new fibre connection

I posted some time ago re a new pole "fibre/broadband pole with attachments" being put in my little lane in rural norfolk. replies stated that they thought it was quite likely the start of FTTP so my next question is: if I put a duct under the garden from pole(on my land) to my house will OR use it or will they fly the fibre to the house and if they will use a duct where do I get hold of same that OR will be happy to use. I am happy to put the duct in but if it wont get used seems a waste of effort

If the existing phone line is overhead to the home they would do the same. If you put ducting in and it was done with agreement from Openreach and met their specification after inspection then they might use that - i.e. a few hoops to jump through to get ducting used and adopted

The current phone connection is underground using armoured cable hence i want to keep any new connection the same

I suggest for a start you Google for "Openreach ducting" then look for the Openreach Developers Guide. The phone numbers and email addresses at the start may be the most useful part!

In which case developers guide and take it from there

I looked up your previous forum submission on this and wasn't 100% convinced that what you were getting was FTTP (rather than FTTC). Furthermore, if it were FTTC, you might not be getting a fast broadband connection at all, since you stated in your previous query that you're situated some 1.5 miles from the nearest cabinet. Normally, that would preclude FTTC, as your speed would probably then be under 15M bps.

I think that perhaps you need to find out more about the eventual new line from Openreach. As we've seen so often, just because a pole or a cabinet has been newly installed somewhere, it doesn't follow that a broadband service from that will be shortly available.

My view - and this comes from someone with a past professional engineering background in copper and optical fibre technologies - is that the line supplier - in this case, Openreach - will want, wherever possible, to put fibre into the ground, rather than aerially on poles. There are some good technical reasons for this. There are, of course, cost implications, either way, as well. But clearly if they're forced to distribute the optical signal to your locality entirely via poles, then your provision of a duct for the last few metres isn't going to make much difference in terms of its protection or the line performance; it might as well remain aerial, right up to it entering your house. And because you're 1.5 miles from the cabinet, this will apply also to any FTTC copper line for the copper leg. Incidentally, it's my understanding that Openreach wouldn't recommend you using an FTTC connection (as opposed to FTTP or remaining on ADSL/ADSL2) in the first place if you were that far from the cabinet. You may, however, have some other overriding wish to put the last few metres into an underground duct, such as a large tree or some other obstruction that would otherwise baulk an aerial route into your house.

Openreach may now have rules laid down about this but certainly some years ago, in the context of an ADSL line, I myself managed to persuade OR to replace a rather ropey and multi-repaired stretch of underground copper line in my own immediate neighbourhood and were happy for me to provide, across my front garden, an underground plastic duct, with suitable end cappings and allowance for water drainage, to get the new cable (the ropey existing one had been directly buried) from the pavement to my house. The said duct was around 4 metres in length and designed for burying. Frankly, there was little alternative, other than for OR to directly bury the cable in the ground, which would have made it vulnerable to being inadvertently dug up by me, my neighbour, or my successor during some gardening exploit. Openreach don't really like themselves messing about with people's properties/gardens, so were pleased to find a suitable duct in place, to get the cable finally from the pavement to the front wall of the house.

FTTP infill at those sort of distances is something that is happening more, particularly in phase II of projects, so while not happening in millions its very possible

Threelegs

You need to check using your telephone number. You will then be able to see whether you are actually down for FTTP or a degraded by distance FTTC.

If you need help explaining the results post them here with the telephone number removed and someone will help.

You can also use the openreach checker which will give more information about the state of the FTTP provision if that is what you are getting

Edited by kitcat (Wed 18-Jan-17 12:47:42)

In reply to a post by meditator:

Furthermore, if it were FTTC, you might not be getting a fast broadband connection at all, since you stated in your previous query that you're situated some 1.5 miles from the nearest cabinet. Normally, that would preclude FTTC, as your speed would probably then be under 15M bps.

That isn't correct. There is nothing to stop people ordering FTTC with estimates well below 15Mbps. In fact some ISPs will supply at 2Mbps with no quibbles.

