BT Wholesale Checker and phone numbers

Hi all,

My exchange (NEPH) is on BT's fibre rollout list, with a forecast date of December 2012 (having slipped slowly from the original forecast date of December 2011). BT Wholesale's broadband availability checker reports that my cabinet is planned to have WBC FTTC by 31st December 2012 if I enter my postcode in the postcode checker, but not if I put my telephone number into the telephone number checker. I find this a bit puzzling. There is only one cabinet in the village, which has been upgraded, and the exchange is on the other side of the Tyne so it's pretty unlikely that my line is exchange only. The cabinet is just round the corner from my house and I'm not at the edge of the village, so I don't think it's likely to be line length either.

I switched to BT around six weeks ago just so I'd get fibre as soon as it became available, so this is a bit worrying! Is this likely to just be a bug in the checker, or might there actually be some reason why I can't get fibre broadband?

There are three entry methods. Phone number, address inc postcode, and postcode. What does the address one say?

Who was your phone line with before?

The address checker gives me the same answer as the postcode checker - that my cabinet is scheduled to have FTTC by 31 December 2012. My phone line was with Sky earlier.

Sky LLU? Or Sky Wholesale Line Rental?

WLR should have been OK. LLU might explain the problem, though there shouldn't be one. Did the number change when you moved? Did it all go smoothly?

Sky LLU. The move went smoothly (a downtime of about 20 minutes). The number didn't change.

In reply to a post by lensmann:

Hi all,

My exchange (NEPH) is on BT's fibre rollout list, with a forecast date of December 2012 (having slipped slowly from the original forecast date of December 2011). BT Wholesale's broadband availability checker reports that my cabinet is planned to have WBC FTTC by 31st December 2012 if I enter my postcode in the postcode checker, but not if I put my telephone number into the telephone number checker. I find this a bit puzzling. There is only one cabinet in the village, which has been upgraded, and the exchange is on the other side of the Tyne so it's pretty unlikely that my line is exchange only. The cabinet is just round the corner from my house and I'm not at the edge of the village, so I don't think it's likely to be line length either.

I switched to BT around six weeks ago just so I'd get fibre as soon as it became available, so this is a bit worrying! Is this likely to just be a bug in the checker, or might there actually be some reason why I can't get fibre broadband?

I came across the exact same thing with the checker Post code showed a speed estimate and date for FTTC and phone number did not, My phone line is with BT ,Once this date has passed the checker will no longer show any info regarding FTTC unless your cab is accepting orders

Generally the BT checker does not seem to recognise Sky LLU lines at all either by address or phone number.

Lensmann

Was your number originally with BT and ported to Sky or was it allocated by Sky as a new line.

If the latter, it may not appear on BT Wholesale's systems as it won't be in a range 'owned' by BT. It 'should' appear in BT Retails systems IF they are supplying your service now.

If BT Retail you could see if you can get Infinity this would say whether you could get FTTC.

If via a different supplier the number would only show in their systems as you have ported to them.

If it was originally a BT number it should show in BT records.

You can check your number to see who owns the range at. http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/numbering/index.htm#g...

You want to my Exchange. The bt wholesale postcode search denies fttc altogether.


Regards


Gareth

In reply to a post by kitcat:

Was your number originally with BT and ported to Sky or was it allocated by Sky as a new line. If the latter, it may not appear on BT Wholesale's systems as it won't be in a range 'owned' by BT.

AHA! That explains it perfectly. Thank you for the explanation - and also to everyone else who responded.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

There are three entry methods. Phone number, address inc postcode, and postcode. What does the address one say?

Hmm. There seems to have been an update of some sort in the past couple of weeks, and now both the address checker and the phone number checker make no mention at all of FTTC - though the postcode checker still does. I tried a bunch of nearby addresses, and (a) the address checker makes no mention of FTTC for any house in the row of houses in which mine is located, but (b) does mention FTTC for houses across the road and for the houses onto which our row backs.

Is this likely to be a bug in the checker, or should I be worried?

I presuming you previously had an estimated speed, sometimes the checker will stop mentioning FTTC, this can happen just before the cabinet goes live, or it may just start giving estimates again at some point, it's not unusual.

You should be worried.

PM me your postcode and I might be able to explain the probable cause.

I'm getting the same problem.

postcode=fttc date
phone number= no mention of fttc
address= no mention

There are only 10 house in my postcode according to the fttc address checker some mention fttc , mine and a few others make no mention.

I contacted openreach concerning this (enclosed my address and phone number)and they got back to me saying FTTC should be available feb 2013 barring any problems.
The exchange is ESBAN ( Bannockburn) and the cabinet is p4.

very strange.

THere is a big weakness in the current systems. It is almost imposble to get accurate information as to availability, Checkers are usual incomplet , in accurate and inconsistant. It hardly helps with the take upof HS Broadaband when even getting basic information about it is almost iimpossible to obtain

Hardly impressive though is it> It is all a big mess when trying to obtain information and most posters on here will be better informed than most. Imagine the nightmare itis for everyone else. THe current information needs to be seriously improved

In reply to a post by lensmann:

Hmm. There seems to have been an update of some sort in the past couple of weeks, and now both the address checker and the phone number checker make no mention at all of FTTC

My sister is in a similar situation - for months her number has been reported as being ready for fibre, confirmed by an earlier phone call with BT to request information only two weeks ago.

However during another call to try and buy it yesterday, the adviser told her that it was not available and that the previous adviser had been wrong. The wholesale checker now makes no mention of FTTC at all, not even the usual pretend prospective date for implementation.

Has anyone else experienced this?

It's possible the cabinet is full, they may need to add more connections, or possibly even another cabinet. Or there could be a database problem, try checking neighbouring addresses via the address checker. Ideally you should use addresses that you know are on the same cabinet, but that gets a bit complicated.

I think cabinet is full, ext time ask her to not take her time

In reply to a post by R0NSKI:

It's possible the cabinet is full, they may need to add more connections, or possibly even another cabinet. Or there could be a database problem, try checking neighbouring addresses via the address checker. Ideally you should use addresses that you know are on the same cabinet, but that gets a bit complicated.

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

I think cabinet is full, ext time ask her to not take her time

Thanks for the replies - I'll check this now and see what it finds, ronski

@chrysalis: Never a truer comment - herding cats might be easier though!