Rotherhithe (Zone 2, London)

Since moving in to Rotherhithe, I have been using O2 Broadband's ADSL LLU package.

Using their default modem router, we used to get a link speed of 1.5-1.8Mbps however it would invariably disconnect and leave us without internet access for as long as 3 hours.

It wasn't long until we swapped the modem out with a respectable Linksys box. We now only get link speeds of ~800kbps down / ~800kbps up however we no longer suffer from drop outs. So it would seem that while up to 2mbps is possible down the line, the max stable speed is less than half of that!

Our area (like the vast majority of Rotherhithe) consists of new build properties, of which none have access to direct fibre services such as Virgin Media or BT Infinity's FTTC service. Looking at the Thinkbroadband map, it would seem that we are not suffering alone. I find it disgusting that it is possible to have such connection speeds some 2 miles from the heart of London and less than a mile from one of Europe's major financial/business districts! But I digress.

It would seem that our exchange (Bermondsey) will be enabled from December 2011, however when selecting my telephone number on the BT website, I'm told that my area is not due to be rolled out with FTTC!

Now I am aware that possible reasons include

- Location of property in relation to the home from the cabinet may not offer a stable service
- nearest cabinet may not be enabled with FTTC
- property may be connected directly to the exchange

Does anyone know where Rotherhithe stands as far as future FTTC coverage is concerned?

Hello Neighbour!

Yes, ADSL in the Rotherhithe area is a disgrace. The maximum speed I can get is 2.0 Mbps, usually is less. I don't understand why Virgin hasn't already invested in cabling this area, with the right promotion they'd probably get almost 100% of the broadband users in the area.

Entering my number in the BT checker returns the same as you, so it's not clear if they ever will offer FTTC into our homes.

Nice to hear from someone else that lives in the broadband sink of Rotherhithe..!

I found this on the BT Community forums. It lists all cabinets which are being upgraded with FTTC/P - this includes bermondsey exchange postcodes.

http://dl.dropbox.com/u/9860239/PCP-to-Postcode-Repo...

My postcode was not listed and so I'll have to make calls to BT to try and find out more. Perhaps you might have a little more luck?

No, my postcode is not there .
Seems like I'll have to move...

I lived in Frederick Sq. (SE16 5XR) and we had trouble keeping a 512k connection going. This was 6 years ago mind. From repeated conversations with engineers there, the cabinet cables split around the peninsula. Half go clockwise round via Rotherhithe Station and the rest go anti-clockwise round, via Greenland dock area. I lived at exactly the end point of the anti-clockwise cables.

I know this doesn't help much now but you can only hope for FTTC. Also have a word with your local councillors as I used to know a fair few of them (if it's still a Lib-dem area) and they do have some sway with local service providers.

Mark.

Hey,

I recently moved into the Rotherhithe area and agree that the broadband is awful. I have sky and do manage to get 4mb but everywhere I have lived in London I have always been able to get better speeds that this.

My house also has points for Virgin and the street also has the boxes in the street.

In a previous place I lived the residents all signed a petetion and sent this off to Virgin and they came and cabled the area. I for one would be signing up to them if they were offered.

Is there a way of getting this set up ?

Hi there,

I moved into the area last Saturday and the bandwidth is apalling! I am only getting about 0.8mbps on TalkTalk. Are other providers any better? Any news on cable?

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

In a previous place I lived the residents all signed a petetion and sent this off to Virgin and they came and cabled the area. I for one would be signing up to them if they were offered.

Is there a way of getting this set up ?

You can sign me up

Edited by sakkie6 (Fri 20-May-11 16:41:04)

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

Hi there,

I moved into the area last Saturday and the bandwidth is apalling! I am only getting about 0.8mbps on TalkTalk. Are other providers any better? Any news on cable?

It depends where you live. At the far end of Rotherhithe Street (next to the farm), our Sky connection was 800 kbps.

I am now close to pumphouse museum on Be, and I sync between 2000 and 3000 kbps.

I'm also in Rotherhithe, it depends where you are. Salter road's cabinets are getting FTTC (see the spreadsheet linked in the thread).Pull out the bermondsey cabinet rows, put the postcodes into google maps and you get the cab locations and a guesstimation of the houses they serve.

I live near the CW tube station in an older one of the purpose built blocks. I found out that most of the lines the laid into Rotherhithe as part of LDDC in the early 90s were aluminium, not copper (higher attenuation). This was immediately after BT privatised.

As for where we stand on FTTC. I am hoping that BT are going to let the major works near the tube station subside and then upgrade us. There has been and still is a lot of building work going on.

There are or will be a shedload of broadband customers in very dense properties round here, this may be one of the challenges. This might (though I'm not holding my breath) push BT to do FTTP, since many of the properties have cabinets for the buildings electrical and telephone wiring which might be used.

FWIW - I get 3936 kbps / 832 kbps, giving me a 3mbits profile. Line length was (a few years ago) 5.7Km, yet we're about 1.5km from the exchange as the crow fles. I use A&A.

Gotta be patient living round here, it is a central london telecomms blackspot

Gavs