How does FTTC work with regards to large blocks of flats?

I live in Poplar, Isle of dogs specifically.

In the basement we've got a 'BT ROOM' which I assume is where all the BT stuff goes into and then up into the various flats.

So is this BT room being fed from a cabinet outside? Or would this take the place of the cabinet?

There are probably 200-250 flats in this building at least.

I'm guessing that I will basically never ever see FTTC at this current place. Is anyone in a flat like me getting FTTC? Is there a technical reason why we wouldn't be included? Ie. they've got no ability to run fiber into the BT room now that they've built everything?

Annoying because the building was only topped out in 2009.

Doubly annoying because from my balcony I can see...

Telehouse, Harbour Exchange, Meridian Gate and Sovereign house..... which if you don't know are some of the main DC's here in Docklands/London and are probably carrying 1000's of GB's of connectivity.

You could well get FTTP rather than FTTC. Depends on BT's plans for that exchange.

No reason why you shouldn't get FTTC, just because you are in a flat, you still have a pair that goes (hopefully) to cabinet.

It makes no difference that you are in a flat. No work is required in the BT room where the DP is. Treat the BT room as if it was a telegraph pole and you will see that there is no real difference.

Flats are still served (normally) by a 50 (or more) pair cable from a cabinet (or exchange if close to it). So nothing changes and you would be able to get FTTC if it was enabled at your cab.

Here in Hillsborough, we have the option of either Digital Region or British Telecom VDSL service but although there are 200 flats, I know of nobody that has taken it up as we also have NTL (branded as Virgin) cable services.

When I rang Ripwire (Digital region ISP) they said that in addition to their £25pm, customers would also need a BT line. I would have thought all they needed to do is to make use of the pair from the co-located BT cabinet, not a working line, so that makes it very uneconomic as well as less speedy.

Digital Region did say they would fibre the block but with so many choices already, I doubt there would be enough geeks here to make it worthwhile.

I've seen blocks of flats where the large distribution cables (100 and 200 pair) come into the basement and there is a frame there from which the individual premises are fed.

With over 200 flats there will be several cables in a ducts running into the building and that duct is very likely to have space for another cable or fibre to be blown through. And given the building age the space will almost certainly be there.

What does this checker say about your phone number?

I have checked postcodes and telephone numbers from flats in the largest 8 blocks in my town (one of which I live in), and the checker result makes no mention of FTTC for any of them.

They also do not appear on the BT postcode/cabinet spreadsheet that was floating around on here a while ago.

All of the blocks are relatively close to the town centre and therefore the exchange.

As other posters in this thread have said, there shouldn't be a problem, but in at least some cases, it would appear that there is one. I just wish I knew what it was. My only real guess is that they simply don't have a cabinet due to proximity to the exchange. I would say they are all in the range of 500 - 1500m straight line distance.

Incidentally, none of the blocks can get VM cable either even though seemingly every non-flat property in the town can.

As a flat dweller I'm worried. Fast ADSL2+ is one thing, but I'm struggling to see where anything better is coming from.

Have just checked the block of flats near to my daughter - there are around 120 properties in the block and they have Infinity available and installed.

Virgin cable in flats is due to wayleave, i.e. getting permission from landlord/freeholder to attach cables to walls

If the block of flat is a Direct Exchange LIne i.e. no cabinet then no FTTC, but ADSL2+ speeds should be 15Meg or higher generally for DEL.

If there are 200 properties and space/power for a FTTC box in basement, then it is feasible to do it, just might not be done in the initial roll-out.