You may be thinking of BT (Retail) Infinity, which is not available if the estimate is below 15Mbps. That is simply a marketing decision, to keep up the average speed of Infinity connections. BT Retail in such cases offers "Unlimited Faster Broadband", which is still FTTC. For estimates between 2Mbps and 15Mbps.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

... There is nothing to stop people ordering FTTC with estimates well below 15Mbps. In fact some ISPs will supply at 2Mbps with no quibbles.

And in some case at below 2 Mbps too. I know of one which is around 1.2 to 1.6 Mbps on FTTC initially BT now A&A. ADSL could only provide sub-1 Mbps

RobertoS,

I stand corrected on that point. I think it's valid nonetheless to point out that although FTTC may be available for situations where the user's speed of connection is predicted to be below 15M bps, a lot could depend on just what speed that is, compared to what the user's already enjoying, given that the user could well end up paying the ISP FTTC-type periodic fees for what would perhaps be a speed only marginally better than obtainable on ADSL/ADSL2. I've actually been through that exercise with a relative of mine (again, a rural situation), where the current download rate was around 500K bps but the Openreach linetest predicted for FTTC a maximum rate of 2 - 4M bps. Conclusion: considering the extra cost, it wasn't worth swapping to FTTC.

thanks for all the replies.
speaking to some BT/OR engineers locally they seem to be aware of flown fibre being installed locally to fill in the gaps. my reason for putting in a duct is to avoid overhead connections to the house (presumably OR would prefer to pull a length of fibre through an already installed duct rather than connect to the pole and the house)

I know it is very early days but I just want to try and be one step ahead and hopefully then I will get an increase from my 3Mb ADSL because as I already stated I am 1.5 miles from the nearest cab offering FTTC (Walcott EAWCT cab2)

The project mentioned on the sign that is about the new pole is 73 YAL if anyone is able to get any info from OR

threelegs

As my earlier reply you need to check using your telephone number. This will give you more detail than we can until you post the results.

https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

https://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/when-can-i-g...

the "home and work" checker says this

Your cabinet is enabled for Superfast fibre however you're not able to order fibre just yet.
This might be because the length of the line is too long to get Superfast speeds. We're actively looking at other options.
Cabinet icon
Exchange name: Walcott
Exchange status: Fibre enabled
Cabinet number: 2
Technology: -

cant seem to copy and paste the results from the other checker but code look says this

Locality: Walcott, Norwich, Norfolk All Post Codes
District: North Norfolk County: Norfolk
Country: England Post Code: NR12
20CN IPStream: ADSL 21CN WBC: ADSL2+
Fibre: From 28th March 2015 Type: FTTC, FTTP
BT Exchange: Walcott Exchange Code: EAWCT

Threelegs

Others may be able to give you more advice,.

Your cab has FTTC but, as suspected, you are too far to get FTTC service.

Aslo there is no FTTP showing on the post code maps anywhere in your area. ( Nearest is south of G Yarmouth).

However if you are in Happisburgh Common ( all off cab 2 but too far away) where there are a significant cluster of postcodes below 2Mb OR 'may' decide that FTTP would be cheaper than a standalone cab. Only OR or the Norfolk BDUK team would be able to tell you if this is likely.

Hi kitcat
yes I am in happisburgh common and as you say we are too far from cab 2 to get FTTC

Norfolk BDUK are useless, and customers cant usually talk to OR so that is why I assume that the new pole mentioned might be for FTTP. the existing copper comes overhead all the way from cab 2 so I assume that fibre will be flown on the same poles(OR not shared)
fibre has been flown recently to eccles on sea which is only a few miles away from me

Edited by threelegs (Thu 19-Jan-17 18:12:25)

When you say "flown", do you mean that aerial fibre has been put up along a string of distribution poles? Or have you misheard the word "blown"?

There is plenty of "blown fibre" around, but I've never heard the term "flown" used for fibre.

threelegs

Eccles on Sea has FTTC no signs of FTTP yet. Have you got your terminology mixed up BOTH are marketed as Fibre!

Example: the OR site shows Eccles as Cab 11 off Stalham exchange and FTTC

No i am not mixing terms, yes eccles on sea has fttc but the feed to the cab has been flown ie strung along the top of the poles that also carry the copper