Finding Cabinet of Previous Line

Hi all

We're looking at having a backup DSL line installed at our business. We're situated on a business park, and the only ISP which provides VDSL only have wayleave (or whatever) with BT to provide to a certain number of cabs on the park.

We don't have any live copper here (we have ISDN30 over fibre and an existing 10MBit leased line) - but previously, before we took occupation of the building, there were a number of BT copper circuits (the NTEs still exist, but are, as expected, dead).

What I want to know is - is there any way to find out which cabinet will serve our building, for sure, based on the "dead" circuit numbers? There were NTEs for standard phones, some labelled as 'DSL' or 'Broadband' and the pre-requisite ISDN2e NTEs as well.

(actually there were lots of other very old NTEs too, but all fibre backhaul, rather than copper).

The park is THORP ARCH TRADING ESTATE, WETHERBY - I believe the actual nearest exchange is MYBOS - our postcode here is LS23 7FW. I can provide the old and disconnected phone numbers if it helps.

Thanks for your help.

PS - not expecting the usual checkers to show anything other than we might get a drip-feed of standard DSL, as the fast VDSL service is a private offering with permission to jumper onto BT cabinets.

If you use the address option of this checker it should tell you the cabinet number above the estimate table. Do not use the postcode option!

If it doesn't recognise the address you give it, still in the address option, (not the postcode option), enter just your postcode. That gives a dropdown list of all the addresses and you should be able to pick up yours.

Looking like cab 8
I guessing this is the OLO cab providing VDSL

Edited by deleted (Tue 05-Jul-16 13:44:46)

Thanks all,

Robertos: We are the whole postcode (it's quite a big site) - so the address checker matches us directly by postcode with nothing else entered in the checker. It then happily tells me:

"Your address has been successfully matched; however we cannot determine ADSL availability at this address. Please try the Telephone Number or Postcode Checker."

Ribble - where did you find Cab 8? My understanding is that there are 2 DSLAM cabs - sods law will dictate our copper will go to a cab which is NOT serviced by either.

Language: what's "OLO"? Not an acronym I've come across.

When we get the installation (or probably, reconnection) of copper - do we have any recourse at all in asking them to connect us to a particular cabinet? (to be honest, I'm not sure it'll be geographically possible, due to distance)

Let me know if you'd like any previous numbers - though they may even have been re-issued so might be a red herring.

As ever, your help is very much appreciated.


R.

Other Licenced Operator

Could you tell us the ISP please?

Openreach do not have a DSLAM cabinet connected to cab 8, only the Other licenced operator . The actual copper cab 8 is a little way down the road, and cab 9 is further along the other way

Googling the business park name and finding its website, then looking at News, the Spring 2013 and Spring 2014 issues of the estate newsletter states the OLO broadband provider as York Data Services.

Probably best for the OP to give them a call as they should know the properties they can serve. Their website states "please call or email us to check you are in a location we can provide to and to get an order form".

Edited by deleted (Tue 05-Jul-16 16:29:30)

ooh, cheers for that, I wondered what that meant.

I've noticed it on the side of a building in Birmingham!

All,

Already in long discussions with YDS - actually they're a really helpful bunch...

What I need (or at least, hope) to ascertain, is whether or not when we connect our BT line, if it will connect to the correct cab / PCP which is served by their OLO DSLAM.

Also would like to know if I will be able to ask BT that they connect us to a specific cab - or if there's any way we can request it once the order is put in.

Already clear on the 'who' and 'how' - but if our copper ends up in a box that's NOT served by YDS' (OLO) gear, then I have a big pile of not-much-internets.

Very worst case, I've learned a new acronym.. "OLO".

As an aside, I think "OLO" is also what Megamind says when he answers his phone in the film. Sorry - it's been a long day which is just about starting again - I'm not delirious, honest!

YDS should be able to obtain that info from Openreach via their online portal access, but I strongly suspect it will connect to cab 8 which I believe YDS ( the OLO) have connected to.

Edited by deleted (Wed 06-Jul-16 15:19:44)

I'll get their Ops team OR liaison to confirm for me. Hopefully before we press the button and order with BTR for the copper line. That said, we've lost more money in the past on stuff a lot less useful than a BT POTS line!

Thanks to everyone for their continued help on here - it's very much appreciated.

Can't you order the line from YDS as a bundle with their FTTC?

there will be a route back from the premise to cab X -- there will be no ability to change that route or Cab -- you might be lucky that Cab X is one of SLU (sub look unbundlked cabs) or your may be not

My point was that the buck is passed to them. To accept the order because they can supply, or reject it because they can't. No need for the OP to spent time and effort finding out, unless there is a company policy only to have BT Retail or BT Business lines.

Seeing as the line is presumably only needed for the FTTC then that may not be an insurmountable problem.

From my meetings with YDS (we were possibly taking more than DSL) I was told that they could only look to provide DSL on an existing BT copper provide. I don't know if that's down to some contract between BT and YDS, or some other reason.

Technically, I don't really see that it would make a difference to YDS, given the physical line would be provided by BTOR into the cab anyway - but they specified BT, and the way the 'higher-ups' work in this place, I have to do it by the book as provided.

It's because of the 'higher ups', also, that I wanted to try and ascertain WHICH cab we'd connect into, because it'd be really good if I could avoid the situation where I'm signed for a BT line only to have YDS say, "Oh, wrong cab, you're naffed." That wouldn't be good. Not even a bit good.

I've learned that I can't do anything about it - the route is pre-designated as is the cab (I guess, subject to capacity, but that's another whole thing) - so we'll just suck it and see.

Anyway - the order will be going into BT for the business phone line today, as necessity dictates - and then it's just down to crossed fingers!

Good luck. But there is something utterly ridiculous going on if nobody can tell you the cabinet. Openreach must know if they want to install a line.

How big is this estate, and how many Openreach cabinets? How many buildings?

Haven't you got a "BT" line already for the existing phone service?

Edited by RobertoS (Thu 07-Jul-16 09:14:46)

Haven't you got a "BT" line already for the existing phone service?

We don't have any live copper here (we have ISDN30 over fibre and an existing 10MBit leased line) - but previously, before we took occupation of the building, there were a number of BT copper circuits (the NTEs still exist, but are, as expected, dead).

(ahem)

Oops!

It's still very odd that the BTW checker doesn't know the cabinet for the address.

Maybe it does not know the cabinet because the very old dormant lines were exchange only

Voice services over ISDN30 can be a little 'odd' to systems, often not geographically 'correct' (as in the numbers don't 'belong' to the local exchange).

I daresay the boy Ribble has it right