What is Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband?

Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband is a classification for a type of broadband connection in Australia that uses a network of high-speed fibre optic cabling to deliver the internet. Some folks also refer to it colloquially as ‘Fibre to the Home’ or ‘FTTH’.

The entire trip your connection takes to and from the premises travels on fibre cabling from the nearest Point of Interconnect (POI) to a pit nearby, then continues to travel via high-speed fibre cabling to the Network Termination Device (NTD) installed indoors.

The Network Termination Device acts like a modem and handles the configuration of your broadband connection. All the user needs to do is connect their router (a modem/router works, too) to one of the UNI-D ports on this device to get an internet connection going.

The NTD typically has four UNI-D ports (some OptiComm connections have two). When we connect your internet, we’ll send you an email and SMS to let you know which one to plug your router into.

The maximum potential speeds for this type of connection are 1000mbps (megabits per second) when downloading, and up to 1000mbps when uploading. There are many factors as to why a connection may be achieving lower speeds – for improving on slow speeds, check out some of our troubleshooting guides here.

For more information about what to expect on your appointment day, check out our guide on how to prepare for your Fibre to the Premises installation.