What's next?

Don't worry this isn't a when can i order post!

My NGA was put in a couple of weeks a go and the beginning of last week they finished blowing the fibre from the headend exchange through my village on to my actual exchange which is further still.
There has been sporadic activity since then with various engineers I assume connecting various things and i've noticed that my PCP is now being reshelled next week..

So between now and the live date, what happens next?

If its yet to be reshelled then the copper link cables are yet to be connected, maybe the power supply has yet to be provided in which case it won't have been electrically certified. Once all that and the fibre connected then the cabinet will get a commissioning check and if all ok be made available soon after that.
so to answer your next question, could be a few weeks or months yet.

Edited by deleted (Sat 06-Jun-15 12:01:53)

Thanks for that!
I wasn't going to ask that question, I'm just interested in the process

Does the fact they've run fibre past the nga mean they connect it at the same time?
I'm assuming they put the fibre in but I just saw thick black cables with yellow stripes. I was reading something that seemed to indicate that was just ducting and doesn't necessarily mean the fibre is in there already?
Is reshelling the pcp a common part of the process, in fairness ours does look like something from the dark ages!
Are there any other steps before certification?

I'm with talktalk and they've mentioned that they have to be allocated fibre lines. Is there any preference for this? E.g. If someone isn't on LLU talktalk like me but with BT are they likely to be able to order before me?

In reply to a post by bewA:

I'm with talktalk and they've mentioned that they have to be allocated fibre lines. Is there any preference for this? E.g. If someone isn't on LLU talktalk like me but with BT are they likely to be able to order before me?

Garbage.

However, once Openreach enable the (fibre headend) exchange the providers have to buy an NGA link at that exchange from the Openreach termination point to their own (LLU) MSAN. Last time I looked that was £2000 one-off.

The providers being BT Wholesale, Sky, TalkTalk and possibly some Zen.

Typically BT Wholesale already have that link in there when Openreach enable the exchange. Sky and TalkTalk may lag, and in some cases not bother. So the answer is "possibly", but not for the reason you were given.

To add to Bob's excellent explanation, Zen use a mixed approach.

At some handover points, Zen install their own equipment and order the necessary NGA Cablelink(s) from Openreach. Zen use BT Wholesale to offer service if they don't have their own equipment at the appropriate handover node. Zen's own customers pay the same price for service provided using BT Wholesale as they do for service over the Zen network.

I don't know how Zen's wholesale operation handles areas where Zen doesn't have network presence.



Sky and TalkTalk will only offer service over their own networks.

I'm not quite sure about Zen, David. They don't talk about LLU for their ADSLx offerings, but POPs. (Points of Presence). Which to me implies an early takeoff from the BTW MSAN to Zen backhaul. Perhaps at the exchange, but as you say - with standard BTW backhaul to WBC/WBMC nodes where they don't have a POP.

Edited by RobertoS (Sat 06-Jun-15 13:45:47)

My understanding is that Zen are fitting ADSL2+ line cards to their MSANs, rather than using BT Wholesale ADSL2+ in at least some of the exchanges where they have presence, though I can't find anything that confirms this. I also understood that the MSANs can have voice line cards fitted, theoretically allowing Zen to provide fully unbundled service, but at the moment all Zen voice service is WLR3 even on lines like mine where Zen is providing both voice and ADSL/FTTx.

Zen customers can check how their service is provided using the "View Line Data" feature on the portal. "WBMC" means BT Wholesale.

Thanks all for the posts! It really is facsinating reading at least for me so your contributions are appreciated!

According to roadworks.org the description says "Renew existing PCP shell and provide additional duct" which is due to start Tuesday to Thursday. So it does seem to suggest replacing to make space for additional space before connecfing to the NGA (as you suggested Ribble)?
Is that likely to happen at the same time or just a follow up visit on another date?

Here is the location of my PCP on Street View and the darker patch of the bush is approximately the location of the recently installed NGA.

The black/yellow tubing is simply a protection for the Fibre proper, which is blown through that tubing as a separate operation.

From the first ground works (not with a silver spade) for my local FTTC to it being activated and available took from mid-November 2013 to end-March 2014 - and over that period, the RSF or Completion Date was given as "31st May 2014".

Each segment of actual work took only a day or two; but with typically about one week gaps between, involving pobably around 3 or 4 companies-

Kelly
Openreach
Scottish Power
Local Council (altering street signs, as the FTTC is on one side of the verical of a "T junction" and the PCP is on theopposite, corresponding side, compounded by a double School Crossing, the vertical of the T being a "20 MPH ZONE" with its signage, The horizontal of the T being basically a "30 MPH" zone; but all that immediate area is also a Schools Times "20 MPH" Flashing Lights zone.)

The electricity supply was taken from the base of one of the Street Sign Poles, so the Council had to remove all the signs, lamp etc on it.

The repositioned signs are now conflicting and probably "non sequitur" in legal terms!