FTTP for Business: Full-Fibre Broadband Explained
Full Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) runs fibre all the way to your building — no copper final mile. Openreach has committed to passing 25 million UK premises by the end of 2026, and business FTTP starts from £29/month. Here's what FTTP means for your business, how to check availability, and when it isn't enough.
Quick answer: what is FTTP for business?
FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) is full-fibre broadband — the fibre runs all the way into your building rather than stopping at a street cabinet, so speeds of 100Mbps to 1Gbps+ don't degrade over copper. Openreach had passed over 16 million premises by early 2026, with 25 million committed by the end of 2026. Business FTTP starts from £29/month — but it's still contended, best-effort broadband: if you need guaranteed speeds and an SLA, that's a leased line.
Check availability for your postcodeWhat makes FTTP different from the broadband you probably have?
Most UK business broadband is still FTTC — fibre to the street cabinet, copper for the final stretch — which caps real-world speeds at roughly 40–80Mbps down and 8–20Mbps up, degrading with distance from the cabinet. FTTP removes the copper entirely: fibre runs into your building, supporting 100Mbps to 1Gbps+ with far more consistent performance. With around one in five UK businesses reporting their connection speeds are insufficient (Uswitch/TechUK), the upgrade is often overdue.
Can your business actually get FTTP?
Availability is the whole question. Openreach had passed more than 16 million premises with full fibre by early 2026 and has committed to 25 million by the end of 2026, while alt-nets like CityFibre add coverage in their build cities — but availability remains address-by-address. A postcode check against live availability data across both Openreach and CityFibre takes a minute and settles it; our Openreach fibre checker guide explains how the checkers work and what the results mean.
What if FTTP hasn't reached your building yet?
Openreach offers FTTP on Demand (FTTPoD) — building fibre to your premises on request. The economics depend almost entirely on distance to the existing network: within 100m the construction charge is typically £0, 100–500m runs £500–£3,000, 500m–1km £3,000–£10,000+, and beyond 1km costs escalate past £10,000. Lead times run 3–4 months for simple builds and 6–12+ months for complex ones. Beyond roughly 500m, it's usually worth comparing a full leased line instead — the install economics converge and you gain an SLA.
When FTTP isn't enough: the leased line question
FTTP is still broadband: contended (shared with other premises), usually asymmetric, and best-effort — no guaranteed speeds, no fix-time commitment. For teams that live on cloud apps, VoIP and uploads, the question isn't FTTP vs FTTC, it's broadband vs dedicated. A leased line delivers symmetric, uncontended bandwidth with a 99.99% SLA from £69/month for 100Mbps — see the full comparison for when each wins.
What does business FTTP cost?
Entry business FTTP starts from £29/month (80/20 Mbps with a static IP), with faster full-fibre tiers priced by speed and postcode. The full breakdown — by technology, and against the leased-line upgrade path — is in our business broadband cost guide.
Why Businesses Upgrade to FTTP
Speed That Survives the Distance
100Mbps–1Gbps+ with no copper final mile — performance doesn't decay with distance from the cabinet like FTTC's 40–80Mbps.
PSTN Switch-Off Ready
Analogue phone lines switch off on 31 January 2027. FTTP with hosted VoIP is the standard replacement — no legacy line rental.
Headroom for Cloud Working
The UK average download is just 69.4Mbps (Ofcom Connected Nations 2024) — below what a busy cloud-first office needs.
Two Networks Checked
AMVIA checks both Openreach and CityFibre availability for your exact address, so you see every full-fibre route, not one network's answer.
Before You Order FTTP
Five things to confirm before committing to a full-fibre order.
Check both networks
Openreach and CityFibre footprints differ street by street — check both before assuming what's available.
Check the upload speed
Many FTTP products are asymmetric. If your team uploads heavily or runs VoIP, upload matters more than the headline download figure.
Price the tier you need
Entry FTTP is from £29/month at 80/20 Mbps; faster tiers cost more. Size to your user count — around 5–10Mbps per heavy user.
Know what's NOT included
Broadband carries no SLA. If an outage stops your business, price a leased line with a fix-time guarantee alongside.
Plan the PSTN migration
If you still have analogue lines, plan the VoIP move alongside the broadband order — the switch-off lands 31 January 2027.
FTTP for Business FAQs
FTTP (Fibre to the Premises) runs fibre all the way into your building, supporting 100Mbps to 1Gbps+ speeds. FTTC (Fibre to the Cabinet) uses copper for the final stretch, capping speeds at roughly 40–80Mbps down and 8–20Mbps up, and degrading with distance from the cabinet. Same word — fibre — very different products.
Openreach had passed over 16 million UK premises with full fibre by early 2026 and has committed to 25 million by the end of 2026, with alt-nets like CityFibre adding city coverage — but availability is address-by-address. A live postcode check across both networks settles it in under a minute.
Entry business FTTP starts from £29/month for 80/20 Mbps with a static IP. Faster full-fibre tiers are priced by speed and postcode. That's substantially cheaper than a dedicated line — but with no SLA or guaranteed speeds in exchange.
FTTPoD is Openreach building fibre to your premises on request where FTTP hasn't arrived. Construction charges scale with distance: typically £0 within 100m, £500–£3,000 for 100–500m, £3,000–£10,000+ for 500m–1km, and £10,000+ beyond that, with 3–12+ month lead times. Past roughly 500m, compare a leased line instead.
Usually, for smaller teams — but FTTP is still contended, best-effort broadband with no fix-time guarantee. If dropped calls cost you customers or your team can't work offline, a leased line's symmetric, SLA-backed bandwidth (from £69/month for 100Mbps) is the safer platform for voice.
Check FTTP Availability for Your Postcode
AMVIA checks Openreach and CityFibre for your exact address and recommends the right product — FTTP where it fits, a leased line where it doesn't. No obligation.
Related Resources
Business Broadband
Full-fibre business broadband from £29/month — the AMVIA business connectivity hub.
Business Broadband Costs
What UK business broadband really costs in 2026, by technology — and when to step up to a leased line.
Business Leased Lines
Dedicated, uncontended fibre with a guaranteed SLA — when broadband stops being enough.
SoGEA Broadband for Business
Broadband without a phone line — the PSTN switch-off ready option for FTTC-only areas.
Openreach Fibre Checker Guide
How the Openreach checker works, what the results mean, and how to check every network at once.
Leased Line vs Business Broadband
When broadband is enough and when a dedicated line pays for itself.
Upgrade your connectivity → Get a Connectivity Quote