FTTP mention has vanished

I'm in a part of Exeter scheduled for the much delayed FTTP service (cab 135). Until very recently, the BT checker used to say "FTTP single dwelling" or something like that underneath the main available products table.
However I looked at it today and all mention of FTTP has been removed.
Sounds ominous.
Anyone else noticed this?

I am in Whitchurch, Hants, one of the winners of the Race to Infinity. All of the other cabs have FTTC available but we were planned to have FTTP. That FTTP mention has also disappeared from my entry.

In reply to a post by brightd:

I am in Whitchurch, Hants, one of the winners of the Race to Infinity. All of the other cabs have FTTC available but we were planned to have FTTP. That FTTP mention has also disappeared from my entry.

likewise here in Madingley, another Race to Infinity winner. Last we heard was that 2 FTTP PONS had failed commissioning. In three separate emails received in February we were told they should be ready for service a) early March, b) mid-April c) not long now

It seems clear that BT has lost interest in us; they have realized that by sitting back and doing nothing they can get money thrown at them by local councils & BDUK to supply SFBB

FTTC is often removed from the checker just before it goes live, it could be the same for FTTP.

It seems that, despite BT's stated intentions, the FTTP distribution infrastructure (the parts closest to homes) isn't yet at a point that BT are happy to roll it out nationally. There are obviously enough technical hiccups (like the PONs failing) and manpower/cost issues stopping the green button from being hit.

Perhaps these obstacles and delays are enough that BT are seriously considering installing FTTC there for now, or perhaps have even already changed - and that is why you see the change in the checker.

Obviously the coming FTTPoD product will play into the balance somewhere, depending on how cynical you are.

So I don't think BT have lost interest in you as such, but I do think the balance is changing - and that you are caught up in the consequential delays.

If anything the FTTPonDemand may help the FTTP areas, where BT still intends to deliver, and those that are part build would not qualify for BDUK/RCBF funding.

FTTPoD may help as the teams will have more work to do, and thus scope to increase the numbers of them, particularly if there are people paying directly for some of their work.

I suspect a lot of the resources have gone into the problems of network repair and getting coverage increased via the FTTC roll-out, which with a lot of shared fibre work will have kept the fibre trained people busy.

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

Perhaps these obstacles and delays are enough that BT are seriously considering installing FTTC there for now, or perhaps have even already changed - and that is why you see the change in the checker.

tbh I don't know why they didn't go the fttc route from the start; most of the houses in the village are within 3/4 mile of the only cabinet. I can't see them changing tack, they have been laying fibre on and off for 2 years now, it's even got to the top of the pole outside my house, and they say the infrastructure is complete.

At this rate the rest of the county, which has just signed a council/bduk funding agreement, will be finished before us

Another race winner, Blewbury in Oxfordshire, has those that are having FTTC under way. FTTP is certainly coming also, went to do the 1st stage on the first customer last week, sadly didn't get done due to issues with joint user poles on the 4 spans to the property.

I know the two engineers ear marked to do the FTTP installs in Whitchurch, just finishing the last of their training, then ready to go. If they are otherwise engaged, me and my mate will be picking it up.

Is any of the infrastructure visible yet ? Manifolds up poles, or new lead in ducts appearing on buried estates ?

Hi, there all. As a recent BT Employee (left 28 feb 2013) I had contacted the CEO of Openreach who in turn instructed her man in charge of this, as to the status of this work
IE FTTP for Cab2 at Whitchurch, Hants. I recived the following assurance:

"Most recently we had to divert the Field teams on to more urgent work but starting 8th April �13 we will have 1 x cable gang and 4 x fibre jointers working on cab 2, for 4 weeks. The cable gang will then continue along with 2 x fibre jointers, for a further 4 weeks, to complete the FTTP EO work.

If all goes to plan then Whitchurch should be finished by the end of May.

I appreciate the delay has been frustrating but Whitchurch will be one of the best connected communities in the UK, by the summer.

Thats from the horses mouth, so to speak, asof yet i can see no evidence of any work starting.

Well, I walked around the area in Whitchurch that I think is covered by cab 2, Bell Street, Bloswood Lane, Caesars Way, the Ardglen and Evingar Road, and there is no evidence of any Openreach work going on at all. There has been work because a contractor installed new trunking in a trench in the pavement opposite my house and added a new pavement cavity, but that was 6 months ago. So any hope of being ready for orders by the end of May seems a little optimistic to me. But we will live in hope.

Hi,

BT have commenced deployment where i live. They have scaled back FTTP since the 2010 data so many areas in my town aren't now FTTP but have now had FTTC cabs installed - and mostly commissioned.

We have had one *incident* (Dec 2012-April 2013) for a nearly complete new build where BT wasn't having much luck with the developer. They promised FTTP (even to the MP formally in writing) but had to change it all to FTTC as they couldn't find a workable solution for the large number of flats in the development.

A number of newer developments which have only just started are FTTP and the developers has co-operated with BT to implement the infrastructure.

We now only have one or two brownfield areas which will be FTTP (due to the state of the copper infrastructure). BT have started duct installs in theses but progress appears to be very slow.

Regards,

Gareth

Have just sent another e-mail to Openreach to ask about the delay.

Hot of the press:

he area that you are specifically interested in though, I believe, is that served by our Cab area 2, which we are going to deploy with FTTP (ie fibre all the way from the exchange to the premise). Jim identified the start date for the work for this as early April, but this was unfortunately delayed by about a month. However, work did start on 2nd May, and all the FTTP cabling work is expected to be completed by the end of this week. Our engineers will then commence the splicing/jointing element from next Monday onwards. It is difficult to provide a precise date for completion, but our best estimate is end June/early July 2013.

To complete the rest of the exchange, we also have some more work to do to site two new Fibre Broadband cabinets, as we hit some problems with their location � and we expect these to come on-line in the summer.

In reply to a post by zorro724:

Have just sent another e-mail to Openreach to ask about the delay.

Which email are you using? The last time I tried I was ignored...
Thanks

he Whitchurch exchange consists of 8 Cab areas and a small amount of Exchange Only lines (ie served direct from the exchange rather than from a green cabinet). The whole exchange covers about 2,700 premises and 68% of these (about 1,900) are enabled for Fibre Broadband as of today.

The area that you are specifically interested in though, I believe, is that served by our Cab area 2, which we are going to deploy with FTTP (ie fibre all the way from the exchange to the premise). Jim identified the start date for the work for this as early April, but this was unfortunately delayed by about a month. However, work did start on 2nd May, and all the FTTP cabling work is expected to be completed by the end of this week. Our engineers will then commence the splicing/jointing element from next Monday onwards. It is difficult to provide a precise date for completion, but our best estimate is end June/early July 2013.

In reply to a post by beercan:

In reply to a post by zorro724:

Have just sent another e-mail to Openreach to ask about the delay.

Which email are you using? The last time I tried I was ignored...
Thanks

They do say that they'll ignore you for various reasons that are described in the initial reply. I got a reply in about 8 days from

[email protected]

but a little later I also got a return receipt from

[email protected]

but you never heard that from me

Spoke to Open reach engineers on 5/6/13. They were replacing fibre run down Evingar Rd. This work (Cab 2 Fttp) has been prioritized. Unfortunately BT will not allow any overtime, so the latest estimate is 2 to 3 months until the service is available.