This topic

Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 18:07:30 GMT

I am currently waiting for Openreach to reconnect the street cabinet to my house so that I can access BT broadband. According to Openreach the maximum download speed over copper cable is 24 mbps. How then can BT offer 76 Mbps? No doubt there is some wizardly process, but it would be interesting to know.

Thanks

Re: Copper Broadband

countrypaul — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 18:30:17 GMT

Iirc:

ADSL up to 8Mb/s

ADSL2 up o 24 Mb/s

VSDL up to 80 Mb/s (FTTC)

It suggests you will be on ADSL2 rather than VDSL

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:37:12 GMT

Thanks, but then how can BT offer 67 Mbps?

Re: Copper Broadband

imjolly — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:44:54 GMT

It is possible your cabinet/area has not been upgraded yet to FTTC - fibre to cabinet and copper to your home hence your connection is limited to ADSL2+ speed

Re: Copper Broadband

iniltous — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:57:47 GMT

Your question is a little vague , BT ( and any other ISP that offers access to Openreach FTTC ) can offer 74Mb , ( in fact they can offer up-to 80Mb over copper, if FTTC is available ) that’s if the property quoted that speed , is close enough to the cabinet to receive it ( in my case , I’m around 80-100m away from the cabinet and 80Mb is easily achieved ) before FTTC was available, the copper ADSL service was about 3Mb because the exchange is approximately 5Km’s away, both ADSL and FTTC the speed delivered is dependent on the distance from the exchange ( with ADSL) of the cabinet with FTTC .

As already stated the theoretical maximum from exchange based ADSL2 is 24Mb , from VDSL/FTTC is 80Mb , both things are true , obviously if you are not offered FTTC speeds then either there isn’t FTTC available in your area , or , more likely, there is are spare ports in the cabinet.

Re: Copper Broadband

Keith_Beddoe — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:54:07 GMT

@ACM475

You are not going to get 24Mbs on ADSL2+ from BT Retail, its normally limited to 20Mbs, assuming you are adjacent to the exchange.

What BT broadband package have you ordered?

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 19:59:56 GMT

So am I being misled by BT regarding my expected download speed? It comes with a digital phone connection, presumably using the same bandwidth.

Re: Copper Broadband

licquorice — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 20:50:38 GMT

No.

If you are connected directly to the exchange by copper your maximum speed is 24M

If you are connected to the green cabinet by copper your maximum speed is 80M

In both cases the actual speed will depend on the distance to whichever is serving your property.

However, the number of ports in the green cabinet can be fewer than required and that being the case you can only get the maximum speed of 24M from the exchange until a port becomes free and you can upgrade.

If you enter your address in the checker and post a screenshot (with your address edited out) we can see what is available to you.

Digital Voice uses virtually nothing.

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:26:25 GMT

Sorry I have the screen shot of the cabinet data in my photos, I don't know how to post to this page

Re: Copper Broadband

licquorice — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:30:28 GMT

Click on the camera icon

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:40:16 GMT

thanks

Re: Copper Broadband

licquorice — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 21:51:20 GMT

You've cut off part of the table to the right, can you post that please. However, it looks as though you should be able to get 80M

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 22:01:55 GMT

sorry this should be ok

Re: Copper Broadband

licquorice — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 22:08:45 GMT

What made you think you were only going to get 24M? The checker shows you will get at least 72 and very probably the full 80M.

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 22:14:12 GMT

Something I noticed on an Open reach site relating to the speed over copper wire.

Anyway, I feel greatly reassured by your full and detailed response, thank you so much for your time and expertise

Re: Copper Broadband

Colin_London — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:23:40 GMT

Yes - you should be able to get 80Mbps from the nearby green fibre cabinet. The only problem would be if it has no space left in it.

It looks like you have gotten confused by the terms used by Openreach. 'Fibre to the cabinet' (FTTC) services actually use copper cable between the cabinet and your house. However Openreach and BT describe it as a 'Fibre' service because they use Fibre on the exchange side of the cabinet. OFCOM are arguing with the ISPs at the moment that FTTC services should no longer be called 'Fibre' because it is causing the sort of confusion you mention.

The old ADSL2+ service, which ONLY uses Copper cable, only supplies up to 4Mbps at your address (most likely 2.5Mbps) so you really need to order an FTTC 'Fibre' service.

Re: Copper Broadband

ACM475 — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 22:38:31 GMT

Regrettably this does not seem to be an option, as the exchange is not listed as a priority according to the chart

Re: Copper Broadband

Colin_London — Tue, 30 Jan 2024 23:24:12 GMT

Apologies - corrected my post - I meant FTTC (which you can order).