FTTP Latency Baselines Explained: What Engineers Should Expect on Full Fibre

As full fibre broadband expands rapidly across the UK, network engineers are being urged to update their latency benchmarks. Unlike older FTTC connections, which used copper lines and typically produced 10–15ms ping times, FTTP uses a passive optical architecture with no active switching equipment between the premises and the exchange. This design means a well-functioning FTTP circuit should deliver latency of just 2–4ms to major UK servers, with jitter below 0.5ms and zero packet loss. Engineers are advised to test directly from the Optical Network Terminal, bypassing the router, to isolate circuit performance accurately. Any local latency consistently above 8ms is likely attributable to ISP routing issues or home network congestion rather than the optical network itself.