Since we launched our automated connectivity quoting tool in the middle of March 2015 we have quoted for nearly 400 separate postcodes. The feedback we have had is that the system is simple and fast and the question we are most frequently asked is about the differences between Fibre Ethernet, EFM, EoFTTC and FTTC.
To try and explain this I have run a quote on my own address and included the results in the table below. I have added five rows under the price highlighting the main differences between the technologies.
|
Circuit type and speed |
Fibre 20Mb |
EFM 10/14* Mb |
EoFTTC 15/20/80** |
FTTC 15/20/80** |
|
Contract term |
36 months |
36 months |
36 months |
12 months |
|
Recommended Retail Price |
£423 |
£255 |
£200 |
£50 |
|
Minimum upload/download Mbs |
20/20 |
10/10 |
15/15 |
15/80 |
|
Unlimited usage? |
yes |
yes |
yes |
yes*** |
|
Uncontended? |
yes |
yes |
yes |
no |
|
Same day fix? |
yes |
yes |
yes |
no |
|
Fibre termination in premises? |
yes |
no |
no |
no |
|
Average lead time (working days) |
90 |
45 |
30 |
10 |
|
*Minimum/Maximum speeds |
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|
**Mb Guaranteed speed/Mb Expected speed/Mb Downstream burst speed |
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|
***Fair Use Policy applies |
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|
****Not as standard. The customer can pay for a better care level |
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With Fibre Ethernet a fibre optic cable is connected all the way from the exchange into the customer’s premises. Due to the cost of planning, equipment and engineering work this is usually the most expensive technology, often taking the longest time to install. Where a carrier has already terminated a fibre in a building (known as a ‘lit’ building), lead times and costs reduce dramatically. Available speeds are practically unlimited and are not distance dependent.
With EFM (Ethernet First Mile) the service is delivered using copper from the exchange and pairs are ‘bonded’ together to increase the maximum speed attainable. Speeds of up to 35Mbs are achievable dependent upon how far the customer site is from the serving exchange.
Ethernet over Fibre To The Cabinet (EoFTTC) uses copper from a local fibred cabinet to the customer’s premises. It comes with it’s own dedicated telephone line which is usually included in the price. At the exchange, rather than being connected to a carrier’s broadband network, it is plugged into their Ethernet network. This creates an uncontended, symmetrical business-grade leased line. EoFTTC has a maximum symmetrical speed of £20Mbs and is only available to around 40% of businesses in the UK.
FTTC is a broadband service where speeds of up to 80Mbs downstream are attainable by limiting the length of copper that the service has to run over. This is achieved by running fibre from the serving exchange to cabinets closer to the customers’ premises. FTTC can be supplied over an existing telephone line, which can continue to be used for making and receiving calls. FTTC is a contended service and at peak times the amount of bandwidth available may reduce. FTTC is much more stable and reliable than standard broadband.
To request access to the Jola quoting tool click on the icon below:
