FTTrN? What happened to it?

I remember about two years ago reading a lot about FTTrN being piloted as a possible solution to exchange only lines. A couple of pilots were set up but that was pretty much the last time I heard the acronym mentioned anywhere.

What happened to it?

Were the trials a success or failure? Did it ever become a product?

Hannu

I only knew of a couple very small trials. I recall the cost of powering the remote node being the main problem. It cost roughly the same to power a dozen lines from the node as a whole FTTC cabinet. It's been over a year since I heard anything related to FTTrN from OpenReach.

Edited by j0hn83 (Mon 30-Jan-17 18:02:00)

That is what I was afraid of. Apart from those small trials, I have heard nothing, which sort of indicates they didn't find it useful. Pity, could have helped with urban EOLs in areas where full network rearrangement does not have a business case.

H

Believe some may be going on in Northern Ireland and North Yorkshire still, but without visiting to confirm what is present in the ground/by the side of the road hard to say.

FTTrN appears no different to people when ordering

You gave me a couple of postcodes in my area last week (N. Ireland) that you said had FTTP, I replied saying that I'd go check them out.

How can I tell if it's FTTrN? I went for a drive and they've got new black things up on the poles. They look similar to this:

http://www.ispreview.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/cache/...

(Not hijacking your thread by the way - just thought I'd post to help see if it is FTTrN that they are still doing)

Edited by deleted (Mon 30-Jan-17 21:54:47)

I believe that is an FTTP manifold

yeah fttp manifold, the final bit of kit before the fibre is run to a property, i.e. on the pole that links to a property, for underground cabling the manifolds will be in the pavement chambers

http://blog.thinkbroadband.com has a few of the recent FTTP kit, and the G.fast kit box (i.e. the metal ribbed box attached to a pole in some pictures is exactly the same shape as FTTrN uses.

I know they just look like numbered cabinets when checking for fibre availability or line information and it is impossible to distinguish between a cabinet and fttrn node from there.

The reason for me is that if my current attempt with Hyperoptic goes sour for some reason, we will be the only building in the area without FTTC, Hyperoptic or Virgin, which will mean a "community project" for eight flats, four of which would be willing to pay anything. What I know of cabinet rearrangements, that would be far too costly, and I was curious if any cheaper alternatives have appeared.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

I only knew of a couple very small trials. I recall the cost of powering the remote node being the main problem. It cost roughly the same to power a dozen lines from the node as a whole FTTC cabinet.

I saw the first trial in North Yorkshire in progress in 2014, and the feedback via the council was indeed that power was a problem; that BT would go away and think about it, and to not expect anything for around a year (ie late 2015).

There were also FTTB trials in the city of London. No idea what happened there.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

It's been over a year since I heard anything related to FTTrN from OpenReach.

We saw G.Fast trials happening, with power pushed over spare copper pairs. That would be one solution to the power problem.

We've also seen AIO cabinets appearing for infill tasks. They are perhaps sized for more lines than FTTRN nodes, but they have room for the power infrastructure too.

I went back to Codelook, to see what has happened on the Leyburn exchange since the FTTrN node went live... I feel this place might tell us what FTTRN plans have morphed into, and it seems more has happened, and more still has yet to happen:

April 2014: Leyburn had 3 EO bundles, and 9 cabinets. 5 cabs had fibre; 4 no plans.

Jan 2015: 3 EO bundles, 10 cabinets - the new one for FTTrn for 26 lines. All 10 cabs had fibre.

December 2016: 2 EO bundles, 14 cabinets named Pnn, plus 3 cabinets named E_nn. One new cabinet P11 live in July 2016 with 18 subscribers. 6 new cabs (3 Pnn, 3 E_nn) being upgraded.

January 2017: As Dec 16, plus one extra Pnn cabinet due to be upgraded.

So there has been plenty of changes planned in since the time of the FTTrN trial, which implies something has happened. One cabinet for 18 subscribers suggests FTTrn, but the remainder can't yet be pinned down.