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Hi All,
Just wondering if there was any general rule of thumb from when a cabinet gets put up to when it is actually live?
Finally had some activity from BT in my local area and thanks to roadworks.org this time they actually stuck to (and were actually two days ahead) with the planned works to install 4 new cabinets in and around my area.
So now I've got some shiny new cabs - does anyone have a rough idea how long it takes before they go live and can start to place orders on them or is it just an as and when thing?
Cheers,
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1 week, 1 month, 1 year ...
If cabinets are installed before an exchange is upgraded then you could be in for a long wait. Or there could be delays getting fibre to the cabinet. At the other end, if the exchange is fully commissioned and working, fibre already laid to the cabinet location, then you could be looking at a very short time-scale.
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M H C
taurus excreta cerebrum vincit
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Unfortunately it's "as and when". Normal is 1-3 months. For some it is two years and counting. Also each of the four is independent in this respect, as the delay can be due to problems with the power supply or fibre ducting to the specific cabinet.
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Cheers Guys,
Yeah the exchange has been live for over a year - and the roadworks listed were to provide the cabinet and all the power and ducting.
So I'm hoping this means it's going to be a failry quick turnaround but you never know!!
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My local cabinet was installed in November, still waiting for switch on!
Plenty of roadworks going on but it appears that the major ones are now done so I shouldn't have to wait too much longer.
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Cheers MHC,
I'm guessing there is something happening sooner rather than later as I've gone past today and there was BT engineers at both cabs, old and new doing stuff. New cabinet looks like its full of hardware so I'm guessing they are doing something today!!
It wasn't chaos with traffic I would have pulled up and asked! IF they are still there tomorrow I'll shout em and see what's happening!
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They could be terminating the "tie-pairs" - used to feed the telephony from PCP to DSLAM and the combined VDSL and telephony back to the PCP. A laborious job ensuring that 200 pairs of cables are terminated on the correct IDC connector - yes they know their colour codes and will get it right however it does take concentration - out by one on a terminal strip and suddenly large numbers of lines could be affected.
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M H C
taurus excreta cerebrum vincit
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If they're using BT's newest "toolless" PCP wiring, the job would something like this video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5Z3Y5grzfM
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Wow, sounds like they are in for a fun time then. They've been there all morning and have two guys sat at either cab, so I guess they are doing something and maybe even doing some training of staff whilst they are at it? Reckon there was 4 fans and 6 folks in total.
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That was great to watch  . Some other time I'll watch some of the others listed there.
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From what I have heard so far - slower than standard Krone and quite a bit of fiddling around. Yes, they are gel filled to improve moisture resistance and will look tidier.
As for tool-less - all that has happened is the Krone tool being changed from a separate device to integrated into the connector strip.
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M H C
taurus excreta cerebrum vincit
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From looking at one of the other videos, it looks like the actions are quite reasonable for the engineer adding or removing one or two jumpers.
However, for the installation of the main cable on the back connectors, it looks horribly inefficient. The use of the outrigger, with a locking push/pull mechanism, looks "awkward" - I would have thought a temporarily-reversed connector block would make for easier connections, then reversed once completed.
I witnessed a couple of contractors at the PCP/FTTC pair outside my house recently, deploying additional tie pairs. I can't say how many pairs they did (and they probably weren't using this new system), but they were here on 2 consecutive days - though neither felt like full days.
That was without the need to dig in any extra ducts - which they said was unusual.
I guess you wouldn't want it to be much slower than this ... but perhaps it lets them use more engineers who are less skilled, allowing total throughput to increase.
The mere fact that BT are introducing new technology into PCP's suggests that they expect them to be part of the network for at least another couple of decades.
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... but perhaps it lets them use more engineers who are less skilled Yes, using a Krone tool is quite a complex task. 
On the other hand, it does seem to end up with a very tidy installation. Which could have considerable benefits.
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From what I could see from the two cabinets - old and new side by side - it definitely seemed to look like the tidyness of the cabinet would be vastly improved in the new one.
Guess I'll keep refreshing the wholesale page over the next few days to see if it does go live!
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From looking at one of the other videos, it looks like the actions are quite reasonable for the engineer adding or removing one or two jumpers.
However, for the installation of the main cable on the back connectors, it looks horribly inefficient. The use of the outrigger, with a locking push/pull mechanism, looks "awkward" - I would have thought a temporarily-reversed connector block would make for easier connections, then reversed once completed. Based on previous experience at a datacomms firm, but without anything like the experience of others here in installing and maintaining metallic line plant (my role was primarily R&D), I'd guess that the outrigger approach cannot be avoided. Twisting the installed block through 180 degrees with respect to the cable risks damage, also the fan-out geometry of the pairs will be incorrect risking strain on the installed pairs.
The tool-less blocks avoid problems of connectors being damaged by misaligned tool insertions and they likely make it difficult to ram in unsuitable wire or use an unsuitable tool (such as a screwdriver). The tool-less blocks allow the actual IDC to be gel filled without making an awful mess.
The test point is a great feature when troubleshooting and fault finding.
