can someone interpret this FTTC/P info?

Cabinet Probability Uplift Phase Status Type
P46 2% 31.09 8a Part of deployment FTTC (Fiber to the Cabinet)
P39 97% 13.84 8b Part of deployment FTTP (Fiber to the Premises)

I get this info from the http://fttc-check.alc.im website which I believe gets its results from the december spreadsheet. Assuming I am on P39, does this mean I can order FTTP now or at some time in the near future?

At some time in the future.

The place to check for "now" is the BT Wholesale Checker.

Your postcode is split between 2 cabinets, of which 2% on cab 46 was planned to have FTTC installed in phase 8a which is about now, does vary across the country as the rollout procedes at best speed.

97% of the lines on your postcode are connected to cab 39 and was planned to have FTTP installed as of December 2011- the missing 1 % is a rounding error.

As the FTTP is phase 8b its very unlikely that work would have started yet- you will see work on poles and in ducts, its going to be something to order in the future when its eventually done.

With FTTP the rollout has been considerably slower then FTTC, with a halt to alot of the work, many towns are half FTTC/FTTP with only the FTTC half enabled.

Edited by deleted (Wed 11-Jul-12 14:37:32)

The way you've worded that could imply FTTP should have been available by the end of Dec 2011. You and I both know that isn't what you meant, but to newcomers to the subject it could be confusing.

Later on you do say phase 8b is unlikely to have started, which does clear it up a bit .

it just seems odd that they want to do FTTP. Surely to do FTTP they need to do FTTC first?

All the phone cables are underground here, the area having been built in the 70s. The exchange is a few miles away (atten. in the 50s (dB))

I can't imagine they would lay single fibres from the exchange to each premises, so they would likely lay fibre to some junction point (ie a cabinet) and then blow fibre from there, but this means it would be cheaper and easier to just do the FTTC wouldn't it?

They dont do FTTC to provide FTTP, and they dont provide a fibre from exchange to each property. FTTP used GPON which basically splits a single fibre to many separate fibres which connect to each property connected. All the FTTP plant is underground unless the final connection is overhead and its all passive. So no power issues between exchange and end user premises.

In reply to a post by Myth:

it just seems odd that they want to do FTTP. Surely to do FTTP they need to do FTTC first?

All the phone cables are underground here, the area having been built in the 70s. The exchange is a few miles away (atten. in the 50s (dB))

I can't imagine they would lay single fibres from the exchange to each premises, so they would likely lay fibre to some junction point (ie a cabinet) and then blow fibre from there, but this means it would be cheaper and easier to just do the FTTC wouldn't it?

FTTP doesnt use a dedicated fibre for each house to the exchange!

A passive spliter (can't remember its correct name) takes a fibre from the exchange and splits that into a fibre for each house - split is 16 or 32 premises I think.

This usually uses poles or underground chambers so an area built in the seventies isnt a problem - especially if the ducts are in reasonable condition.

The hard bit is from the ducts to the individual premises which, generally, isnt far.

interesting. Some of my town had issues with the original adsl rollout because of PON networks, though my area didnt suffer from this.

However, you don't say where this single fibre originates. I assume it has to terminate at the exchange which means they have to run it all the way from the exchange to my area which is a route that will take it past many cabinets. It seems silly to suggest they would make new underground pathways for this fibre when they already have these pathways leading to the cabinets close to my house.

What am I missing?

I can fully see the reason for using GPON and FTTP for those connected directly to the exchange, my area is one of the furthest from the exchange and connects via cabinets.

I cannot see any way BT will get a fibre from the exchange to my area unless they send it up the ducts that lead to the cabinets.

So, now they have a fibre at the cabinet, why would they want to implement FTTP from this point is the thing I can't understand

FTTP uses existing duct routes so will in most cases pass cabinets. Its an overlay to the existing copper network. Duct blockages aside, there should be little network build other than the final drop.

so can you explain the choice to deploy FTTP?

Will it be a more expensive product and BT have decided my area is likely to pay the extra?

Do you live in Cornwall?

Openreach decide in each area what funding they have to deploy and the likely take up of the service- usually FTTC is the favoured option as its cheaper/faster to install then FTTP, which only has a small coverage area at current- most is in Cornwall.

Cornwall has a higher % of FTTP due to the large pot of money from BT and the EU- £132 million.
In most area's its Openreach commerical deployment so funding can only go so far and FTTC is the most cost effective way to get the greatest coverage in the shortess time.

Edited by deleted (Wed 11-Jul-12 14:46:51)

nope, i live in Milton Keynes, so it is densly populated town in all directions from the exchange (bradwell abbey exchange, though it is actually based in fishermead next to the town centre). There is no break in housing between the exchange and my house.

I should add that I'm on the edge of the densely populated stuff and that moving further from the exchange the next dense areas are likely to be connected to a different exchange (newport pagnell).

So, my munderstanding of the rollout and the 60% cabinet stuff etc means I could understand if we weren't getting fibre at all, but I can't understand why we would be getting FTTP.

There are 2 new housing developments being built between my house and the newport pagnell exchange, maybe this is playing some part in the plans?

edit: samknows says neither of these housing developments are on my exchange

Edited by deleted (Wed 11-Jul-12 15:17:16)

The price of a 40 Mbps or 80 Mbps FTTP service will generally be the same as with a 40 Mbps FTTC service. With FTTP you will gain from added options of 110Mbps and 300 Mbps.

Openreach has been careful to try and align its wholesale prices for the two services to be very much the same.

Openreach made a decision to do some FTTP areas, because it knows that this is the future in 20 to 30 years, just cannot justify doing it everywhere at present.

I have found the premises which has my postcode but is likely to be connected to the other cabinet, so my cabinet is the FTTP one.

I have tried checking BT infinity for a FTTP in Milton Keynes which has a phase of 3 on the spreadsheet, and fibre isn't available for this postcode.

Will ALL phase 3s of a specific exchange get done before phase 4s etc, and so should I be planning my retirement before thinking an 8b phase is gonna get done?