NBN FTTB: What is Fibre to the Building and is it any good?
If you live in a large apartment block, you likely have an FTTB NBN connection. It offers speeds up to 100Mbps, which is ideal for heavy internet users or large families.
FTTB (Fibre to the Building) is designed for large apartment blocks or housing complexes.
You can get up to 100Mbps speeds, which is fast enough for heavy users or larger families of 4-5 people.
Prices start at under $40 a month for the most basic speeds. Faster plans cost more, but higher tiers often offer better value if you need the extra speed.
What is FTTB and how does it work?
FTTB, or fibre to the building, is one of the core technologies in the NBN's multi-technology mix.
Unlike FTTP (fibre to the premises) and FTTN (fibre to the node), FTTB isn't used to supply individual households. Instead, it's reserved for large, multi-inhabitant buildings like apartment complexes and certain hotels.
Since these buildings usually share a single internet connection, it's distributed through internal wiring in the walls and floors.
FTTB offers a solid compromise between the high cost of FTTP and the slower speeds of FTTN, giving people in these buildings access to fast NBN speeds without big delays or surcharges.
How fast is FTTB?
FTTB connections support speeds up to 100Mbps, available on an NBN 100 plan.
However, because FTTB relies on a building's existing internal wiring, materials like copper can eventually become a bottleneck, limiting the faster speeds that fibre can offer.
You can sign up for NBN 12, NBN 25, NBN 50, and NBN 100 plans, but higher speeds like NBN 250 and NBN 1000 aren't available with FTTB.
How much does an FTTB NBN plan cost?
NBN plans can vary dramatically in cost, and this is no different for FTTB plans. Cheaper plans tend to come with lower monthly data caps and slower speeds, too, so make sure you know what you're getting before signing up to the cheapest option available.
Will I need a new modem for FTTB?
FTTB connections use VDSL2 technology, so you'll need a VDSL2-compatible modem.
Most internet providers supply one when you sign up for an FTTB plan. Once it's set up, you can connect your own router or switches to share the connection throughout your home or building.
Mariam Gabaji is a journalist with 13 years of experience, specialising in consumer topics like mobile services and energy costs. Her work appears in the ABC, Yahoo Finance, 9News, The Guardian, SBS, 7News, A Current Affair and Money Magazine. Mariam holds a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and was a finalist for the 2024 and 2025 IT Journalism Award for Best Telecommunications Journalist. See full bio
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Michelle Kwong is the publisher for utilities, specialising in mobile and internet plans. Michelle has a Bachelor of Commerce (Marketing) and Media (PR and Advertising) from the University of New South Wales. See full bio
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We help you decode NBN connection types in Australia.
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