I'd expect engineers to become faster at installing multi-pair cables using the outriggers over time. Maybe there are people here with direct experience who can comment on the real life benefits (or otherwise!) of the new blocks.
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On the other hand, it does seem to end up with a very tidy installation. Which could have considerable benefits.
Krone installations can be very tidy - IF the Techs follow the guidelines. I have seen frames in business premises with thousands, maybe tens of thousands of incoming lines and handset connections with cross connections to switching equipment and they were immaculate. Good installation technicians pride themselves on the quality of their work.
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M H C
taurus excreta cerebrum vincit
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As you are probably aware but others may not be, they still have to locate and identify the pairs accurately etc.
Not the nicest of jobs, outside in all sorts of weather, at the sides of roads, getting the van/s parked and so on.
In the case of my local FTTC, that would be up 2 times 288 pairs, 1152 individual wires, keeping in mind that they are actually double links, 1 set from the PCP to the FTTC and then the second set back again.
Say 1 minute for each wire, almost 20 hours, so around 3 days work, whether as a single job or spread out by back-plane groups.
It would be interesting to know how much time is allowed by BT-OR.
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BT have just installed a cabinet near to my house, (we've been waiting 2 years!) and I had a chat with the engineer on Wednesday last week who was carrying out the internal wiring. He said that it usually took 2 or 3 days to complete that work and then the cabinet should go live sometime within the next week or two. He finished Thursday.
As this is just an extension to our local fibre network, which has been up and running for some time, I'm hoping we might be able to place an order by the end of the month. Hopefully my days of living on a measly 3mbs are coming to an end.
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But these are out on the street, in all weathers, and a guy with frozen hands.
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Well those videos was very interesting to watch
Are they using the new wiring now?
The reason that I ask is that we have not long (i.e. last December) had a brand new PCP cabinet installed a few feet from our old one and I know that's our old one is in a bad state inside the cabinet the last few times that I have seen them working in there.
I have also watched the videos for the DP41 I am assuming that's what I also have at the top of my phone pole, so I guess BTOR could upgrade that, but what about the shell in the pit?
The shielded shell for the phone lines in the pit is the worst and wires are in very bad state so the engineer said a few years back.
I have seen the engineers use pick and match to get a working wire and in some cases some lines are now no longer a twisted pair but now two separate wires on different pairs, I did tell the engineer that its would cause issues but was told there is no twisted pair spare, I assume this is a common thing.
But like I said, great vids.
Paul
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But these are out on the street, in all weathers, and a guy with frozen hands. Well I know BTOR don't do pit/chamber installs when its raining or windy, we was suppose to of had a new pit/chamber installed near one of our poles down our road last week scheduled for the 6th to 8th of May and the days came and went and no engineers no new pit/chamber nothing.
Paul
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Building a carrigaway/ footway box would be done by a contractor for openreach
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Building a carrigaway/ footway box would be done by a contractor for openreach Ah, ok.
Well whoever was paid to do it never came, roadworks said work was to start 6th to 8th of May, but nothing happened, still old small pit.
It said on roadworks the following:
Build 1 concrete chamber 915mm x 445mm x 965mm deep in Footway,Build 1 precast jointing chamber (725mm x 225mm) 600mm dep So I am gathering that in the new square version of the pit that I already have at my pole.
I was hoping to take some pictures at different stages and what goes inside etc, like the pre-cast mold and any hardware that also goes in.
Paul
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Cheers Guys,
Yeah the exchange has been live for over a year - and the roadworks listed were to provide the cabinet and all the power and ducting.
So I'm hoping this means it's going to be a failry quick turnaround but you never know!!
In my experience (which was 2 months ago) the cab went in and it was live on the checker within 3 weeks
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Well the plot thickens... or more rightly disappoints.. The cab has now gone live, but it appears despite (a really nice bt chap that was working on the cab the other day) assurance that it makes no sense that I'm one of the furthest houses away from the exchange so I shouldn't be an Exchange only line... I am as I still can't get an upgrade.
Ah well. Guess I'll still keep waiting to see when they can move me over from an EO line to somewhere else!
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First thing to check is with your phone number in the BT Wholesale line checker:
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome
If the line above the table identifies your exchange but not a cabinet, then you are on an EO line.
Second thing is to check your neighbours. Put your postcode into the BT Wholesale Address checker (not the postcode checker):
http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Addres...
You should be offered a list of addresses in the postcode, allowing you to check the results for the neighbours - noting any differences in cabinet and/or speed estimates.
Armed with those results, you should be able to frame a query to the BDUK project.
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Hi WWWombat,
Yeah I've got an excel spreadsheet with everybody postcode on and can see its basically about the last 36 or so houses on end of my road that seem to be exchange only.
Nice BT engineer I spoke to said he couldnt see any sense as to why we were setup that way either!!!
Unfortunately the BDUK project is basically dead in the water. Last time i tried to get in touch with them I go a auto response saying due to budget cuts they couldnt employ someone to actually answer responses.
So I'm pretty confident it's just a case of waiting and waiting and waiting!
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I've just had mine replaced after it was damaged. Oddly enough as I type this there is a mud scrape on the side of the NGA and also a 4x4 parked between it and the wall so I bet it's been hit again.
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