Fibre was available, now it's not

I was going to upgrade to fibre broadband, because Plusnet have put up their line rental prices, so I could get out of my contract early or negotiate.

However, when I came to order fibre broadband, I discovered that it is no longer available. It's status has changed from accepting orders (AO) to enabled area (EA), on the fibre checking page. I assume this means they have run out of capacity in my local cabinet?

I am so disappointed and frustrated. I was quite shocked as my area was enabled pretty early on it hadn't even occurred to me the fibre status could go backwards.

It says on the checker page "It is in our plans to be upgraded and we update this info weekly, so please check back later.". Is there anyone I can call or e-mail, or anywhere else I can check to find out a more exact date?

If I don't change packages or providers by the 10th of August, I will have to wait until the end of my ADSL contact to negotiate. I would be gutted about that since the service has been going massively downhill. Now would be the ideal time.

Thanks so much for reading and for any advice you can give me.

did you use dsl checker or the where and when checker

Here is one idea - If you go to the BT Broadband Avaiability Checker
https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

Enter your phone number then copy the address of the page that opens.
Paste this address into Follow That Page
https://www.followthatpage.com/
enter an email address and you will get an email when the page has changed.
It may give an availability date now which then changes to available when you can order.

Edited by deleted (Thu 30-Jul-15 17:20:35)

Thanks for your reply FredTheB. I have tried the BT wholesale checker:

https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

and the where and when page:

http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

The whole sale page now only lists ADSL up to 18mb and it used to have speeds for FTC.

Where and when has changed from AO to EA.

Thanks for the suggestion zhango.

I am not sure that will work because after the telephone number is submit, the URL of the webpage remains the same. I know it used to tack your telephone number onto the URL, so you could bookmark it. It doesn't seem to do that now.

So I guess the page following website would just follow the page where you submit your number, not the result?

Was a great idea though.

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

Thanks for your reply FredTheB. I have tried the BT wholesale checker:

https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

and the where and when page:

http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

The whole sale page now only lists ADSL up to 18mb and it used to have speeds for FTC.

Where and when has changed from AO to EA.

On the BT DSL Checker does it mention a cabinet?

What Exchange name and cabinet number does it say?

Paul

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

Thanks for the suggestion zhango.

I am not sure that will work because after the telephone number is submit, the URL of the webpage remains the same. I know it used to tack your telephone number onto the URL, so you could bookmark it. It doesn't seem to do that now.

So I guess the page following website would just follow the page where you submit your number, not the result?

Was a great idea though.

It still works, just need to know the format. Replace the xxxxxx with your number

https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Telep...

Some friends are trying to get FTTC, went to order in January and told sorry cabinet full. Following day DSLChecker showed ADSL only. In May it had a target date of 1 July - called that morning, cabinet full AGAIN! and now it shows ADSL only.

The Openreach checker shows HD - High Demand for them and neighbours on the same cabinet except on neighbour where it gives AO - Accepting Orders on the same cabinet. Something is awry there.

In reply to a post by B31:

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

Thanks for the suggestion zhango.

I am not sure that will work because after the telephone number is submit, the URL of the webpage remains the same. I know it used to tack your telephone number onto the URL, so you could bookmark it. It doesn't seem to do that now.

So I guess the page following website would just follow the page where you submit your number, not the result?

Was a great idea though.

It still works, just need to know the format. Replace the xxxxxx with your number

https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Telep...

Yes it works to give the information but as broadbandcat says, the webpage URL doesn't change so you can't use the 'Follow That Page' method to check if the page updates.

I hadn't checked that it worked when I suggested it.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Some friends are trying to get FTTC, went to order in January and told sorry cabinet full. Following day DSLChecker showed ADSL only. In May it had a target date of 1 July - called that morning, cabinet full AGAIN! and now it shows ADSL only.

The Openreach checker shows HD - High Demand for them and neighbours on the same cabinet except on neighbour where it gives AO - Accepting Orders on the same cabinet. Something is awry there.

Well the DSL Checker will also display a message just below the speeds table for the reason why no fibre when its full, normally says something about capacity etc, that's when you know there is fibre there but its full.

Paul

Not in this case ...

In reply to a post by zhango:

In reply to a post by B31:

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

Thanks for the suggestion zhango.

I am not sure that will work because after the telephone number is submit, the URL of the webpage remains the same. I know it used to tack your telephone number onto the URL, so you could bookmark it. It doesn't seem to do that now.

So I guess the page following website would just follow the page where you submit your number, not the result?

Was a great idea though.

It still works, just need to know the format. Replace the xxxxxx with your number

https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Telep...

Yes it works to give the information but as broadbandcat says, the webpage URL doesn't change so you can't use the 'Follow That Page' method to check if the page updates.

I hadn't checked that it worked when I suggested it.

I'm not sure I understand what you are saying, but it doesn't matter if the URL doesn't change...

