Possible FTTP rollout in Devon? Opinions?

Hi,

At the moment I live in the middle of nowhere in mid Devon. My Postcode is covered by the BDUK scheme but my cabinet is roughly 3 miles away and so I get down speeds of roughly 1.5Mb/s. However, recently there have been openreach engineers installing what looks to be FTTP infrastructure along my lane. They have been installing fibre on the existing telegraph poles which now have "caution overhead fibre" signs on them. The engineers have also been installing what looks to be fibre distribution nodes on some of the poles as well. See the linked pics for more detail. IN your opinions, does this looks like I might be getting an FTTP solution sometime in the near(ish) future?

You can see the distribution point at the top

The thick fibre which looks as if it will serve as the backhaul

Loops of fibre which looks a if they will go to various homes

Signs on all local telegraph poles

Many poles have fibre drop cables installed on them

Yes

The FTTP manifolds are only used for FTTP roll-out

Anyway to estimate a timescale based on the amount of work already done? IE is the splitter node installation indicative of an imminent connection date?

need your postcode to find that out

EX175AE

Hard to tell at this point, hopefully before the end of the year.

So these distribution points (I think?) have been installed on loads of poles in the area. I would expect them to be fed from a cable from the ground but none of them are.

IMAGE - Loads of these in the area

And this square box with a yellow band around it has been installed on the pole opposite the one pictured above.

IMAGE - Not quite sure what this is

What's interesting is that all the FTTP poles have a single small fibre cable connected between them. My guess is that they're all fed by an overhead backhaul as digging a 3km trench from the exchange doesn't seem feasible since BT have said that service is supposed to be available this month. Do overhead backhauls ever happen?

The first picture does indeed show a fibre DP.

The second would appear to be a simple (fibre) joint.

I suspect you have mixed up your terminology, the backhaul is usually the link from a major node back to another, think from an exchange maybe back to a POP.

As for overhead fibre provision, it is fairly common, and as you have already stated cheaper than miles of new ductwork.

Thanks.

Just out of interest, how should I refer to the main link back to the exchange?

Just out of interest, how should I refer to the main link back to the exchange?

Just as fibre, or maybe 'the feed fibre'.

There's a nice simple diagram showing the basics here.

That diagram has all the info I am looking for!!! Thank you!!!!

What is interesting about these pictures is that it looks like the manifolds, and maybe some of the other FTTP equipment, (well in this example) has been placed on a shared utility pole (ie. carrying the electricity distribution cables too) which is reassuring as I wasn't sure it could be done.

I say that as the majority of the poles within our village are shared between Openreach, Western Power (electric) and the council for the street lamps.

It definitely used to be used for power, but I'm not sure if it is still linked up. I'll have a look next time I'm nearby.

So it's been about 9 months since the FTTP equipment first began appearing and now BT are apparently aiming for a completion date in June.

Apparently 85% of the work has been completed. Looking around, a majority of what's left seems to be connecting underground cable sections to overhead sections...

Pics for those interested:

Does anyone know what these jointing things are called?

They look temporary

Other cables....

They aren't 'jointing things' they are for tensioning the blown fibre tubing I believe.

Found it - It's called a "Fibre Locking Mechanism (FLM)"

I think it isolates the actual jointing from load on the cable.

Nods head - was lacking the proper name when I saw initial pictures, so saves having to do a longer description

It's only recently that WPD granted Opebreach a licence to use there poles

In reply to a post by Ribble:

It's only recently that WPD granted Opebreach a licence to use there poles

Who are Opebreach? Should that be Open-Reach or Open-Breach!

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

They aren't 'jointing things' they are for tensioning the blown fibre tubing I believe.

In the document for the fibre locking mechanism, it shows the 36-fibre "ultra lightweight aerial fibre" (which is also included in your earlier architecture diagram).

I can understand the need for locking this kind of distribution fibre, but I would have thought it wouldn't be possible for BFT. Surely putting multiple figure-8 in BFT is going to make it impossible to blow the fibre in later?

I'd suspect it would blow round there, that's a fair radius.

I notice (smallprint at the bottom of that PDF) that the company who makes those are based in Martlesham Heath business park. That is probably a very good location for someone who makes things which BT/OR are going to be using in fairly large quantities, isn't it? I know I'm essentially pointing out the obvious, but I did laugh when I saw their location.

Hello @chriswillb

We are part of the "connecting cambridgeshire" FTTP rollout (PE28 0TL) and seem to be in the same "readiness" position as you. Fibre manifolds are in place on the new (and shared utility) poles (but without fibre drop cables ready to join to each property), the underground chambers (for the distribution points?) are complete etc... We are being told by "Connecting Cambridgeshire" that we should be able to order FTTP from end of May-16 as all the external works have now completed and they are expected to conclude the current commissioning/testing period soon.

