSTN switch-off

The traditional UK telephone network -- the PSTN, or Public Switched Telephone Network -- has been in operation since the nineteenth century. It is being switched off entirely by December 2027. Openreach is migrating all telephone lines from the copper PSTN to an all-IP (internet protocol) network called Digital Voice. When FTTP is installed at a property, the copper line is retired and landline calls are delivered over the broadband connection using VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol).

For most customers, this change is seamless -- calls are made and received using a normal telephone handset plugged into an adapter, or through a router with a telephone port. The number stays the same. Call quality is typically equivalent to or better than the old copper network.

The main risk is for households that rely on equipment requiring a copper telephone line: certain older alarm systems, some telecare devices (personal emergency response systems), older fax machines, and some payment terminals. These devices may not work on a VoIP line without modification or replacement. Ofcom has published specific guidance on the PSTN switch-off for telecare users.

Full fibre speed tiers and what they mean

FTTP plans are typically sold in speed tiers based on the contracted download and upload speeds. Common tiers in 2026 from major providers include 150 Mbps, 300 Mbps, 500 Mbps (half gigabit) and 900-1,000 Mbps (full gigabit). Some providers -- particularly altnets like Hyperoptic and Community Fibre -- offer symmetric plans where upload speed matches download speed.

For most households, 150-300 Mbps is more than sufficient for multiple simultaneous 4K streams, video calls, gaming and general internet use. The higher tiers are most useful for households with many simultaneous heavy users, for businesses running servers or large file transfers, or for future-proofing against increasing bandwidth demand.

Ofcom's definition of decent broadband -- the Universal Service Obligation standard -- is only 10 Mbps down and 1 Mbps up. This floor was set in 2019 and is now far below what typical UK households use. Even entry-level FTTP plans at 150 Mbps deliver 15 times the USO standard.

Frequently asked questions

What is full fibre broadband?

Full fibre broadband -- FTTP, Fibre to the Premises -- delivers a fibre optic cable directly to your home, with no copper wire involved anywhere in the connection. It delivers speeds of 150 Mbps to 1 Gbps or more, with consistent performance regardless of how far you are from the exchange or cabinet. About 60% of UK premises can access FTTP as of January 2026, according to Ofcom.

What is the difference between FTTP and FTTC?

FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) runs fibre only as far as the green street cabinet, then uses your existing copper telephone line for the final stretch. Speed degrades with distance from the cabinet -- a house 600 metres away might achieve 20 Mbps while one 100 metres away gets 70 Mbps. FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) replaces the copper entirely, running fibre all the way to your home. No copper means no distance degradation, higher speeds and lower latency.

How do I check if full fibre is available at my address?

Use Ofcom's free coverage checker at checker.ofcom.org.uk (enter your postcode to see gigabit-capable availability). Also check Openreach directly at openreach.com/fibre-broadband -- this shows whether FTTP has been built to your street and planned rollout dates. If you are in a city served by an altnet (CityFibre, Hyperoptic, Community Fibre, Toob), check their coverage tools separately.

When will full fibre be available in my area?

Check Openreach's checker at openreach.com for planned rollout dates on your street. Register interest if FTTP is not yet available -- this feeds into deployment prioritisation. In rural areas not covered commercially, check whether your area is included in the Government's Project Gigabit programme at gigabitbroadband.which.co.uk. The UK Government's target is nationwide gigabit broadband by 2030.

What is the ONT box installed for full fibre?

When Openreach installs full fibre, an engineer fits an ONT (Optical Network Terminal) -- a small box on your wall that converts the optical signal from the fibre cable into an electrical signal your router can use. Your router plugs into the ONT via Ethernet. The ONT replaces the old master telephone socket as your broadband entry point. You will likely need a new router, which your ISP will supply when you order FTTP.

Will full fibre affect my landline?

Yes. When FTTP is installed, your copper telephone line is retired. Landline calls are delivered via VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) over your broadband connection -- your number stays the same and you use a normal handset. If you use a telecare alarm, monitored burglar alarm or fax that depends on the copper line, check with the provider before switching. The national PSTN copper network is being switched off entirely by December 2027.

Who builds full fibre broadband in the UK?

Openreach (BT Group's network division) builds the main UK wholesale FTTP network, used by BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and Plusnet. Alternative network providers (altnets) build independent FTTP in specific areas: CityFibre (150+ cities, 8M premises target), Hyperoptic (dense urban blocks), Community Fibre (London), Gigaclear (rural England), Toob (South England) and others. Virgin Media operates a separate gigabit-capable cable network covering 57% of UK premises.

Is full fibre worth it?

For most households, yes. Full fibre provides faster speeds, more consistent performance, lower latency and better reliability than FTTC superfast broadband. Upload speeds are dramatically higher -- important for video calls, cloud backup and working from home. Prices for entry-level FTTP (150-300 Mbps) are now comparable to superfast deals. If FTTP is available at your address, upgrading is generally worthwhile. Use Ofcom's checker to confirm availability first.