FTTP - Pole Mounted Fibre Splitters

Hi, I have a query about the green box pole mounted fibre splitters which are appearing in some post code areas in Ceredigion, West Wales as part of an FTTP deployment under the extended Superfast Cymru project.

A few of these splitters have been mounted on some (but not all) poles in other nearby post code areas. My questions are:
� Are these particular splitters installed as part of the general FTTP infrastructure build out or only when a customer places an order for the technology?
� Are they installed on every pole? If not, what determines which pole they are mounted on?

The reason for asking is that all the poles in my road, stretching for about 2.5 miles, have had coils of fibre optic cables hanging from them for the last 3 months and fixed yellow badges indicating �caution � overhead fibre�. However, the fibre splitters are yet to be installed.

There are many other post code areas in Ceredigion in exactly the same position bar a small few that have some pole mounted splitters. All such areas are experiencing extended delays for no apparent reason other than perhaps a lack of manpower resources to finish the task. Anyone else in Ceredigion in the same position?

� Are these particular splitters installed as part of the general FTTP infrastructure build out or only when a customer places an order for the technology?

They are installed as part of the general FTTP infrastructure build out.

Additional NOTE, if someone was to order Fibre on Demand in an area where VDSL2 was available from their cabinet, you would also see the same kit deployed.

� Are they installed on every pole? If not, what determines which pole they are mounted on?

No need to, the spacing will depend on the number of premises.

Wales has a lot of native GEA-FTTP in build, so at 2.13% GEA-FTTP now, but might make it to 4% if everything that had a vague plan is completed.

The manpower issue, and sometimes wayleave permissions are the two big issues, and one can only imagine the issue if the roll-out was much bigger than the aim of 80,000 premises.

Hi Broadbean2,

Well, I'm in the south of the county (between Synod Inn & Llandysul), but apart from a few locations/villages on that route (e.g. Ffostrasol) that can get FTTC, as far as I can determine, any FTTC/FTTP roll-out seems to be non-existent - maybe the SuperFast Cymru projects around here have now ground to a halt, or have finished?

I've managed to set up a 4G router, which just about gets a signal (we are in a very marginal signal area for 4G), although even that may disappear when all the trees are in full leaf! (I'll have to fiddle around with an external omni-directional LTE 4G antenna a bit later on to see if that will improve things). I combine that with my slow ADSL link via my DrayTek router's Load Balancing functionality. At least that improves my connection a bit.

So - sorry, I can't help your with your enquiries. I hope you do eventually get your FTTP link. My exchange (Rhydlewis) is a Market A 20CN exchange, I'm on a long EO (Exchange-Only) line, and as far as I can tell, we have no further FTTC or FTTP planned in our area. I did enquire about getting a Fixed Wireless connection from BlueWave Internet, but unfortunately can't due to line-of-sight issues to their nearest mast which is near Croeslan (there's a hill in the way!). Where abouts are you?

Kind regards,

Adam.

Thanks for your prompt & very informative response Mr Saffron/Andrew. It is much appreciated.

Hi Adam, thanks for your response.

I have a few suggestions to make to you so will PM you either later this evening or earlier tomorrow morning as I am out for the rest of the day.
Kind regards

One cabinet to go live at Croes-Lan.

Hi,

No problem - and thank you - I look forward to hearing about your suggestions (I'll check for PM this evening or tomorrow evening, as I'm out myself tomorrow during the day).

Hopefully we'll all get a decent connection - eventually!

Kind regards,

Adam.

Thanks Witchunt,

That's interesting news!

Sadly, I'm in Bwlchygroes, the next village between Croeslan & Ffostrasol (in fact a bit outside the village itself), so it won't help in my case - but will be very much welcomed by those in Croeslan.

Kind regards,

Adam.

In reply to a post by Broadbean2:

Hi, I have a query about the green box pole mounted fibre splitters

You are seeing green boxes (or not seeing, as the case may be), but they may not be all splitters. The manufacturer has 4 types that aren't splitter, then 1 splitter, and 1 splitter that is also a combined DP.
https://postimg.io/image/wprd089nt/

The number you should expect to see will depend on the design they have chosen.

http://blog.thinkbroadband.com/2015/09/g-fast-and-fo...

Has an image showing how it all fits together the hardware shown is largely the underground versions, but on the splitters the difference is simply green metal case versus waterproof plastic one.

If you see one with its door open the pattern of coloured trays tells you if a primary splitter or DP splitter

Primary Splitter feeds a number of DP Splitters which in turn feed a number of manifolds

Ah - the metal vs plastic bit is new to me.

Most pictures suggest the green boxes actually contain splice trays, which really suggests they go alongside the older distribution technology, with blown tubing, manifolds, and spliced joints.

Are any of the boxes now aimed at the connectorised architecture, holding Corning's connector blocks?

I guess the current green box with a primary splitter (with splice trays) could act as the front end for Corning blocks as secondary splitter/DPs, even if they don't end up inside a green box.

Aggregation node still splice trays, as for the ones deeper cannot say for sure, there is a new slimmer splitter to take up less space in pavement chambers, so obviously still envisage using them.

In reply to a post by Broadbean2:

Hi, I have a query about the green box pole mounted fibre splitters which are appearing in some post code areas in Ceredigion, West Wales as part of an FTTP deployment under the extended Superfast Cymru project.

There are many other post code areas in Ceredigion in exactly the same position bar a small few that have some pole mounted splitters. All such areas are experiencing extended delays for no apparent reason other than perhaps a lack of manpower resources to finish the task. Anyone else in Ceredigion in the same position?

Some have appeared near Talybont very recently and the some parts of the village next fed from Cabinet 1 are now showing WBC FTTP availabilty.

If you check on http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/ with the phone number of one of the local pubs 01970832555 it shows WBC FTTP Upto 330.

The EO (Exchange Only) lines were moved to a new cabinet in October 2015 and a few months later the exchange was upgraded to ADSL2+.

There doesn't seem to be any rhyme or reason to the timescales taken to install some of the equipment, sometimes you'll see the freen boxes up for many many months before any work happens, in other places everything seem to happen in a few weeks.

Hope things get moving for you all soon.