The fixed broadband infrastructure network has evolved considerably since the slow dial-up connections by which we first used to access the internet around 30 years ago. Technological advances since then have provided us with much faster speeds, allowing for a far wider range of online activities.

While not everyone in Warwickshire has yet benefited from faster broadband connections, the work our team has undertaken has contributed significantly to improving the situation by helping to increase superfast broadband coverage (30Mbps +) from 73% when we were set up in 2012 to 99% today.

Currently, there are four different technologies in use that provide fixed broadband services to consumers throughout the UK.

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL)

Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line (ADSL) is the most basic type of broadband connection in the UK. It operates through a standard copper phone line via the legacy Copper Access Network that connects your property to the exchange. ADSL allows data to travel alongside voice calls without disrupting your phone service.

Download speeds can vary and depend on the type of ADSL broadband connection you have. ADSL1 connections have download speeds of up to 10Mbps, while ADSL2+ has download speeds of up to 24Mbps. Other factors affecting ADSL speeds include the age and quality of the copper wiring and more importantly, the distance from the serving exchange.

Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC)

By 2010, Openreach had begun the rollout of Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) infrastructure.

FTTC is, in effect, a hybrid solution that bridges the gap between the traditional copper-based connections (ADSL) and the full-fibre (FTTP) solutions being deployed today.

Fibre optic cabling runs from the telephone exchange to the green street cabinets near your home. Traditional copper wiring then completes the connection between the cabinet and your premises.

FTTC connections can achieve download speeds of up to 80Mbps. However, the actual speeds you will be able to achieve again depends on the age and quality of the copper wiring and more importantly, on the distance between your property and the cabinet it is connected to. Homes closer to the serving cabinet generally experience faster speeds.

In 2016, Openreach started deploying a variant of FTTC in some areas called G.fast. This uses new hardware in the street side cabinets, which can boost speeds to 300Mbps for properties located close to the serving cabinets.

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) – sometimes referred to as Fibre to the Home (FTTH) or Full Fibre – is the technology that is being used to provide the majority of broadband services throughout the UK.

Unlike ADSL and FTTC which are dependent on the increasingly unreliable copper network, FTTP is delivered via fibre optic cabling that connects your home or business to the telephone exchange.

With its 100% full fibre-optic connection, FTTP provides a lightning-fast, ultra-reliable broadband experience compared to those still reliant on copper. Download speeds of up to 1Gbps (1,000Mbps) allow consumers and businesses to perform a far broader range of online activities than ever before via a future-proofed network with the capacity to provide even faster services in the near future.

Warwickshire has already seen significant investment in the building of FTTP infrastructure from both commercial providers and the UK government. Contracts 2 and 3 of our Superfast programme has already delivered FTTP connections to thousands of properties across the county with our Project Gigabit build set to deliver gigabit capable connectivity to thousands more.

DOCSIS 3.1

DOCSIS 3.1 is Virgin Media O2’s coax cable network that delivers high-quality internet access with download speeds of up to 1Gbps (gigabits per second) using Hybrid Fibre Coax (HFC) network technology.

Virgin Media O2 completed its network upgrade to DOCSIS 3.1 in 2021. The company is now focusing on fully upgrading their network to full fibre by 2028. For more information visit the Virgin Media website.