Fibre optic broadband

Fibre optic broadband offers high speed internet access for the fastest broadband.

There are two main types of broadband. One uses copper phone wire (ADSL broadband) and the other uses fibre optics (fibre optic broadband).

Fibre optic cable uses glass (as thin as human hair) to transmit emails, music, movies and so on across the internet. ADSL broadband, on the other hand, uses copper cables and speed is lost over long distances. The speed you get with ASDL therefore depends on the distance of your home is from the local BT exchange.

Can I get fibre optic broadband?

At present, Virgin Media, BT Infinity and Plusnet are the main players in the fibre optic market. They are currently offering up to 100Mb speeds for high speed internet access. The maximum speed is lower with standard ADSL (24Mb).

Unfortunately, fibre optic broadband services are not available in every home. They currently cover around 60% of UK households.