However, we were at the same place last Oct-2015, and "new issues" arose just as the last weeks of the deadline came close. For us, the openreach website states "Exploring options" and the FTTP sales team is giving contradictory information. The BT adsl checker is not giving any indication of FTTP either. It is very hard to get definitive status as we cannot speak directly to OpenReach (who are probably the only ones who know the true status).

Is the FTTP sales team able to confirm availability to order in June for you?

That seems rather resemblant of my experience; here's my timeline of events:

On the Connecting Devon and Somerset website, my exchange status moved from "Under Evaluation" to "Coming Soon" about 2 years ago having been the former for about a year.

Last summer (August), Openreach started the FTTP deployment with new equipment appearing over time up until about December. At this point the expected completion date on the Connecting Devon and Somerset website was "by January 2016".

January 2016 came and went with no news so I decided to email CDS. They said some issues cropped up and now expect to finish by March.

Again, this came and went with no news apart from the CDS website date changing to Novemeber 2016. So, I emailed and again, they said some new issues came up and Openreach now hope to finish by the end of June. It was at this point they also gave me the "85% completed" figure and said the Novemeber date on the website was a conservative estimate.

So now I guess I just have to wait till the end of June. I assume June will come and go with no news again, but I really hope it doesn't.

I really wouldn't trust the Openreach website as it seems to only work with FTTC and it gives a different result depending on whether I enter my Address or Phone number - For my address it thinks I'm on an exchange only line to the wrong exchange and with my phone number it just says exploring solutions.

I haven't tried to contact the FTTP sales team yet but apparently, about 2 months ago, BT were about asking neighbours if they'd be interested in faster broadband.

Edited by deleted (Fri 27-May-16 19:46:44)

Frankly i feel like we need a support group for the delayed and disappointed! Its nearly 3 yrs since OR came around and surveyed my property for FTTP. Then they decided to go to FTTC then we had a yrs of delays and missed deadlines - Connecting Devon and S and OR/BT sites seem to chop and change what they thought was happening with neither seeming to say the same thing at the same time - and now we're back to them telling me my areas is having FTTP again!

Happy times :-/

Edited by deleted (Mon 04-Jul-16 14:04:58)

Yeah it's extremely frustrating. Was scheduled for completion last month but: "Cost restraints on the build of some structures have impacted the speed with which delivery is happening as reviews are in place to assess their viability.".

If this keeps happening I'm writing to my MP; you can't just mothball a publicly funded project like this.

well at least you know something! I was scheduled for completion this Jan gone (and before that the previous June and Jan) - I have little faith that the present Dec 2016 will happen.

I'm stuck with

"Your area is currently in our plans to be upgraded with Fibre to the Premises (FTTP), however we follow a different design and build process for FTTP so you won't see updates at each stage. When you are able to place orders you will see the Accepting Orders message. In some instances our FTTP plans change. If this happens you will move though the journey stages normally.
If you'd like to know when you can order fibre, register your details."

Edited by deleted (Mon 04-Jul-16 14:40:32)

I've been emailing CDS regarding updates, that's where I got the info. Interestingly the Openreach website has recently changed from "In Scope" to the same message you're getting.

Perhaps I'll try CDS again - last time i didn't even get a reply! (worst bit is I can see properties with fibre from my door)

Edited by deleted (Mon 04-Jul-16 14:49:26)

Try them on Twitter also @DCCSCCBroadband - I will say though I am surprised you didn't hear anything, I contacted them and had a reply, but also I knew someone else who did and they also had a reply.

Pleasantly surprised to find this email sitting in my inbox this morning:

"Hi Chris,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

I have now heard back from BT and they have confirmed that Bow 1 is at build complete. The testing is now underway and it is expected that premises will be able to order a service within the next couple of weeks.

Please do come back to me if this is not the case though and I will get another update."

It's taken the best part of 4 delay-filled years, but BT finally seem to have gotten their act together and finished the build out!!!

Just one question: How often does the testing for FTTP reveal substantial delay-inducing problems?

This sounds really interesting. I've seen some poles with fibre strung across them in some of the outskirts of Torquay where I live and I started wondering if FTTP was coming to more rural areas. I currently work for an Equine charity with sites in Newton Abbot, just outside of Totnes (and on a cabinet that seems like it isn't cost effective to upgrade) and Holsworthy (which is on an exchange only line).

I wonder if it might be worth me wandering around the areas where we have farms on the lookout for fibre

Rob

It may very well be worth a look as, for rural areas, overhead distributed FTTP is the only really viable/cost-effective technology when it comes to increasing bandwidth. Perhaps check some of the postcodes here to see if any of your farm areas are covered under any upgrade plans.

So there were more delays, but after a quick email to Gavin Patterson (CEO of BT) and a prompt response from Andrew Whale (Chief Openreach Engineer), I have now placed my order!!