The umbrella term for broadband architectures in which optical fiber runs all the way to the subscriber’s property, covering both FTTH (Fiber to the Home) and FTTB (Fiber to the Building). In everyday usage, FTTP and FTTH are near-synonyms: both mean no copper in the last mile.
FTTP is a generalization for several configurations of fiber deployment, arranged into two groups: FTTP/FTTH/FTTB (fiber laid all the way to the premises/home/building) and FTTC/N (fiber laid to the cabinet/node, with copper wires completing the connection). The carrier equipment for FTTx is often housed in a “fiber hut,” point of presence, or central office.
Terminology by Market
FTTP is the preferred term of US carriers and UK wholesaler Openreach. It usefully includes businesses and multi-tenant properties, not just homes. FTTH is the more common term globally and in industry statistics (homes passed, homes connected). Full fiber is the consumer-marketing phrase, coined largely to distinguish true FTTP from the fiber-hybrid copper services (FTTC, FTTN) that had also been advertised as fiber broadband.
Under the Hood
An FTTP service is almost always delivered over a Passive Optical Network (PON): an OLT at the exchange, a passive ODN through the streets, and an ONT at the premises, running GPON or XGS-PON.
Why the Term Matters
For marketers and analysts, FTTP is the label that separates genuine end-to-end fiber from fiber-ish hybrids in coverage claims, regulatory filings, and advertising-standards disputes. When a footprint is described as FTTP, the properties in it can honestly be sold gigabit-class symmetric service; hybrid footprints cannot, a distinction that has repeatedly drawn regulatory attention to broadband advertising.