Across many countries, telecommunications operators are gradually moving away from traditional copper broadband networks and replacing them with fibre.

The reason is relatively straightforward:

Copper was designed for an earlier generation of telecommunications. Fibre is better suited to today's demand for high-speed, high-capacity connectivity.

In the UK, for example, the government is using Project Gigabit to expand gigabit-capable broadband, while Ofcom says full-fibre broadband is on course to become available to almost the entire country by 2027.

Malaysia is going through a similar transition.

TM is progressively retiring its copper-based ADSL and VDSL broadband services and encouraging affected customers to move to fibre where fibre infrastructure is available.

This is therefore not simply a change by one telecommunications company.

It is part of a much broader transition from:

Copper-based broadband → Fibre-based broadband

What Is Copper Broadband?

Traditional broadband technologies such as ADSL and VDSL use copper telephone lines to transmit data.

Copper was extremely important in the development of broadband because the telephone network was already widely deployed.

Instead of building a completely new network, telecommunications companies could use existing telephone wiring to provide Internet access.

That made copper broadband relatively practical and affordable to deploy.

However, copper has physical and technical limitations.

The longer the copper connection, the more difficult it becomes to maintain high performance.

This is one reason why older DSL services often have much lower speeds than modern fibre connections.

TM itself has previously highlighted the technological limitations of its legacy copper network.

What Is Full Fibre?

Full Fibre, also known as Fibre-to-the-Premises (FTTP) or Fibre-to-the-Home (FTTH), means that fibre-optic cable runs all the way to the customer's premises.

The key difference is:

Copper broadband

Fibre / network → Copper → Home

Full Fibre

Fibre → Home

The UK government's Project Gigabit explanation similarly describes full fibre as a connection where fibre-optic cables run directly to the home or business instead of relying on traditional copper cables.

Copper vs Full Fibre: What's the Difference?

Instead of looking only at the advertised Mbps, consumers should understand the difference in the underlying infrastructure.

Copper Broadband

Technology: ADSL / VDSL

Last-mile connection: Copper

Typical limitation: Performance can be affected by line length and the condition of the copper infrastructure.

Upgrade potential: More limited compared with fibre.

Long-term direction: Gradually being retired in many markets.

Full Fibre

Technology: FTTH / FTTP

Last-mile connection: Fibre optic

Typical advantage: Supports much higher bandwidth.

Upgrade potential: Better suited to future speed upgrades.

Long-term direction: Becoming the main fixed broadband infrastructure in many markets.

Why Can Fibre Provide Higher Speeds?

Fibre-optic cables transmit information using light, rather than electrical signals travelling through copper.

This allows fibre networks to carry very large amounts of data.

More importantly, fibre infrastructure gives operators a much stronger foundation for future upgrades.

You may have noticed that broadband speeds have increased dramatically over the past decade:

10Mbps → 30Mbps → 100Mbps → 300Mbps → 500Mbps → 1Gbps → 2Gbps and beyond

The physical fibre infrastructure can support increasingly high-capacity technologies without necessarily replacing the entire cable to the home.

That is one reason governments and operators are investing heavily in fibre.

Does Full Fibre Mean You Will Automatically Get 1Gbps?

No.

This is an important distinction.

Full Fibre describes the infrastructure.

It does not automatically determine the broadband plan you purchase.

For example, a full-fibre connection may be sold as:

100Mbps

or

300Mbps

or

500Mbps

or

1Gbps

depending on the provider and plan.

The UK government explicitly notes that a full-fibre connection does not necessarily mean that the customer must subscribe to a 1Gbps service.

So:

Full Fibre ≠ Automatically 1Gbps

Instead:

Full Fibre = Fibre infrastructure capable of supporting high-speed broadband

What Can 100% Full Fibre Do for You?

If your home has a full-fibre connection, there are several potential advantages.

1. Higher Speed Potential

Fibre is capable of supporting much higher broadband speeds than traditional copper-based DSL.

This becomes increasingly important as households use more bandwidth-intensive applications.

For example:

1. 4K streaming
2. Cloud gaming
3. Large file downloads
4. Video conferencing
5. Cloud backups
6. Multiple simultaneous users
7. Smart home devices

You may not need 1Gbps today.

But having fibre infrastructure gives you more options when your Internet requirements increase.

2. Better Support for Multiple Devices

A modern household can easily have:

1. Smartphones
2. Laptops
3. Smart TVs
4. Tablets
5. Game consoles
6. CCTV cameras
7. Smart speakers
8. IoT devices

The challenge is no longer simply:

"How fast is my Internet?"

It is also:

"How many devices are using my connection at the same time?"

Higher-capacity fibre connections can make it easier to handle multiple demanding activities simultaneously.

However, consumers should remember that your actual Wi-Fi experience also depends on your router, Wi-Fi standard, home layout, device capability and interference.

A 1Gbps fibre plan does not mean every device connected over Wi-Fi will receive 1Gbps.

3. Better Support for Uploading

One important difference between older broadband technologies and modern fibre plans is upload capability.

Activities such as:

1. Video conferencing
2. Uploading large files
3. Cloud backup
4. Content creation
5. Live streaming
6. Working with cloud applications

can generate significant upload traffic.

