FTTP -- likelihood of service?

My local exchange (NDFOL Folkestone - FTTC/P) has been open for wholesale orders since Christmas. FTTC services should become available in June, according to the BT site. I used the fibre checker to check my postcode and I see that the cabinet that serves our line is listed as FTTP.

I've emailed Openreach to see if I can get any guidance as to when FTTP services might become available. I've also been reading through this forum, trying to pick up snippets of info and put them together.

Am I correct in saying that I'm unlikely, in practical terms, to see any offer of FTTP service from ISPs until all FTTC areas have been completed? Some threads in this forum have indicated that ISPs are unwilling to devote much energy to FTTP (due to complexity/cost) while there is still plenty of easier business to do on the FTTC side. And FTTC is also the vast majority of the business, I guess.

Nice to have the possibility of FTTP, but frustrating to think that it may be a long time before ISPs offer a service. Any guidance welcome.

One of the problems ISPs have with FTTP is training up their frontline Customer Service desks to deal with a tiny number of customers. Of the big boys BT Retail obviously will offer something as soon as available, Plusnet have a trial (which you can switch to if you are already a customer), but don't offer all the available speed profiles. If you have deep pockets you may have more luck with the niche ISPs - AAISP advertise an fttp product, and I know Goscomb will quote if you ask.

As for when, well we have been waiting 2 years since first announcement, and for the last year whenever we have asked the reply has usually been "a few weeks"; then some last minute hitch delays everything. The latest is that our PON failed commissioning twice, and OR are working through the faults. The say not long now, but I'm not holding my breath.

BT retail sells a fttp product already.

Delay is down to Openreach and prioritising construction work.

Thanks for the responses.

Sorry post hi-jacking, but if I lived in an area where many cabinets are already activated for FTTC and the property I lived in did not have a cabinet that was activated for fibre, what are the chances of that property being able to get FTTP?

Close to nil

The commercial fttc roll-out is not a continuous carpet of coverage, but tends to be patches that add up to a large amount of coverage eventually.

Across whole UK Openreach has around 115,000 homes passed by FTTP, compared to over 13,000,000 by FTTC

Thanks Andrew.

The speed for the property is still quite decent at 8mbit (I've only ever been as fast as 4mbit before, so its still quite a jump for me).

Guess I can cope with the standard ADSL and re-assess the position in a few years time.

Thanks!

I thought I should add that Openreach did finally get back to me today. They confirmed I am on Folkestone (NDFOL) Cabinet 71 (which will offer FTTP) and the cabinet is due to be available for service by the end of this month. Fingers crossed.

I thought I should add that Openreach did finally get back to me today. They confirmed I am on Folkestone (NDFOL) Cabinet 71 (which will offer FTTP) and the cabinet is due to be available for service by the end of this month.

If it is to be FTTP, then no cab involved.

But apparently planned by the cabinet catchment area, with no variation. At least from what shows up on the forums. So to the end user it's the cabinet that gets enabled.

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 10-Apr-13 20:48:31)

This being right all the time Bob, it must, at times, feel like an albatross round your neck !

At least my name isn't Margaret.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

But apparently planned by the cabinet catchment area, with no variation. At least from what shows up on the forums. So to the end user it's the cabinet that gets enabled.

Yes, even the communication from Openreach said that "the cabinet will be ready for service towards the end of April 2013".

Given that the cabinet to which you are currently attached determines whether you get FTTC or FTTP, it probably makes it easier for everyone if they continue to talk about cabinets even in relation to FTTP.

RobertoS is pretty close to Roberts though

In reply to a post by yarwell:

RobertoS is pretty close to Roberts though

ROFL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'd never thought of that. Took me a few seconds to twig what you were on about as well .

Time for a nick change to SheffielD? Is it also a coincidence that Nick Clegg is a Sheffield MP?

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

I thought I should add that Openreach did finally get back to me today. They confirmed I am on Folkestone (NDFOL) Cabinet 71 (which will offer FTTP) and the cabinet is due to be available for service by the end of this month.

If it is to be FTTP, then no cab involved.

Zarjaz, I live in an exchange enabled area but my local cabinet isn't being upgraded as there isn't enough properties. Am I right in thinking that the only thing Openreach might offer for us in the future is FTTP rather than FTTC? NGA have already said to me that not enough properties are connected to my cabinet so its go no chance of ever being upgraded.

Will likely be upgraded through the BDUK project for your county, as it will be needed to make up the total coverage figures for properties passed.

I thought I should add a follow-up here, in case anyone Googling "FTTP Folkestone" ends up on this thread.

Fibre is now available to me -- but only FTTC. The fibre checker still says lines to my cabinet (Folkestone (NDFOL) Cabinet P71) will be FTTP only. But when I called BT, they said that my line is FTTC.

I also checked with my current ISP, Sky, (who only offer fibre on FTTC lines) and they say they can now offer a fibre service to me. So I guess Openreach must have changed their minds on FTTP in my area, or the fibre checker database has always been in error.

Alot of FTTP areas have been delayed for ages and Openreach have decided to deploy FTTC which is cheaper and faster to install.

In reply to a post by ccxo:

Alot of FTTP areas have been delayed for ages

Well a year late (and 2 years since the initial announcement) FTTP is finally starting to roll out across the Cab 4 area of the Madingley (EAMAD) exchange. So far only newer properties with ducted services have been connected (it seems at a rate of 3 or 4 per day). Over the last couple of days there has also been frantic activity in the pole-served area of the village - as many as 5 or 6 BTOR vans and a hole-digging contractor all hard at work. They have re-dug the hole at the base of the pole outside my house, which was originally done last September. Not sure what they are doing as for the last 4 months the local BTOR engineers have been merrily telling everyone that everything was complete! Still at least BT bigwigs are now starting to talk to us, thanks to pressure from the sfbb local campaign committee. There is hope yet...