Business FTTP: Full Fibre Broadband for UK Businesses

FTTP vs FTTC: Why the Last Mile Matters

FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) runs fibre from the exchange to the street cabinet, then uses the existing copper telephone line for the final section to your premises. This copper segment limits performance — speeds decrease with distance from the cabinet, and upload speeds are typically a fraction of download speeds. Most standard business broadband uses FTTC infrastructure.

Openreach FTTP footprint (Q3 2025): 19.7 million premises, covering 58.7% of all UK premises. (ISPreview)

Total FTTP coverage (Q3 2025): 79.5% of UK premises (~26.7 million premises) — across all operators including Openreach, altnets, VMO2, and KCOM. (ISPreview)

Broadband usage on Openreach's network grew 4.8% in 2025 to a total of 108,599 Petabytes (PB) — enough to stream more than 10 million hours of HD video every single day. (Openreach)

FTTP removes the copper entirely. Fibre runs all the way to your building, providing much higher speeds, better upload-to-download symmetry, and more consistent performance. It is also more future-proof — fibre infrastructure can support significantly higher speeds as technology improves.

FTTP Speeds for Business

Business FTTP products in the UK are typically available from 100Mbps to 1Gbps download. Upload speeds on FTTP are substantially better than FTTC, though most consumer and business FTTP products are still asymmetric (faster download than upload). Some FTTP products offer near-symmetric speeds at higher tiers, which benefits businesses with significant upload requirements.

For a business of 20 to 50 staff using cloud applications, email, video conferencing, and standard file storage, a 500Mbps or 1Gbps FTTP line typically provides comfortable headroom for current use and near-term growth. AMVIA can assess your current bandwidth consumption and recommend an appropriate speed tier.

Business vs Residential FTTP

Business FTTP products differ from residential FTTP in several important ways. Business products typically include static IP addresses (essential for VPN, hosted applications, and some cloud services), dedicated business support with better fault response times, and service level commitments on uptime and repair. Some business FTTP products include higher contention ratios than residential, meaning your line is shared with fewer other customers.

AMVIA sources business-grade FTTP products, not residential packages. The distinction matters for businesses where connectivity is operationally critical.

FTTP Availability in the UK

Full-fibre coverage in the UK has expanded significantly through rollouts by Openreach, CityFibre, Virgin Media Business, and alternative network (altnet) providers. Coverage is now available in the majority of UK towns and cities, with rural coverage continuing to expand through BDUK and Project Gigabit funding. Availability varies significantly by postcode.

AMVIA checks availability across all major FTTP networks for your specific address, not just the most prominent providers. In many areas, alternative network providers offer competitive pricing or better infrastructure than the incumbent operators.

Static IP Addresses

Most business uses of internet connectivity require a static IP address — VPN configuration, firewall rules, remote desktop access, hosting inbound services, or working with suppliers that IP-whitelist connections. AMVIA supplies business FTTP products with static IP addresses as standard. Consumer broadband products typically use dynamic IPs that change on reconnection.

When FTTP is Right and When to Consider a Leased Line

FTTP is suitable for the majority of SMEs that need fast, reliable internet access. However, it remains a shared-infrastructure product without the guaranteed committed speed that a leased line provides. If your business cannot tolerate any speed variability during peak hours, requires a strong contractual SLA with defined repair times, or has specific symmetric bandwidth requirements at gigabit speeds, a leased line may be more appropriate.

AMVIA will advise honestly on this trade-off based on your specific requirements and the options available at your premises. Many businesses run FTTP as their primary connection and use a second FTTP or broadband line as a failover, providing resilience at a lower total cost than a leased line.

AMVIA's FTTP Service

AMVIA sources FTTP from all major UK providers, manages the installation process, and provides ongoing fault management and circuit monitoring. Your FTTP circuit is monitored via AmviaIQ. If performance degrades or the circuit drops, AMVIA detects the issue and opens a fault with the carrier — you do not need to navigate provider support yourself.