Fibre infrastructure is much better suited to modern high-capacity two-way Internet usage.

This is particularly relevant as more people work remotely and store their files in cloud services.

4. Better Long-Term Upgrade Potential

This may actually be one of the biggest reasons governments want to replace copper.

Imagine your home still has an old copper connection.

If you want substantially faster broadband, the underlying access network itself may become the limitation.

With fibre already connected to your home, future upgrades can potentially focus more on:

Network equipment + optical technology + broadband plan

rather than replacing the entire last-mile copper connection.

This makes fibre a more future-ready infrastructure.

5. More Consistent Performance Over Distance

Copper broadband performance can be affected by the distance between the customer and network equipment.

Fibre is much better suited to carrying high-capacity data over long distances.

This is one reason full fibre is particularly important when countries are trying to provide high-speed broadband beyond major cities.

The goal isn't simply to make urban Internet faster.

It is also about creating infrastructure that can support high-speed connectivity in rural and less densely populated communities.

Why Are Governments Spending So Much Money on Fibre?

Because there is a problem that the private market cannot always solve efficiently.

Consider two areas.

Area A

100,000 households

High population density

A telecom operator can potentially recover the cost of deploying fibre relatively quickly.

Area B

1,000 households

Low population density

The cost of deploying fibre may be much harder to recover.

From a purely commercial perspective, Area A is usually more attractive.

This is why governments increasingly use public funding, subsidies and infrastructure programmes to support broadband deployment in underserved areas.

The UK's Project Gigabit is a good example.

Its objective is to extend gigabit-capable broadband to areas where commercial deployment alone may not provide sufficient coverage.

Malaysia Is Going Through the Same Infrastructure Transition

This isn't only happening in Europe.

Malaysia is also moving away from legacy copper broadband.

TM's current notice states that its ADSL and VDSL copper broadband services are being progressively retired, with affected customers encouraged to migrate to fibre where available.

TM had already discontinued Streamyx / Unifi Lite copper DSL services in February 2025 as part of its broader migration towards fibre.

This means Malaysian consumers who are still using older copper-based broadband may increasingly encounter an important question:

Is fibre available at my address?

If the answer is yes, upgrading may provide access to newer broadband technologies and higher-speed plans.

Does Full Fibre Mean Your Wi-Fi Will Automatically Be Better?

Not necessarily.

This is one of the biggest misconceptions about fibre.

Your Internet connection may be:

1Gbps Full Fibre

but your phone may only receive:

300Mbps over Wi-Fi

depending on:

1. Router capability
2. Wi-Fi generation
3. Distance from router
4. Walls
5. Interference
6. Device capability
7. Network congestion inside the home

So there are actually two separate questions:

Question 1

How good is the broadband connection coming into your home?

→ Fibre matters.

Question 2

How well is that connection distributed around your home?

→ Router / Wi-Fi / Mesh / FTTR matters.

This distinction is extremely important when comparing broadband plans.

Does Everyone Need 1Gbps?

No.

A household with two people mainly browsing websites, watching HD video and using social media may not need a 1Gbps connection.

A family with:

1. Multiple 4K streams
2. Gaming
3. Remote work
4. Cloud backups
5. Smart home devices
6. Several simultaneous users

may benefit more from a higher-speed plan.

The important thing is to choose a plan based on actual usage, rather than simply choosing the biggest number.

So Why Is Copper Being Phased Out?

There isn't just one reason.

The transition is driven by several factors:

1. Capacity

Fibre supports much higher bandwidth.

2. Future upgrades

Fibre provides a stronger foundation for future broadband technologies.

3. Network efficiency

Operators can gradually retire legacy copper infrastructure and simplify their networks.

4. Reliability

Fibre is less affected by some of the limitations associated with long copper connections.

5. Consumer demand

Modern households consume far more data than when ADSL was first introduced.

6. Long-term infrastructure planning

Governments increasingly view high-speed broadband as essential infrastructure rather than a luxury.

NetBijak's Take

The global move away from copper is not simply a race to advertise higher Mbps.

The bigger change is happening underneath the broadband plan:

The network itself is changing.

For decades, copper telephone lines were an important part of broadband infrastructure.

Today, the Internet has become much more demanding.

A typical household may have dozens of connected devices, use cloud services every day, stream high-resolution video, work remotely and play online games.

Fibre is better suited to that environment.

But consumers should also understand that Full Fibre does not automatically mean you need the fastest package available.

A 100Mbps or 300Mbps fibre connection may already be enough for many households.

The important questions are:

Is fibre available at your address?

What speed do you actually need?

How good is the provider's network?

What router is included?

What is the contract period?

What is the total monthly cost?

And perhaps most importantly:

Don't buy more speed than you actually need simply because the number looks bigger.

At NetBijak, we believe broadband decisions should be based on real usage, infrastructure and value — not just the highest advertised Mbps.

If you are still using an older copper broadband connection, however, the direction of the industry is clear:

Copper is legacy infrastructure. Full Fibre is becoming the foundation for the next generation of fixed broadband.

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