The Difference Between FTTC & FTTP? Which Is Best For Gaming?
What Is FTTC?
Fibre To The Cabinet (FTTC) is the most common infrastructure used to provide superfast fibre broadband to premises in the UK. FTTC consists of a fibre optical cable running from a BT Exchange to street-side cabinet and then onto your premises via copper cabling (phone lines). Typically, this infrastructure allows for download speeds of up to 80mbps and is available across almost all of the UK.
Recently, GFast Fibre Broadband has been introduced to certain BT Exchanges and cabinets. GFast utilises FTTC infrastructure but allows for speeds of up to 330mb download. A special device is fitted into the local BT Cabinets and it boosts the broadband speed over the copper telephone cable to a particular premises. Currently, the availability of GFast is very limited but BT aim to provide it to almost 10m premise by the end of 2020.
What Is FTTP?
Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) is a different way of delivering fibre broadband to premises. FTTP consists of a fibre optical cable running directly from a BT Exchange directly to the premises. This infrastructure allows for downloads speeds of up to 1000mbps, however, availability is limited as only households located close enough to an internet exchange can benefit from FTTP. FTTP does not use any existing phone line (copper cabling) so the performance is much greater.
Which Is Better For Gaming?
As mentioned, standard FTTC (not including GFast) allows for ultrafast fibre broadband speeds up to 80mbps, whereas FTTP can allow for speeds of up to 1000mbps so in that sense FTTP is undoubtedly better for gaming. Also, as with FTTP, the premises is directly connected to the BT Exchange via a fibre optical cable, the connection should also be more secure and reliable.
A secure and reliable internet connection is obviously crucial when gaming as you do not want your connection to keep cutting out as this will result in lag or even disconnects. However, as mentioned, not everyone can benefit from FTTP in the UK as it depends on the location’s infrastructure.
Gaming Broadband can provide ultrafast broadband through FTTC, GFast and FTTP. To see what fibre broadband options are available to you through Gaming Broadband, use our availability checker or visit our plans page. We offer customers with the best broadband for gaming that they can get. Our network carriers utilise peering arrangements that result in mega low-latency and superfast ping whilst gaming.
