What Is FTTB?
Fibre to the Building (FTTB) is an NBN connection type where fibre optic cable runs to the basement or communications room of a multi-dwelling unit (apartment building, office complex), and the existing internal copper or phone wiring distributes the connection to individual units.
FTTB is almost exclusively found in high-density inner-city areas — CBD apartment towers, large residential complexes, and mixed-use buildings. It allows NBN Co to serve many premises without needing to run individual fibre cables to each unit.
How FTTB Works
Fibre connects to a node installed in the building’s basement or communications room. From there, the building’s existing internal copper wiring (originally installed for landline phones) carries the data signal to each apartment or office using VDSL2 technology.
The performance depends on the quality and length of the internal wiring. In modern buildings with well-maintained cabling, FTTB can perform well. In older buildings with degraded or long copper runs between floors, speeds may be lower.
Typical Speed Range
25–80 Mbps download
Most FTTB connections can reliably deliver NBN 50 plans. NBN 100 is available on some connections, though actual speeds depend on the quality and distance of the building’s internal copper wiring.
Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Efficient way to connect high-density buildings without per-unit fibre runs
- No external installation needed for individual units
- Adequate for most apartment dwellers’ needs
- Can be upgraded to FTTP if building owner agrees
Cons:
- Speeds limited by internal copper wiring quality
- Performance varies between units in the same building (higher floors may have longer copper runs)
- NBN 250 and NBN 1000 tiers not available without upgrade
- Building body corporate may need to approve any upgrade work
- Older buildings may have particularly poor internal wiring
Top 20 Suburbs with FTTB
These are the suburbs with the most FTTB-connected premises in Australia, sorted by total premises count.
| # | Suburb | State | Premises | Score | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne | VIC | 79,627 | 6.0 | B |
| 2 | Sydney | NSW | 37,405 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 3 | Southbank | VIC | 27,635 | 7.5 | B+ |
| 4 | Adelaide | SA | 21,220 | 6.0 | B |
| 5 | Brisbane City | QLD | 17,721 | 6.0 | B |
| 6 | Docklands | VIC | 16,848 | 6.5 | B |
| 7 | Surry Hills | NSW | 14,924 | 6.0 | B |
| 8 | Hornsby | NSW | 12,634 | 6.0 | B |
| 9 | Waterloo | NSW | 12,069 | 6.0 | B |
| 10 | Surfers Paradise | QLD | 11,924 | 6.0 | B |
| 11 | North Melbourne | VIC | 11,816 | 7.0 | B+ |
| 12 | North Sydney | NSW | 11,141 | 6.5 | B |
| 13 | Perth | WA | 9,890 | 7.0 | B+ |
| 14 | Broadbeach | QLD | 9,599 | 6.0 | B |
| 15 | East Perth | WA | 9,018 | 6.0 | B |
| 16 | Redfern | NSW | 8,230 | 6.0 | B |
| 17 | Pyrmont | NSW | 7,798 | 5.5 | C+ |
| 18 | Haymarket | NSW | 7,782 | 5.0 | C+ |
| 19 | Ultimo | NSW | 7,301 | 6.0 | B |
| 20 | Kangaroo Point | QLD | 7,301 | 6.0 | B |
FTTB suburbs are concentrated in Australia’s major CBDs, with Melbourne CBD alone accounting for nearly 80,000 FTTB premises. Scores range from C+ to B+ (5.0–7.5), with performance heavily influenced by the age and quality of each building’s internal wiring.