FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) is the future of broadband services for households and businesses across the UK. The fibre rollout is happening right now, yet across the South-East, only certain areas have coverage of true fibre broadband at present, however, the rollout continues to gather pace with investment from the Government, Openreach and new fibre providers such as CityFibre.
This is an exciting time as the UK telecoms market embarks on its charge towards becoming a better connected, digital Britain with the PSTN network due to be turned off in 2025. West Sussex, Surrey and the wider South-East area are seeing villages, towns and cities with fibre being added on a very regular basis.
In our latest blog, we intend to cover off some of the basics with regards to FTTP, who has access in and around Horsham, West Sussex along with some guidance on installation time-frames.
What is FTTP?
Often described in a number of different forms, Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is where a fibre cable runs directly from the telephone to your business premises. The residential equivalent is known as Fibre to the Home (FTTH) and works on the exact same technology.
With the ‘line’ or connection being pure fibre, the available speeds are incredibly high and represent a great opportunity for local businesses to embrace the fibre revolution.
Can my business get FTTP?
At this stage (June 2021) particularly in and around the Horsham area, the availability of FTTP is still relatively low and restricted to a lot of the new housing developments. With the increasing level of housing developments in the area, the developers alongside the likes of Openreach, are providing residents/ businesses with FTTP as the only option for broadband.
Properties in other areas will have to play a waiting game as the rollout gathers pace across the town, some may be more fortunate than others in terms of when that happens-the key is to continue to liaise with your telecoms provider to understand the options available for your postcode and location.
How fast is FTTP?
Fast. Its possible that some addresses will have access to the full 1000Mbps (1GB) speeds which will be significant uplift for some compared to their current broadband service.
What FTTP services are available?
Available in incremental plans, there really is a package out there for small businesses of varying sizes.
Can I get FTTP in Horsham?
In some areas, yes you can, which is fantastic news. This is currently restricted to many of the new housing developments such as Highwood and Wickhurst Green although alternative providers are starting to enter the local market including CityFibre.
At present our FTTP services are delivered through network service providers using the Openreach network.
How do I get FTTP ordered?
Liaise with your telecoms provider to establish if they can provide you with an FTTP service, when it is clarified that FTTP is available, an order can be placed that will follow the process below.
Step 1: Place an order
Step 2: Site Survey. Arguably the most important aspect of the order process, as the survey will determine what work is required to install a fibre connection at the required premises. No additional works will ever be carried out without your approval and in some cases, additional external works can be required to get the fibre cable into your premises.
Step 3: Engineer Appointment
How much does FTTP cost?
As with any broadband service it depends on the type of connection you have selected. There are ‘entry level’ packages with 80:20 download/upload through to the full 1GB download option.
Our FTTP prices start from £45.00 per month plus VAT.
How long does it take to get FTTP installed?
It all depends on the availability of FTTP in the first place. We have experienced cases where it has taken three weeks from the initial order through to a couple of months if external works are required.
An Optical Network Terminator (ONT) will need to be installed inside your business premises as this is where the fibre cable is connected to.
Best thing to do is to check with us or your service provider to talk you through this process.
What are the benefits of FTTP compared to FTTC?
Speed. Pure Fibre Connection. Value for Money. FTTP is an insight to broadband access of the future, why not experience fibre technology in 2020 for only a small price uplift in comparison to FTTC.
FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) is a part copper, part fibre connection whereby the fibre connects the green cabinet to the telephone exchange. The final part of the journey from the green cabinet to the premises is a copper connection. This is the weak link in the service, hence why FTTP is the better option-fibre from the exchange directly to the premises.
Can Keytech Networks provide FTTP Broadband to my business in Horsham?
Absolutely. We partner with the UK’s leading network providers to ensure we are providing a ‘business’ grade service that our customers can trust.
To provide you with further details on FTTP availability, please contact our team on 01403 620600 or by email info@keytechnetworks.co.uk so we can carry out the necessary address checks to ensure we are working with the most accurate information.
