Cannot get FTTC - what are my options for faster speed?

I can't get FTTC as apparently we are connected directly to the exchange and FTTC cannot be implemented for us. Does anyone know if there are alternatives for people who cannot get FTTC? I would love to get away from 2.5mbit ADSL.

I was wondering if I could request a new line be installed that actually get's me the option of FTTC/FTTP (obviously I would stand the cost of that line install). I'm willing to throw some money at this but not leased line crazy money.

bonded adsl, efm ethrenet circuit - otherwise depend on the network in your area. have switched a guy from one exchange into another for £150, in other cases just to swap cab may take thousands.

Depending on how much usage you require and how much you are willing to spend, you could investigate using 3G - you could use this for your browsing and then an ADSL connection for large downloads; slower but cheaper per GB.

You could also investigate line bonding. A few companies offer this, such as Be* and Vivaciti. Failing that you can get a dual-WAN router and do it yourself; whichever bonding approach you take will require a second phone line installing & line rental paying.

Finally, if you have line of sight to a house which has better connectivity & understanding residents, you could arrange a point to point wireless link and then arrange fast connectivity to their home. Perfect if you're, say, across a valley to someone with FTTC.

It is very often the case that there is little or no choice on how a line is routed to your premises. If there is a street cabinet involved, (though not in your case, apparently) then there is often a choice of cable between the cab and the exchange.

To see if there is really any serious/affordable hope of having a line provided via a different route, I'd suggest collaring a local Openreach engineer, next time you see one working nearby.

Also worth checking what form of ADSL you're on.
Make sure your existing connection is on ADSL2/+ rather than ADSLmax, this could bump up your speed a bit more.
Prior to FTTC, found we we're on ADSLmax no ADSL2 this gave us a 1.5 Mbps lift.

In reply to a post by TheManStan:

Also worth checking what form of ADSL you're on.
Make sure your existing connection is on ADSL2/+ rather than ADSLmax, this could bump up your speed a bit more.
Prior to FTTC, found we we're on ADSLmax no ADSL2 this gave us a 1.5 Mbps lift.

at 2.5mbit the OP is unlikely to be on adsl2/2+ and would unlikely to benefit from going from adsl 1 to 2/2+

If you can wait to 2013 you will be able to ask for FTTP.
See http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5016-fttp-on-dema...

Before then it is worthwhile doing all the cleanse work on your home wiring you can, (if you haven't already). This can improve your speed by more than 1Mb in some cases.

There are lots of threads on here giving the things to be done. The first is always, unplug / remove ALL your home wiring, wait 5 min and plug your modem direct into the test socket. (and your computer direct into the modem not by wireless).

Then check your line speed on the BT speed tester, this should give you the line profile that your line can reach.

If this is higher than what you are getting at present, you have problems with your home wiring. These can uaually be improved by removing the ringwire / renewing filters / removing long unused extensions etc.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

bonded adsl, efm ethrenet circuit - otherwise depend on the network in your area. have switched a guy from one exchange into another for £150, in other cases just to swap cab may take thousands.

I didn't know it's possible to switch over to another exchange. How do I do that? I'd love to because my building is the only one connected to an exchange which isn't going to serve this area, but the buildings all around already have FTTC.

In reply to a post by Saltank:

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

bonded adsl, efm ethrenet circuit - otherwise depend on the network in your area. have switched a guy from one exchange into another for £150, in other cases just to swap cab may take thousands.

I didn't know it's possible to switch over to another exchange. How do I do that? I'd love to because my building is the only one connected to an exchange which isn't going to serve this area, but the buildings all around already have FTTC.

I don't think it is unless you are willing to pay BT Openreach thousands of pounds to carry out the work !

In reply to a post by Saltank:

... my building is the only one connected to an exchange which isn't going to serve this area, but the buildings all around already have FTTC.

Talk very nicely to someone within 80 metres. Run an ethernet cable to their property, (100 metres is the maximum cable length), get a line put in there for you and your FTTC modem at that end, your router at your end. You could even put a box on their wall to house power, (which could also come from you), the phone socket, and the modem.