No More Openreach FTTP, Just FTTC/PoD

Totally expected but now official - Openreach are not deploying any further FTTP.

Actually perhaps not totally expected given a couple of news stories I read with quotes from 'experts' mentioning the Openreach 5-10% of the UK figure, but I'm sure most in areas where FTTP was scheduled but not deployed were expecting it.

Missing from some more BT friendly news outlets, presumably their writers are looking for ways to put more positive spins on this news.

So if you were expecting FTTP and don't already have it start saving up for FTTP on Demand or take FTTC! Commercial rollout to be completed by spring 2014 so all outside of BDUK intervention areas should be good to go by then.

Not sure I ever expected that 25% of commercial rollout would be fttp

Neither the linked story nor the one it depends on say that Openreach is stopping the rollout of FTTP.

Both merely state that the original target has been abandoned.

One mentions that the target was 2.5 million lines (10% of UK, or 15% of the commercial rollout), while the other talks of a 25% target.

Neither state what makes them think the target has been abandoned, and we don't get an absolute statement from Openreach either - just a passive "it wasn't really a target anyway" statement.

(Personally, I did see one of the sets of slides from BT Wholesale, possibly the ISP forum, stating that FTTP was going to refocus on "strategic" fibre - which I think means new home developments)

Then there is a further indication that FTTP is still being included in BDUK projects. Which is hard to tell, because most are still being planned. A few have released plans, and as of right now, still include villages that are due to turn entirely FTTP.

So FTTP isn't dead. But we don't have a clue what is happening to it.

Edit: But I have to say, the news doesn't surprise me.

Edited by deleted (Thu 25-Apr-13 22:40:08)

Maybe it is more a realisation that in the commercial roll out not many areas have been announced on top of what people new for some time

I will try to see if there is any commitment to still roll out in places where checker says FTTP but build not finished

Yes - it'll be a good thing to find out where this leaves all the current announcements, as well as the strategy.

I guess we've seen it coming, with a few people reporting changes in the DSL-Checker, or that the NGA-email-helpdesk has reported a shift to FTTC.

they used 90% of the FTTP budget on rural cornwall?

whats the urban vs rural stats on commerically rolled out FTTP? rural seems a clear winner.

No idea, but I think I agree.

I'm keeping half an eye on their FOX exploits.

I doubt that, more FTTP in the rest of the country than cornwall

yep as I am also including the community funded projects.

I think I read on tbb or elsewhere that 40% of the openreach next gen in cornwall is FTTP, if thats true thats a lot of cash spent in one area. am I wrong?

Cornish spending is within the £132m project boundaries, hence they behave a bit differently to other bits and are pushing towards 95% coverage in that figure http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5747-superfast-co...

Yes they have a higher FTTP proportion than any other county. When they passed the 100,000 (FTTC+FTTP) I think they had around 10,000 FTTP passed with 1,000 customers

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5372-cornwall-fir...

So no impact on the £2.5 billion of spending in rest of UK

I am not talking about combined FTTC/P spending but what has actually been spent on FTTP alone.

Well if Cornwall has around 10,000 (last official figure) to perhaps 15,000 FTTP lines, the rest of UK has around 80,000 of them via Openreach, so don't see the spend in Cornwall exceeding the other parts of UK.

do you have the homes passed figures? As that could easily be skewed by varying takeup levels.

I'd love to know where this leaves new housing developments which were supposed to be getting FTTP from the off.

I am in the process of buying a flat in a new block which was promised to have Openreach FTTP wiring and no copper at all.

FTTP in brownfield may have not worked out, but the idea of building a brand new housing estate or block of flats and fitting it with only copper telephone lines in this day and age is madness.

Read carefully - where does BT say it is not going to deploy any more native FTTP.

The issue is that the original dream targets are not going to be met. i.e. lots of areas where no FTTP or FTTC was announced, but had quietly being ear marked for FTTP will now be FTTC. By and large the areas where the checker says FTTP for a line should hopefully still get FTTP.

NOTE Use of should, to reflect that in some cases they may back out of a roll-out in the commercial footprint area.

See subject

It is still going ahead in some form - the openreach where/when website even includes a PDF of new building sites where FTTP is being installed.

It won't be every building site in the country though - some will still be copper. However, the openreach developers guide requires builders to install ducting prepared for the fibre now.

Off top of my head no