Cabinet size choice for BDUK / BBfN

After what seems like an eternity Openreach and their contractors have started to install the fibre pair to our PCP. We were passed over by the commercial roll-out as the cabinet wasn't commercially viable. There are only about 180 properties served by it and BT wanted 26K plus VAT by way of gap funding at the time.

Last week "96 Cab" was sprayed on the ground but the day after it was replaced with "288 Cab" (and a bigger outline) and that seems to be the size of base they have now installed. I asked Better Broadband for Nottinghamshire (BBfN) and they said a 288 cabinet was always planned. Interestingly they are installing 96 cabs as apparently they had four others that week and they suspect that is why it got confused. So not a case of the smaller cabs not being available.

I understand that they won't fill the cabinet but it does seem an odd choice to go with the big cabinet for such a small number of lines especially when (presumably) Openreach use quite an aggressive ratio in their estimates (or it would have been commercially viable).

Thought people might find this interesting or have view on why they've chosen the larger cab.

I would guess for 180 properties that a 96 port cab would be marginal, based on a 50% take up.
I dont suppose there is that much difference in overall cost.

Edited by deleted (Sat 06-Sep-14 18:21:22)

Surprised they didn't go with a 128 cab!

Could it be that they expect most of the properties to take up the service as it wasn't covered commercially and/or it's in an area where broadband speed is dire?

Seems quite a jump from 96 to 288. Do you by any chance have another cabinet in the vicinity?

In any situation (For the consumer) it's a good thing in the sense of always knowing that if you want FTTC, there's a port in the cab with your name on it .

Speeds are circa 2 Mbs so a reasonable assumption that people will jump at it. This was the case for the commercial roll-out too though. This is a new (well 7 years) estate and the majority of the rest of the village are covered already by another cabinet that was done as part of the commercial roll-out.

Edited by abat (Sat 06-Sep-14 19:24:57)

Confused they didn't do 2 x 96 cabs or something because having almost 100 potential ports spare is quite a waste. Granted they never fully populate the DSLAM with line cards until it's required, the bigger DSLAMs are not cheap.

They may have had a bit of a realisation that a 96 cab wasn't enough as take-up will likely be big and as you said they got confused. Still quite a big gap.

The 288 cabs are usually configured with 48 ports initially and more cards are added as and when required.

Near where I live Openreach have installed a 288 on a PCP with around 120 lines.

In reply to a post by simon194:

The 288 cabs are usually configured with 48 ports initially and more cards are added as and when required.

Near where I live Openreach have installed a 288 on a PCP with around 120 lines.

Yeah they are but surely it's a waste of money on the larger DSLAM if it will never be populated near 100%?

Only advantage I can see from the operators POV is it being able to accept Profile 30a lower capacity line cards but that's about it.

Maybe they want to reduce the effects of crosstalk?

Surprised they didn't go with a 128 cab!

The only 128 port Huawei cabs are the combi's, and as far as I know they are exclusively for some E/O re-arrangements.

Confused they didn't do 2 x 96 cabs

I'd guess the cost of installing 2 X 96 port cabs far outweighs the cost of 1 X 288 port cab.

Also, when the time eventually comes, co-ordinating vectoring will be better within a single cabinet.

In reply to a post by Ribble:

The only 128 port Huawei cabs are the combi's, and as far as I know they are exclusively for some E/O re-arrangements.

What do you mean by combi's? As for E/O, not quite; they are used as normal FTTC cabs as-well. I'm on a Huawei 128 cab (See: http://www.robertos.me.uk/html/bt_furniture_4.html) (Through a PCP) and several others are popping up around my area in areas served by cabinets.

The same model of cabinet is also used for E/O lines opposite our exchange. Bear in mind that one is paired with a new PCP as-well so I think they use them for anything.

In reply to a post by Ribble:

I'd guess the cost of installing 2 X 96 port cabs far outweighs the cost of 1 X 288 port cab.

Could be yeah, would make sense.

A combined PCP/FTTC cabinet, publicly referred to as a onesie.. They are the only 128 port Huawei cabinets Openreach are using, and at present are onlybeing used for some E/O re-arrangements.

The standard Huawei cabs are either 96 or 288 ports.
So the choice would be either 96 or 288 ports

Edited by deleted (Sun 07-Sep-14 14:58:35)

Oh right, so that cabinet listed on that web page is in-fact a 96 port Huawei and not a 128 port?

It's from Robertos who is a highly distinguished member of these forums that's why I have doubts.

Also If so that's very weird because I've seen in several places those referred to as 128 port cabs and they are almost exactly the same size as the ECI 128 port ones.

Never seen them referred to as 96 ports .

if this is oin a bduk are at 180 premises i woud assume a Haiewie 96 woud be instaled -- i -which eschnage cab is this

Funny that, innit?
Huawei 96 can take 2 x 48 port line cards, whilst a Huawei 288 can take 6 X 48 port cards.
As you can see, the math does not support 128 ports.

In the case of this particular cab there maybe some network rearrangement to move two small estates which are currently on 2+ km long EO lines onto the PCP which will add around another 80 or so lines.

7 of last 8 cabs to be installed in my town have been 288's and at least two of them are on smallish PCPs. I'm not sure what the default configuration of a 228 cab is but I'm pretty sure it doesn't support 288 ports from the outset.

In reply to a post by Fastman2:

if this is oin a bduk are at 180 premises i woud assume a Haiewie 96 woud be instaled -- i -which eschnage cab is this

I think through the typos / phone typing you are asking which exchange Worksop, cab 46.

coverered under BDUK - when you get your gap from openreach 2011 / 2012

Edited by deleted (Sun 07-Sep-14 18:57:08)

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/nottinghamshi...

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

https://www.whatdotheyknow.com/request/nottinghamshi...

That is a little out of date now. BBfN have finally published a postcode checker and are being pretty responsive on their Facebook page. I'm a little focussed on my cabinet as you might imagine but there is a little general stuff about BDUK and BBfN on our site: www.shireoaks.org.uk

In reference to www.nottinghamshire.gov.uk/living/business/broadband/where-and-when/:

We are pleased to confirm that your postcode is included in our programme with work provisionally planned for completion between October 2014 and March 2015.

Trust me I know

In reply to a post by simon194:

I'm not sure what the default configuration of a 228 cab is but I'm pretty sure it doesn't support 288 ports from the outset.

They don't; They start with only 1 or 2 line cards (To my knowledge) and then when the software which keeps track of customers on a cabinet senses a take-up percentage of more than 75% (I believe this is the figure), it triggers the order for more line card(s) to be installed by Openreach.

Replying to my own post with a bit more information after my wife spoke to the Openreach guy at the cab earlier. Apparently it will go live with 100 lines of which 80 will be "workers". Assume this means populated with 96 initially as others in this thread has speculated.

Better news is that he reckoned it would be live within a month. I was expecting a longer wait based on other people's experience of live date from the cabinet first appearing. That said it does seem to already have been connected to power and there is evidence of ducting in place / being put in place.