The line
Full fibre as a service, not a speed
Full fibre means the fibre reaches the premises, rather than stopping at a cabinet and finishing on copper. That is a construction fact. It is not a guarantee about Wi-Fi, about a particular brand, or about a speed you saw on a bus.
Reviewed 5 November 2026 · 6 min read · Independent · Not a price list
What the words should mean
Fibre to the premises removes the copper tail that limits many part-fibre lines. The speed you can buy is still a tier the provider sells, not “the fastest number on the brochure”. A 100 megabit full-fibre product and a gigabit full-fibre product are different orders on the same kind of build. Ask which tier they will sell at your door, and what the upload is on that tier.
Part-fibre, cable, fixed wireless and a mobile-broadband fallback are different plants. They fail differently and they are installed differently. A comparison that sorts only by download speed mixes them up. Sort by whether they can be ordered, then by the price stack, then by upload and by whether someone must enter the home.
An “up to” figure is a ceiling. Wi-Fi inside the building is another ceiling, usually lower. Test the claim you care about on a wire if the work call is the reason you are switching. Do not buy a faster tier to repair a hub in a cupboard.
Who builds it
Openreach wholesales full fibre and part-fibre to many retailers. Those retailers are not Openreach, and they are not each other. Virgin Media’s cable and its newer full-fibre builds are a different physical network. Alternative builders — city networks, regional town networks, rural builders, building-only networks — sell where they have built, not where a national map is green.
A landlord, a wayleave, or a riser that already belongs to one builder can decide a block more firmly than your preference. In that case the shortlist is whoever is allowed in the building. Complaining that a national brand “should” be available does not dig a duct.
Hull and East Yorkshire are the standing exception people forget: the incumbent there is not Openreach. Advice written for a London street can be the wrong map. Check the premises.
The install is part of the service
Same-network switches are often remote. A first full-fibre install usually needs an engineer, a hole or a use of an existing lead-in, and someone at home. Flats need the right number on the order. Listed buildings, long drives and rented rooms need permission. That permission is part of the date, not a surprise on the doorstep.
The optical terminal or the new socket is the provider’s equipment. Do not bury it in a cupboard and then blame the speed. Ask where it has to sit. If the only place with power and permission is a bad place for Wi-Fi, plan a wire or a mesh after the line works, not instead of checking the line.
A coming-soon date is not an order. Do not cease a working copper or cable service because a leaflet said the street is next. Wait until your premises can be booked.
Service after it is lit
Full fibre does not maintain itself. Faults, missed appointments and late activations sit with the provider who sold it, under their process and, where it applies, under the automatic compensation scheme. We do not quote compensation amounts. Ask them whether the product is in the scheme.
Upload matters for two people working, for backups, and for video calls. A headline download with a small upload can be the wrong full-fibre tier. Read both numbers on the tier they will sell, not on a different street’s leaflet.
Power cuts still matter. Fibre equipment needs power in the home. If you relied on a copper line in a blackout, ask what the new setup does when the mains fails. A faster download does not answer that question.
Questions
- Is full fibre the same as gigabit?
- No. Full fibre is how the line is built. Gigabit is one possible tier. You can buy a slower tier on a full-fibre line. Read the tier on the order.
- Will it fix Wi-Fi in every room?
- No. Wi-Fi is the house. The line is the path to the building. Move the hub or add a wire before you buy a faster tier for a cupboard.
- Is every full-fibre brand Openreach?
- No. Openreach is the largest wholesaler. Cable, regional builders and building networks are other plants. A retailer can only sell the plant they use.
- Should I cancel when they say the street is coming soon?
- No. Coming soon is not an order. Keep the working service until your premises can be booked.
- Does full fibre include a battery for power cuts?
- Not as a rule. Ask what happens when the mains fails if someone relies on the line. Do not assume the old copper behaviour survives.
- Does a faster tier raise the price automatically?
- Only if that is the product you order. Read the price stack for that tier, including any stated rise. We do not print a national full-fibre tariff.