Fibre available with BT but not TalkTalk

Hi there! BT recently upgraded my cabinet to fibre (on October 1), however I want to stay with Uno and use their unlimited TTB-LLU service.

However, both Uno and TalkTalk are advising that they are unable to take orders for my line as fibre isn't available.

I currently use an ADSL2+ TTB LLU service, so the equipment is there. Plus TalkTalk will take orders for my neighbours that are connected to other cabinets. Is this just a case of waiting for TalkTalk's databases to update?

Thanks!

Edited by deleted (Thu 10-Nov-16 16:09:02)

It's likely they haven't bought a GEA-cable link in the exchange to hand over traffic from Openreach's network to the TalkTalk backhaul whereas BT wholesale most likely have done.

Only TalkTalk would know when this is going to happen.

Surely they have if other cabinets can use TTB fibre services?

If there's other cabs on the exchange then they must have.

Has to be a database issue then. Again, only TalkTalk will know how long it takes to update.

Yeah, I checked a bunch of neighbour lines that are on other cabinets. One cabinet, for example, that was upgraded to fibre in April will accept orders. But mine, that was upgraded October 1, does not.

I've asked TalkTalk and they're in denial that BT will even offer me fibre services at all, so they're no help either. Guessing it'll just be a case of waiting it out, as you say!

The GEA-cable link is in the Fibre head-end exchange, which may or may not be your telephone exchange - though FTTC in your area will be shown for your telephone exchange.

If your exchange has only recently started to be shown available on your exchange then TalkTalk are notorious for being the last to buy that cable link from Openreach. BT Wholesale are always there on Day 1, as that is the definer for it being available. That means nearly every ISP in the country can get it.

Sky are usually there just as quickly I think these days. TalkTalk sometimes seem to wait until BTW is up and running before ordering one.

Uno can probably offer you BT Wholesale based FTTC, but not the TTB one yet - or ever.

In reply to a post by n21:

Yeah, I checked a bunch of neighbour lines that are on other cabinets. One cabinet, for example, that was upgraded to fibre in April will accept orders. But mine, that was upgraded October 1, does not.

Was that check using the uno/TT website?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

In reply to a post by n21:

Yeah, I checked a bunch of neighbour lines that are on other cabinets. One cabinet, for example, that was upgraded to fibre in April will accept orders. But mine, that was upgraded October 1, does not.

Was that check using the uno/TT website?

It was indeed. Uno says it's available but they cancelled my order. TalkTalk and TalkTalk Business both say it's unavailable for my cabinet but other cabinets connected to the same exchange show as available.

Edited by deleted (Thu 10-Nov-16 16:44:25)

As has been said by Roberto, your cabinet doesn't necessarily connect to your exchange. The fibre can be from a different exchange.

In reply to a post by lee111s:

As has been said by Roberto, your cabinet doesn't necessarily connect to your exchange. The fibre can be from a different exchange.

It's definitely the same exchange as the others, we're only a small village.

It's exchange EAMTS, cabinet 5 if that helps clarify!

Thanks for all your help, by the way everyone!

What I'm getting at is are you also using the uno checker for those other addresses? And in the same way? For instance if you are using your phone number, but their addresses, what do you get for your address?

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

What I'm getting at is are you also using the uno checker for those other addresses? And in the same way? For instance if you are using your phone number, but their addresses, what do you get for your address?

Well Uno say it's available no matter what combination I put in. But when I actually placed an order for my line, they sat on it for a day or so, cancelled it, and then emailed me to tell me it's actually unavailable.

I checked the availability checker on both TalkTalk and TalkTalk Business and both say that fibre is unavailable for my line. But one of my neighbours down the road, who is connected to cabinet 3 *can* order it. Cabinet 3 was activated in April, so I'm assuming it's just a case of waiting for TalkTalk to catchup. I can't imagine they'd only supply to certain cabinets and not others.

I would disregard the uno checker for now.

To be clear, for fibre the green fibre cabinet (in your case no 5) goes to a headend exchange (a kind of master exchange) directly. It does not go via your local telephone exchange.

There is a small chance that cabinet 3 goes to a different headend exchange to cabinet 5, as often areas are between headend exchanges. If this is the case the headend exchange for cabinet 3 could easily have the GEA-cable setup and the headend exchange you go via may not.

Or a different headend within the same handover site

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html...

Example speed test for a TalkTalk user who looks to be on cabinet 2 same exchange.

All 5 cabinets link back to Dereham. If TalkTalk is happy to accept an order for other live postcodes in EAMTS or EADER but not yours then seems they may have some catching up to do on what is and is not live.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/speedtest/results.html...

Example speed test for a TalkTalk user who looks to be on cabinet 2 same exchange.

All 5 cabinets link back to Dereham. If TalkTalk is happy to accept an order for other live postcodes in EAMTS or EADER but not yours then seems they may have some catching up to do on what is and is not live.

Yeah that's what I figured, Andrew. Just a case of waiting for their database to catchup with BT's, yeah? Hopefully won't be too long.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

All 5 cabinets link back to Dereham. If TalkTalk is happy to accept an order for other live postcodes in EAMTS or EADER but not yours then seems they may have some catching up to do on what is and is not live.

Though, as @witchunt points out, the cabinets could be terminated in different head-end OLTs in the head-end exchange building. TT would need to purchase a cablelink for each OLT.

That is possible, as a general rule though I see BT Infinity customers first, then Sky then TalkTalk in the order of visibility in terms of speed tests

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

That is possible, as a general rule though I see BT Infinity customers first, then Sky then TalkTalk in the order of visibility in terms of speed tests

If you don't mind me asking, what sort of time differences between them do you see? Just so I know how long I should wait!

Round my way Talk Talk started offering fibre around 8 months after BT and Sky which I found a bit odd because they had quite a large customer base in the area.

In reply to a post by simon194:

Round my way Talk Talk started offering fibre around 8 months after BT and Sky which I found a bit odd because they had quite a large customer base in the area.

8 months?! Oh no