Broadband Jargon Buster: Every Term Explained (2026)

FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) means full fibre directly to your home — the fastest type. FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) uses fibre to a street cabinet then copper to your home — up to 80 Mbps. Mbps (megabits per second) measures broadband speed. Latency (ping) measures delay. A 2023 Broadband Genie survey found 63% of UK broadband customers feel providers use confusing language.

Speed and Connection Terms Explained

Mbps (megabits per second) is the standard measure of broadband speed. Gbps means 1,000 Mbps — gigabit-speed connections. Download speed is how fast data arrives at your home; upload speed is how fast you send data out (important for video calls and cloud backups). Latency (also called ping) measures the delay in milliseconds between your device and a server — lower is better, especially for gaming. Bandwidth is the total capacity of your connection, while throughput is the actual speed you achieve in practice. Contention ratio describes how many households share the same local bandwidth — a 50:1 ratio means up to 50 homes share one pipe. Most Openreach FTTP connections have much lower contention than older ADSL. See our full broadband speeds explained guide.

Fibre and Network Terms Explained

FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) runs fibre optic cable to your nearest street cabinet, then uses copper telephone wire for the final stretch to your home — max speed roughly 80 Mbps down and 20 Mbps up. FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) delivers fibre directly to your home, supporting speeds of 1 Gbps and above. ADSL is the oldest broadband type, running entirely over copper — average speed around 10 Mbps. An ISP (Internet Service Provider) is the company you pay — such as BT, Sky or Vodafone. An altnet (alternative network) is any fibre builder other than Openreach, such as CityFibre, Hyperoptic or Gigaclear. Backhaul refers to the high-capacity links connecting local cabinets or exchanges to the wider internet. Read more in our fibre broadband explained and broadband for rural areas guides.

Contract and Pricing Terms Explained

Minimum term is the fixed period you commit to — typically 18 or 24 months in the UK. A rolling monthly contract has no minimum term; you can cancel with 30 days' notice but usually pay more per month. Setup fee is a one-off charge for activation or router delivery — typically £0–£60. An early termination charge (ETC) is the penalty for leaving before your minimum term ends — usually the remaining monthly fees. A mid-contract price rise is an annual increase applied during your contract; since January 2025, Ofcom requires this to be stated as a fixed £ amount, not CPI+X. The Key Facts document is a standardised summary every ISP must provide before you sign, showing price, speed and contract length. See our types of broadband UK guide for more.

Wi-Fi and Router Terms Explained

Wi-Fi 5, Wi-Fi 6, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 are generational standards — each newer version handles more devices and higher speeds. Most ISP-supplied routers in 2026 use Wi-Fi 6. Dual-band means the router broadcasts on both 2.4 GHz (longer range, slower) and 5 GHz (shorter range, faster) frequencies. A mesh system uses multiple units placed around your home to eliminate Wi-Fi dead spots — BT, Sky and Virgin Media all offer mesh add-ons. SSID is simply your Wi-Fi network name. WPA3 is the latest Wi-Fi security protocol, replacing WPA2. Ethernet is a wired connection using a cable plugged directly into your router — faster and more stable than Wi-Fi. A powerline adapter sends your internet signal through your home's electrical wiring. The ONT (Optical Network Terminal) is the small white box fitted to your wall during FTTP installation — it converts the fibre optic signal into an Ethernet connection for your router.

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Mbps and MBps?

Mbps (megabits per second) is how broadband speed is measured. MBps (megabytes per second) is 8 times larger. A 100 Mbps connection can download at approximately 12.5 MBps. File sizes are usually shown in megabytes, while broadband speeds are in megabits.

What does superfast and ultrafast broadband mean?

In the UK, superfast broadband generally means speeds of 30 Mbps or above. Ultrafast usually refers to speeds of 100 Mbps or more, though Ofcom officially defines ultrafast as 300+ Mbps. Gigabit means speeds of 1,000 Mbps (1 Gbps) or faster.

What is bandwidth and how does it affect my broadband?

Bandwidth is the maximum amount of data your connection can transfer at once — think of it as the width of a pipe. More bandwidth (higher Mbps) means more data can flow, so multiple devices can stream, game and browse without slowing each other down.

What is a fair usage policy?

A fair usage policy (FUP) sets limits on data use during peak times, even on 'unlimited' plans. Most major UK broadband providers no longer enforce strict FUPs on residential plans, but it is worth checking the terms, especially with smaller providers or mobile broadband.

Related Guides

Fibre Broadband Explained: FTTP vs FTTC · Broadband Speeds Explained: What Speed Do I Need? · Best Broadband for Rural Areas in the UK · Types Of Broadband Uk

Methodology & Sources

Information in this guide is sourced from Ofcom market reports, Openreach coverage data, ISPreview.co.uk, provider websites and independent broadband research from Point Topic and Thinkbroadband. Prices and availability are checked monthly. Speed data reflects advertised average speeds from provider Key Facts documents.