Sky are one of those providers that has various routes to finding its products

So we use http://www.thinkbroadband.com/jump.html?type=5&url=h... which shows the full range of FTTC options

The username for the login don't confirm anything about the actual product, since they can be anything essentially.

On the exchange unbundling that is for the unbundler to decide and NOT Openreach. There is an additional capacity layer and that is the LLU providers may limit sales if their own backhaul for fibre links between their network and Openreach are full or contending i.e. to ensure a reasonable quality of service.

Sure, happy to do that, I just wasn't too sure of the forum rules on things like this, rather than being deliberately secretive. Perhaps someone could kindly moderate this if I've accidentally overstepped the mark in this post.

Our current supplier is the PhoneCoop. Lots of reasons for going with them, the main one being that we've been a customer of theirs for many years at our old house and their customer service has always been excellent, in fact better than excellent at times. From the log-in username, I've assumed they are buying from BT wholesale, only because the username includes the words "btbroadbandcomplete.com".

The suppliers who have told me the cabinet is full are EE, SSE, and a couple of others (can't recall who) that I checked online with. The Phonecoop said they can't offer fibre to the cabinet because our local exchange hasn't been unbundled yet, not because of cabinet capacity.

It's very interesting, and helpful, that you mention that the low line rental companies also offer the lowest call costs. That sounds counter intuitive, but as you rightly say, does indicate how much of an extra margin some companies are adding. I should put the PhoneCoop in that high call cost bracket, too, as they are current charging us 12.5 per call set up plus 7.6p per minute during weekdays/evenings, with free calls at weekends. It's never worried me too much as we very rarely make non-Skype calls (although Skype doesn't work well with out present very poor ADSL performance at the new house - one reason for wanting fibre).

Thanks again for the advice.

Jeremy

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

The username for the login don't confirm anything about the actual product, since they can be anything essentially.

So does that mean that a username that includes "btbroadbandcomplete.com" may have nothing at all to do with BT as a wholesaler, and could be a different reseller altogether?

Maybe my assumption that the PhoneCoop were buying from BT Wholesale is wrong, if that's the case.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

On the exchange unbundling that is for the unbundler to decide and NOT Openreach. There is an additional capacity layer and that is the LLU providers may limit sales if their own backhaul for fibre links between their network and Openreach are full or contending i.e. to ensure a reasonable quality of service.

I'm still confused as to why exchange unbundling has anything to do with an FTTC service, though. It's very likely I've misunderstood how the system works, but I thought (and am very happy to be corrected) that FTTC worked by relaying the main backbone from the exchange incoming line to one or more fibre cabinets, and that instead of the multiplexing being done at the exchange, it is done by the DSLAM in the cabinet.

If that is the case, then I can't see why, logically, services from a specific cabinet (in our case Cabinet 2 in Fovant, Wiltshire) can't be re-sold by BT wholesale to any reseller.

I apologise for any misunderstandings I may have made, my grasp of the inner workings of the telecoms system isn't that great, I'm afraid!

Here's a curious tale. Half an hour or so after the last post I had a call from EE.

Now, about three weeks ago, when I was hunting around for a new ISP I did put our number into EE's checker to see if we could get FTTC, and it said we could. At that time they phoned me up within an hour or so, checking to see if I was interested in their offer. I said I was, and that's when I got the answer that they were sorry, but that our fibre cabinet was full. In fact the chap on the phone from EE said at that time that all the slots in that cabinet had been pre-booked by people who'd expressed an interest in fibre broadband, and that this was a common problem in areas where local authorities were sponsoring rural broadband provision.

When I answered the call from EE just now, I told the chap straight off that they had already told me, about three weeks ago, that they couldn't offer me fibre because the cabinet was full. The chap I spoke to this evening said he'd double check, and was happy to tell me that there was now spare capacity in the cabinet so would I like to sign up with them. I was honest with him, told him I was currently comparing offers and would now include EE's offer in my comparison.

Now, what I find slightly strange is that I've had no contact with EE for the past three weeks, and haven't even bothered to look at their web site, as they had told me that they couldn't offer fibre to our new address. The call I just had came within half an hour of me posting on here that EE had told me that there was no capacity in my local cabinet.

Just coincidence, perhaps?

I shall get back to my comparison spreadsheet, with thanks again to all here who have given such useful advice. I will say that I can understand how rumours start about BT retail having priority over other resellers, though, as there seems to be plenty of confusion about as to what might or might not be available!

Jeremy

PhoneCoop may well use that sort of username to denote their ADSL services, but it does not guarantee that it is a BT Wholesale based service.

On the LLU, its more about the cost of the backhaul, i.e. providers make a choice as to who they use, and it seems PhoneCoop prefer the cheaper backhaul options that LLU providers offer. This can limit availability of FTTC sometimes.

The multiplexing is done in the cabinet, that is the M of the DSLAM. The issue is where does the fibre from the cabinet goto, and does provider have an option for capacity from that exchange.

Not delved into PhoneCoop but at a guess they buy most of their services from TalkTalk Wholesale.

Sky Fibre Pro doesn't exist anymore and has been replaced with Sky Fibre Max which can be ordered online.

We too have just had FTTC in our village and I know that BT customers have been given priority

Utter tosh.

In reply to a post by JSHarris:

In fact the chap on the phone from EE said at that time that all the slots in that cabinet had been pre-booked by people who'd expressed an interest in fibre broadband, and that this was a common problem in areas where local authorities were sponsoring rural broadband provision.

More verbal vomit ... They are only "reserved" once an actual order is placed not just interest. If that was teh case then anyone calling several ISPs with an interest would have seeral slots pre-booked which would be farcical.

Having the voice and broadband from separate suppliers may cost more. It just depends.

I think the main problem is where there is what is essentially a voice line fault that manifests itself as a poor broadband connection. Who do you report the problem to?

Openreach would not tell BT retail phones about any perhaps additional work they might do for Plusnet broadband to correct a particular problem.

Having a single supplier for both services avoids that problem.