Follow that page will tell you what content has changed on the page, not that the URL itself has changed.

Just copy the link above into follow that page, change the xxxs to your phone number and save it.

Likewise do the same if you want to bookmark it - bookmark the page, but then edit the bookmark, replace it with the link above, including your phone number.

It works fine for me.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Not in this case ...

Hmm, well that's bad, normally they do.

Paul

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

On the BT DSL Checker does it mention a cabinet?

What Exchange name and cabinet number does it say?

Paul

Thank you for the reply Paul. Yes, it says "Exchange EXETER is served by Cabinet 12". Do you know any more about it?

Been looking back through my e-mails from when I e-mailed nga enquires at openreach in the past. Appears to be the same cabinet it has always been. I don't think that e-mail address works for enquires any more does it?

In reply to a post by B31:

It still works, just need to know the format. Replace the xxxxxx with your number

https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Telep...

Ah! Thank you very much for the URL. That's like the original one I remember. Have started following that page, I can see it should work with the telephone number in the address.

In reply to a post by MHC:

Some friends are trying to get FTTC, went to order in January and told sorry cabinet full. Following day DSLChecker showed ADSL only. In May it had a target date of 1 July - called that morning, cabinet full AGAIN! and now it shows ADSL only.

The Openreach checker shows HD - High Demand for them and neighbours on the same cabinet except on neighbour where it gives AO - Accepting Orders on the same cabinet. Something is awry there.

That's interesting, slightly different again. I wonder why one would give HD (high demand) and the other would give EA (enabled area), if they both mean the cabinet is full?

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

Well the DSL Checker will also display a message just below the speeds table for the reason why no fibre when its full, normally says something about capacity etc, that's when you know there is fibre there but its full.

Paul

Hmm, haven't seen a message about capacity on the page. Maybe something is more amiss?

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

I wonder why one would give HD (high demand) and the other would give EA (enabled area), if they both mean the cabinet is full?

HD and EA mean completely different things.

HD (High Demand) is when the cabinet has been upgraded and is now full.

EA (Enabled Area) means fibre is in your area, however your cabinet has not yet been upgraded.

Paul

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

On the BT DSL Checker does it mention a cabinet?

What Exchange name and cabinet number does it say?

Paul

Thank you for the reply Paul. Yes, it says "Exchange EXETER is served by Cabinet 12". Do you know any more about it?

Been looking back through my e-mails from when I e-mailed nga enquires at openreach in the past. Appears to be the same cabinet it has always been. I don't think that e-mail address works for enquires any more does it?

All I can see is that you was part of the Commercial FTTP Project that was down to be done back in 2011, however most of the Commercial FTTP was put on hold for possible BDUK installs, since then you have been moved over to the Commercial FTTC Project which says FTTC Planned for 31st December 2015.

Please note these planned dates can and often gets put back due to possible issues that might arise, also even when your cabinet get upgraded, you may still not get fibre, this might be due to the cabinet becoming full before you can order it or you may just be too far from the cabinet and becoming not viable for fibre.

BTW I sent you a PM.

Paul

Post deleted by broadbandcat

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

In reply to a post by broadbandcat:

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

On the BT DSL Checker does it mention a cabinet?

What Exchange name and cabinet number does it say?

Paul

Thank you for the reply Paul. Yes, it says "Exchange EXETER is served by Cabinet 12". Do you know any more about it?

Been looking back through my e-mails from when I e-mailed nga enquires at openreach in the past. Appears to be the same cabinet it has always been. I don't think that e-mail address works for enquires any more does it?

All I can see is that you was part of the Commercial FTTP Project that was down to be done back in 2011, however most of the Commercial FTTP was put on hold for possible BDUK installs, since then you have been moved over to the Commercial FTTC Project which says FTTC Planned for 31st December 2015.

Please note these planned dates can and often gets put back due to possible issues that might arise, also even when your cabinet get upgraded, you may still not get fibre, this might be due to the cabinet becoming full before you can order it or you may just be too far from the cabinet and becoming not viable for fibre.

BTW I sent you a PM.

Paul

Apologies for the premature reply, I should have read down further.

Thank you very much for the information. Some of it goes a little bit over my head, but the important part I guess is the date,

I had no idea the was FTTP down here, until I was reading the stickied thread at the top of this forum last night.

I am wondering how the FTTP could have affected the FTTC. It was order-able from that cabinet from normal providers at normal costs, I imagine whatever was there must have been FTTC not FTTP, at some point.

There are a lot of business properties here as well as residential, I am wondering if they are trying to split them up :/

I appreciate the into about the dates, thank you and realise it is only a guideline. My contract is up in October, so it looks like I will be waiting even after then.

Thank you also for the PM, that is really helpful

I have been following the page as suggested. It's changing often, but so far it as been adding and removing retirement dates for Datastream over and over again.

Really wishing I had ordered earlier now while it was still available. Lesson learnt I suppose.