Fibre Optic Broadband

What do you need to know about fibre optic broadband?

Fibre optic broadband is increasing in popularity, due to its reliability and generally consistent improvements in data speed over conventional cabling. Before you start browsing fibre optic broadband deals, however, what do you need to know?

What is fibre optic broadband?

Fibre is called such because it uses fibre optic cabling, in place of the traditional copper cabling. Much of the copper cabling was laid down when the primary means of communication was the telephone, as such they’re optimised to carry voices rather than data. That means conventional copper cabling is slow, as it doesn’t take much data to cause a bottleneck.

Fibre, however, uses fibre optic cabling. Fibre optic cabling is capable of handling a much higher volume of data transfer than traditional copper cables can. That means you get to benefit from much faster upload and download speeds. It’s also worth noting that fibre optic cable is also far more resilient than copper cables, which makes the connection more reliable.

You may be wondering “how do they install fibre optic broadband?” – the answer is simple, by digging up the old copper cables and replacing them with fibre optic cable. Though simple in principle, it’s time-consuming and expensive in practice.

What is “fibre to the premises” or FTTP?

If you’ve been browsing fibre deals you may have come across the term fibre to the premises, otherwise known as FTTP or full-fibre. What is it? There are two different types of fibre installations currently available in the UK.

The first is where fibre cable is laid from your local exchange to the junction box which services your street; they’re often green. From that box, conventional copper cabling remains connected to each house in the street. This allows for faster connections than standard, but the data flow is still somewhat hamstrung getting to homes via the copper cable.

Fibre to the premises means that fibre cable is also installed from the junction box directly to your house. That means you’re able to benefit from the full data speed that fibre is capable of providing. This is going to give you the best possible connection speeds but is also likely going to be the most expensive connectivity option. It’s also worth remembering that fibre is still being rolled out, which means full-fibre to the prem is not available in very many locations yet.

Why is fibre worth getting?

Fibre is a worthwhile investment because it allows you considerably higher download speeds than you can get through conventional connectivity. This means if you have a large and busy household, everyone can consume their preferred media more reliably – you can stream a movie in one room while someone downloads music in the next without suffering from slowed connections.

Fibre is also a worthwhile investment if you use your internet connection professionally. The rise in working from home means a faster and more reliable internet connection is always going to be a worthwhile consideration. Fibre will allow you to download and upload data quickly, and provide a degree more reliability in your connection than you get from standard copper cables.

How do you get started with fibre?

The first question to ask is “can I even get fibre optic broadband in my area?” – the reason for this is, as mentioned, not every area of the country has fibre connectivity yet, and not every area that does has full-fibre.

So to do that, you’re going to need a fibre optic broadband checker. If you’re asking “can I get fibre optic broadband?” you can answer it in a matter of moments by using a dedicated comparison tool, like Compare Fibre. All you need to do is use your postcode and you can see and compare fibre optic broadband deals in your area for the best prices.

Finding the best fibre optic broadband deals is easy when you use a comparison tool.

What is the “best” deal for you?

The best fibre optic broadband deal is different for everyone, so it’s important that you determine what you’re looking for in a fibre deal before you get started. Some, for example, are looking for the maximum possible download speed they can find. Others are looking for the best speed they can get within a tightly defined budget.

Others may be looking for a deal from a specific provider, too. There may be certain incentives or bonuses to using BT fibre optic broadband that you want to make use of or extras that come from signing up with Virgin fibre optic broadband.

However you determine what the best deal for you is going to be, you can use the comparison tool of your choice to find that deal in just a few simple moments. There’s no need to contact providers directly and make notes of your own; you’ll have the deals available laid out clearly in front of you, and all you have to do is make your decision.

Which tool is best?

When it comes to comparison tools, there is no “best”, just as there’s no “best” broadband deal; it’s all about the one that best suits your purposes. If you’re looking for fibre deals, however, the chances are you want to find them as quickly and as easily as possible, which is where a tool like Compare Fibre comes in.

All you need is your postcode, and with that, you can see the available fibre deals in your area in moments. You also have the opportunity to filter them based on your preferences, whether it’s for monthly repayments or contract lengths. This leaves you free to tailor your ideal broadband deal to your individual requirements.

When looking for fibre broadband deals let your needs dictate which provider and which package you choose. Wherever you are in the UK there’s going to be a great broadband deal available for you.

Get started with Compare Fibre today and within moments you could be finding the perfect fibre deal for you. All you need is your postcode to see what providers in your area can offer you.