New FTTC cabinet ISP access

Openreach/BT (aka Carillion Telent) have installed new fibre to Stanton and built Ellastone Cabinet P2. Staffs Superfast (funding project) has announced it as "live".

1. What does "live" exactly mean?

2. Should those of us on a standard BT Broadband package immediately see any automatic speed increase (recent download 1.5mps max!)...or do we have to pay extra to BT?!

3. Although going thro BTOpenreach cabinet do the different ISPs have any control over speed provided to consumer.

4. I understand that the fibre to cabinet speed is 80mps, but what should you expect if only 50 ft from cabinet?

5. Slightly seperate but Ellastone P3 has now been installed for 3 months but we are told it is "awaiting electricity connection". Is that a typical delay....or just an excuse for something else?!

1. Live should mean available to order from a range of providers

2. As the faster products cost more the upgrades are NOT automatic and so you have to decide which package you want and which ISP, generally two variants up to 38 Mbps and up to 76 Mbps

3. Providers have a choice of three products 40/2 (down/up), 40/10 and 80/20. Once you allow for overheads due to comms protocols you arrive at the up to 38 Mbps and up to 76 Mbps of the adverts. The key controlling factor is physics, ie. distance to the cabinet

4. If 50 feet then you'd expect the full up to 76 Mbps connection, when ordering you should be given a speed estimate/range you are likely to get.

5. Yes getting power to the electronics can be a real reason for a delay

Edited by MrSaffron (Wed 10-Feb-16 10:09:23)

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

2. As the faster products cost more the upgrades are NOT automatic and so you have to decide which package you want and which ISP, generally two variants up to 38 Mbps and up to 76 Mbps

Amended it to say what I'm sure you intended

Edited by gt94sss2 (Wed 10-Feb-16 00:42:07)

Shouldn't number 2 be "upgrades are not automatic" as in they do not automatically get Fibre without ordering a fibre product.

Paul

Ah, you beat me to it

Paul

That is what I intended, was late is my only excuse

In reply to a post by Ellastonepaul:

2. Should those of us on a standard BT Broadband package immediately see any automatic speed increase (recent download 1.5mps max!)...or do we have to pay extra to BT?!

Others have answered this, but the important thing to remember is that the installation of the cabinet changes nothing about your broadband connection, it still uses the same copper wire back to the exchange as it did before and the same ADSL protocol. You need to upgrade in order for it to make use of the new fibre connection between the cabinet and the exchange and to use the new, faster, VDSL protocol.

Edited by kasg (Wed 10-Feb-16 11:19:17)

There is actually a 4th speed package which ISPs have been able to order from 16th January, and that's 55/10, although I haven't heard of any retail packages that use it as yet. I'm expecting an ISP to upgrade their 40/10 package to that speed, but we'll see.

BT Wholesale have said they plan to offer the 55/10 option to their ISPs from March/April..