Broadband jargon buster: A–Z of terms
Quick answerA plain-English glossary of broadband terms: what Mbps, FTTP, FTTC, latency, ONT, altnet, mesh, digital voice and One Touch Switch actually mean.
- ADSL
- Older broadband over copper phone lines, usually under 17Mbps.
- Altnet
- An independent network building its own full fibre, separate from Openreach and Virgin Media. More
- Cable broadband
- Virgin Media's network using fibre plus coaxial cable for the last stretch; supports gigabit speeds.
- Digital voice
- Landline calls carried over broadband instead of the old analogue phone network. More
- Download speed
- How quickly data reaches you: streaming, browsing, downloads.
- Ethernet
- A cable connecting a device directly to your router for the fastest, most stable connection.
- FTTC
- Fibre to the cabinet. Fibre runs to the street cabinet, then copper to your home. Up to ~80Mbps. Often sold as "superfast fibre".
- FTTP
- Fibre to the premises, also called full fibre. Fibre all the way into your home.
- Gigabit
- 1,000Mbps (1Gbps). "Gigabit-capable" means a network that can deliver it: full fibre or cable.
- Latency (ping)
- The delay for data to travel to a server and back, in milliseconds. Low latency matters for gaming and calls.
- Mbps
- Megabits per second, the usual measure of broadband speed. 8Mbps is roughly 1 megabyte per second.
- Mesh WiFi
- Several units working together to spread WiFi across a home. More
- ONT
- Optical network terminal: the small box where full fibre enters your home. Your router plugs into it.
- One Touch Switch
- Ofcom's process letting your new provider arrange a switch across any network. More
- Openreach
- The BT Group company that runs the UK's largest broadband network, used by BT, Sky, TalkTalk, Vodafone and others.
- PSTN
- The old analogue phone network, being switched off by January 2027.
- Social tariff
- Cheaper broadband for people on certain benefits. More
- Static IP
- An internet address that never changes, used for hosting, CCTV and some business systems.
- Superfast / ultrafast
- Ofcom terms: superfast is 30Mbps+, ultrafast is 300Mbps+.
- Symmetrical
- Upload speed equal to download speed. More
- UPRN
- Unique Property Reference Number, used to identify an exact address when checking availability.
- Upload speed
- How quickly you send data: video calls, backups, posting videos.
- USO
- Universal Service Obligation: your right to request at least 10Mbps download and 1Mbps upload.
- WiFi 6 / 7
- Newer WiFi standards that handle more devices at higher speeds.
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Frequently asked questions
What does Mbps mean?
Megabits per second, the standard unit of broadband speed.
What does FTTP mean?
Fibre to the premises, also called full fibre: fibre optic cable all the way into your home.
What is latency in broadband?
The time data takes to reach a server and come back, measured in milliseconds. Lower is better, especially for gaming.
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