Fibre internet: what you get and why it pays to switch

Fibre internet is the best connection you can get for your home today – and if fibre already reaches you or soon will, it pays to switch. It carries data using light in a glass fibre, and that is why it offers things other types of connection struggle to match: uploads as fast as downloads, stability, low latency and headroom for the future. In this article we go through what exactly you get with fibre – and at the end you'll see where ÚVT fibre already actually reaches.

What is fibre internet

Fibre internet (technically FTTH – fibre to the home) brings your connection through a glass fibre as thin as a hair straight to you. Data doesn't travel through it as electricity or radio waves, but as light. That may seem like a detail, but almost all the advantages we describe below follow from it. Glass is an exceptionally good conductor of light over long distances and, unlike metal, it isn't disturbed by electricity around it.

The fibre runs from our network all the way to you and ends at your building in a small box, from which you distribute the internet around your home. The speed we offer over ÚVT fibre goes up to 2.5 Gbps – but a high number isn't the only reason fibre pays off.

Symmetry: uploads as fast as downloads

This is the advantage people underestimate the most – until they start using it. With ÚVT fibre, uploading is as fast as downloading. With most other types of connection, uploads are much slower than downloads.

Why does it matter? Because today we upload far more than we used to: backing up photos and documents to the cloud, video calls where you send your own picture, sharing large files, working from home. Whenever you send something out, symmetric fibre handles it just as smoothly as a download. A wireless connection is a great choice where fibre doesn't reach yet – but the physics of radio struggles to match symmetry on this scale.

Picture an ordinary evening: one family member is uploading a work presentation, another is on a video call, and meanwhile a phone is backing up holiday photos. On an asymmetric connection, these things fight over the narrow upload and slow each other down. On symmetric fibre, they don't get in each other's way.

Stability and low latency

Fibre keeps its speed constant. It doesn't care how many neighbours are online at the moment, or how far from the transmitter you live. On top of that, it has low latency (response time) – in other words, it takes only a short time for the connection to react.

You'll appreciate low latency wherever you wait for a response: in online games, in video calls without stuttering and when using apps in the cloud. A stable, fast response is often more noticeable than the maximum speed in Gbps itself.

The difference is usually most visible in the evening, when the whole street is online. A connection that shares its speed and fluctuates slows down precisely then. Fibre keeps its parameters even at peak times, because the fibre runs to you and you don't share it with the neighbourhood the way you share the airwaves or copper lines.

Resistance to interference and weather

Light enclosed in a glass fibre is exceptionally resistant to external influences. Rain, frost and heat don't bother it, and it isn't disturbed by electromagnetic smog from nearby devices. What's more, the signal doesn't lose quality over longer distances the way other media do.

In practice, this means a connection that always works the same – in summer and in a storm, at peak times and at night.

Capacity that will last for years to come

Optical fibre has huge headroom. Speeds that seem like the ceiling today will run on the same fibre in a few years' time too – without anything having to be rebuilt. Once the fibre reaches your home, it is ready for whatever comes next.

That makes fibre the safest investment in your home connection: you don't have to worry whether it will be slow in three years' time.

How much speed do you really need

To be honest: most households won't use 2.5 Gbps to the full every day – and that is fine. The point of high speed isn't to max it out all the time, but that you have headroom. When more people and devices are online at once, the connection doesn't even break a sweat.

Thanks to symmetry and stability, even a lower fibre plan feels smoother than an asymmetric connection that is “fast” on paper – because it doesn't fluctuate and handles uploads just as well. So you can choose according to your real needs, not out of fear that you'll run out of steam.

What fibre can't do on its own

Let's be clear about one thing, so that we don't promise miracles: fibre won't speed up an outdated router. If you have a ten-year-old Wi-Fi box at home, replace it after switching – otherwise you won't enjoy the full speed (we give advice in the article which router you need at home).

Who benefits most from fibre

Every household will appreciate fibre, but for some the difference is obvious straight away:

• Working and studying from home – video calls without stuttering, fast file uploads and a reliable connection that won't drop at the worst moment.
• Several people online at once – in a bigger family, the TV, mobiles, computers and smart appliances all run at the same time; fibre keeps them all going without slowing down.
• Streaming in high resolution – a film in 4K on one screen and a game on another don't hold each other back.
• Gaming and live streaming – this is where low latency and stable uploads matter, and those are exactly the strengths of fibre.
• Smart home and cloud backups – devices that run non-stop and send data out benefit from symmetry and stability.

Where ÚVT fibre already reaches

Fibre isn't a theory from a leaflet – it already reaches real households today. In some municipalities, it is available at practically every address. The figures below show the actual situation; click a municipality to see the details and check availability at your address.

The best proof is in Ohrobec and Herink: there, fibre already reaches practically every address (826 of 827 and 438 of 461 respectively). It isn't a pilot project for a few houses – it is standard availability for the whole municipality.

Can't see your municipality, or fibre doesn't reach you yet? We keep expanding the network – leave us your contact details and we'll get in touch as soon as fibre is within your reach.

How to switch to fibre

Switching is easier than it looks – our technician brings the cable in and connects it.

We describe exactly how the construction and the fibre connection work on the fibre network construction page. You'll find specific plans and prices in the internet section.

Frequently asked questions