As a business-grade, SLA-backed connection, FTTP is a viable option for most businesses looking to upgrade their broadband. So how much does FTTP cost? There are two aspects to consider when answering the question how much does FTTP cost: monthly rental and installation costs.
FTTP monthly rental typically ranges from £45 to £405. Installation price can differ from a few hundred to a few thousand depending on numerous factors.
As we can see, the price of FTTP will differ greatly depending on the speeds that you choose as well as factors such as where you are based and the length of your contract. In this blog post, I’ll explain what variables effect FTTP price.
What Impacts The Price Of FTTP?
As I said, several variables will impact the price of fibre to the premises, such as:
- The speeds you choose
- The length of your contract
- Installation charges
Some of these variables impact how much it will cost to have FTTP installed at your property. For example, fibre availability around your property will definitely determine how much you have to pay for FTTP installation. On the other hand, some will impact the monthly rental charge, such as the speeds you choose and the length of your contract.
I’ll break down each variable below, to give you an idea of how much each of these factors will impact the setup and ongoing price of your connection.
How Much Do Speeds Affect FTTP Price?
The speeds that you choose will have a big impact on how much your FTTP connection will cost. To give you an idea of how much you will pay for FTTP, I have spoken to 5 suppliers based in the UK about what they charge for FTTP. The figures given below are the average prices for the speed tiers listed.
Notably, all prices are for 3 year contracts. Most suppliers will allow you to choose between 1, 3, and 5 year contracts. On a one year contract, you will pay more for your service. Similarly, on a 5 year contract, you will pay slightly less. I’ve gone straight down the middle and got quotes for 3 year deals.
FTTP Pricing For Different Speed Tiers
In this table, the first figure is download speed (Mbps or Gbps) whereas the second figure is upload speed (Mbps).| Speed | Price |
|---|---|
| 40:10 | £42 |
| 80:20 | £48 |
| 160:30 | £54 |
| 330:50 | £71 |
| 500:165 | £268 |
| 1G:220 | £405 |
For the lower speed packages, the price doesn’t increase too much. However, as soon as you start going for the higher speed tiers, such as 500Mbps down/165Mbps up, the price increases substantially.
Additionally, the monthly figures given above don’t always include the equipment that you need. Although most of the time, you will pay for the equipment, such as a router, upfront along with the installation cost.
How The Length Of Your Contract Impacts FTTP Price
Does the length of the contract that you choose impact the price of an FTTP connection? In a couple of words, not really.
Here’s a comparison based on quotes from 5 different UK providers. In the first column, you will see pricing for 1-year contracts. In the second column, you will see pricing for 5-year contracts.
FTTP Pricing For Different Contract Lengths
This table shows the impact that different contract lengths have on the price of FTTP.| Speeds | 1 Year Contract Monthly Rental | 5 Year Contract Monthly Rental |
|---|---|---|
| 40:10 | £50 | £40 |
| 80:20 | £55 | £47 |
| 160:30 | £64 | £53 |
| 330:50 | £80 | £70 |
| 500:165 | £275 | £268 |
| 1Gb:220 | £408 | £403 |
The prices in the table above do show that you pay slightly more monthly if you go for a shorter contract. However, the price difference isn’t substantial enough to choose a 5 year contract if you were intending to sign a 1 year contract. If you’re purchasing a future-proof connection such as FTTP, however, signing a multi-year contract is usually the best idea. You know that you won’t need to upgrade your connection in that time, so you can get fixed pricing for a longer period of time as broadband costs continue to increase.
Another point to note here is that you will typically pay more for installation on shorter contracts, such as a one year deal. On multi-year contracts, providers will usually recoup the installation costs over the length of the contract. Sometimes, this means that you won’t have to pay any installation costs upfront. On the other hand, on shorter deals providers must charge substantial installation fees to make it worth their time.
Installation Charges
As with any type of broadband, there will be installation charges with FTTP. How much it would cost to install FTTP for your business is hard to say, as it depends on several variables such as:
- The length of your contract
- The speeds you choose
- The equipment needed
The Length Of Your Contract
The length of your contract does have an impact on what you’ll pay for installation, as I briefly mentioned earlier. On longer term contracts, many providers will offer free installation or relatively cheap installation. Since the provider will recoup the costs of installation over the period of the contract, this is a way to offer favourable upfront costs.
If you opt for a shorter FTTP contract, such as one year, you will have to pay much more for the installation. For example, a connection charge alone can be anything from £100 to £1,000 on a one year contract (depending on the speeds that you choose). That charge is before you even consider the time that it will take for engineers to set up and configure your connection, as well as the equipment you will need.
The Speeds You Choose
The speeds that you require can sometimes have an impact on how much installation will cost your business. For example, installation is usually cheaper on lower speed fibre to the premises. The reason for this increase in installation price really comes down to the possibility that extra lines need to be installed.
If there is currently a line into your building with a 100Mb bearer but you need speeds of over 100Mbps, your provider will need to install another bearer. As a result, this means a much greater installation cost because of the speeds you require.
The Equipment Needed
The equipment you need to create the connection will impact the costs of installing fibre broadband for your business. At the very least, you will require a router. But you might also need other equipment, such as a switch.
If you will require a lot of equipment to make the most of your connection, you will ultimately end up paying much more for installation. This is an important consideration when deciding whether FTTP is the best option for your company or not.
