Does the installation of a FTTP/FTTC network, mean ultimately, much less repair / maintenance costs for BT/Openreach ???? and higher end-user reliability ?

FTTP, yes, FTTC, no, there's still a copper (hopefully) pair all the way. Much of the reliability will come from being closer to the DSLAM, and to be fair, having an engineer make sure it's fed via a filtered NTE. You would amazed at just how many faults are are due to extension wiring/poor set up.

I dont think the FTTC network is any more reliable as it's still essentially based on the copper network just with a shiny cabinet close to the finish line.

But BT's service has always been reliable for me over the last 7 or 8 years...bar about 2 weeks in total.

In reply to a post by orly:

I dont think the FTTC network is any more reliable as it's still essentially based on the copper network just with a shiny cabinet close to the finish line.

In my case it is dramatically better.

My problems, after a replacement from the pole to here a few years ago, when a tree had rubbed through a 30-year-old line, were entirely down to a known to be dreadful E-side cable. The engineers sit by the two local cabinets using their mobiles to talk to some central point - "Try this pair" - "No good", OK, this one. No good,and so on ....

On FTTC for the last year, no dropouts, as opposed to bouts of protracted spells of unusable at al. Not even loss of connection during thunderstorms when they could reasonably be expected. The phone line is gradually deteriorating still.

Indeed in some instances it will be.

By design, it isn't inherently more reliable though. There is actually more kit to break in the system I'd say