What is the Difference Between NBN FTTP, FTTN, FTTB and FTTC?
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP)
Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), also known as Fibre to the home (FTTH), refers to optic fibre that is directly connected to your home via FTTP cable. FTTP or FTTH internet is the best NBN service in Australia. The NBN FTTP box typically delivers 100Mbps download speeds and 40Mbps upload speeds direct to your home.
Fibre to the Node (FTTN)
Fibre to the Node (FTTN) is a connection where fibre optic internet cable is connected to a street-based node. The node then connects to your home through an existing telephone line which acts as your internet copper cable.
FTTN connections are inferior to FTTP because the data because the average FTTN data speed can drop to 30Mbps where the premises is over 700m from the node. FTTN is a reasonable solution for people who are not heavy data users, and the installation typically includes useful tool to connect all the internet enabled devices in your home. For example, the Optus FTTN package includes a Wi-Fi modem as part of their NBN installation kit.
Fibre to the Premises (FTTB)
Fibre to the Building (FTTB), also known as Fibre to the Basement, is the most common NBN connection for apartment blocks and other tall buildings. The NBN Co connection box in your unit will connect to the FTTB service using your Telstra copper phone line, or your ethernet cable connection where you live in a newer building.
NBN Co also provides FTTB wholesale services to a range of fibre optic providers including Telstra, Optus, TPG, iiNet, and Internode. Finder.com provides a regularly updated review of the best FTTB plans. This review includes details on the FTTB modem included in each package, expected speeds and contract length. For example, Optus FTTB features 50Mbps typical evening speed and includes a WiFi modem with 4G backup and 4G speeds limited to 25/2Mbps.
Fibre to the Curb (FTTC)
Fibre to the Curb (FTTC) is an optic fibre internet cable connection running close to your home and then a short telephone copper line carries data into your home. FTTC is the latest type of NBN connection and should give you a faster speed than FTTN. However, the FTTC speed is dependent on the speed tier offered by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) and can typically range from 12Mbps (equivalent to ADSL speed) up 50Mbps.