Is Full Fibre More Eco-Friendly?
The environmental impact of switching to modern infrastructure.
The Invisible Carbon Footprint
We worry about the emissions of our cars and our heating, but we rarely think about the energy cost of our internet. The global internet infrastructure consumes a massive amount of electricity. However, the switch to Full Fibre is one of the most significant green upgrades a country can make.
The Energy of Copper vs Light
The old copper network (PSTN/FTTC) is incredibly inefficient. Copper wires have high resistance. To push an electrical signal down miles of wire requires a lot of energy. The signal degrades and needs to be “boosted” at street cabinets and exchanges using active, power-hungry amplifiers. These cabinets also generate heat and need cooling fans.
Fibre optics (FTTP) are Passive. This is literally in the name of the technology: PON (Passive Optical Network). A beam of light is sent from the main exchange. It travels for miles through the glass without needing any power boosters along the way. It can be split into 32 or 64 strands using simple glass prisms (splitters) that require zero electricity.
Because of this physics advantage, a Full Fibre network consumes up to 80% less energy than a copper network to transmit the same amount of data. It is a massive efficiency leap.
Durability and Waste
There is also the physical waste aspect. Copper degrades. Insulation rots. Water gets into joints. The copper network requires a fleet of thousands of diesel engineering vans constantly driving around the country to fix faults. Copper is also valuable, leading to cable theft which requires manufacturing and laying replacement cable.
Fibre is made of silica (glass/sand). It is abundant and cheap. It does not corrode. Once it is in the ground, it is incredibly stable. A fibre network requires far fewer repairs, meaning fewer vans on the road and a longer lifespan for the infrastructure.
Enabling the Green Economy
Finally, reliable Gigabit broadband enables other green behaviors. It is the backbone of:
- Remote Work: Taking millions of commuters off the roads.
- Smart Grids: Allowing smart meters and appliances to balance energy load.
- Cloud Computing: Centralising processing in highly efficient hyperscale data centres rather than inefficient home desktops.
By switching to CityFibre, you aren’t just getting faster Netflix; you are participating in the retirement of a dirty, inefficient 19th-century network in favour of a sustainable 21st-century one.