How to know when Fibre goes Live

Hey Guys,

My cabinet has finally been marked as going live in Phase 18b - but It's not moved away from build on the bt where and when.

Cabinet P4 - Bishop's Stortford
https://www.telecom-tariffs.co.uk/codelook.htm?xid=5...

Does anyone have any inside information as to when this is going live ? I found the Planning permission for installing DSLAM 4 in 2012 and from what I can see on the road it looks like it's physically there ? unless I'm misunderstanding something

Phase means nothing other than grouping a cabinet with a batch of others when they were announced, i.e. there is no phase 18b MUST be completed by date ABC.

https://www.homeandwork.openreach.co.uk/when-can-i-g... points to a date within the next 5 months

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8696636,0.1708959,... is cabinet 4 I believe, what is stood at that location now?

It's been saying that since December 2016

Yes I'm pretty sure - I'll go and take a photo on my way home tonight.

Edited by deleted (Mon 05-Jun-17 15:58:09)

If its just that cabinet, then that is the PCP (i.e. it has no vents) you are waiting on the fibre cabinet

So you end up with something like
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@51.8710868,0.1810505,... The cabinet with the vents do vary in size but you can see the clear height difference and presence of the slots to mark the two cabinets apart.

Use this link http://www.dslchecker.bt.com as it will tell you if fibre is available or not (u have to use full address with post code) click address checker

Edited by adslmax (Mon 05-Jun-17 18:28:32)

In reply to a post by adslmax:

Use this link http://www.dslchecker.bt.com as it will tell you if fibre is available or not (u have to use full address with post code) click address checker

No dice I'm afraid, thank you though:
VDSL FTTC and SOGEA is currently not available on this cabinet due to following reasons:- This cabinet is under review. We'll explore fibre broadband solutions & will update once done..

Boom, it looks the same, but there's one of those cabinets about 20 meters up the street on the other side (couldn't see anything else)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lsg5y0hbninx2at/Photo%2005...
https://www.dropbox.com/s/6pir6bdnpg1nja4/Photo%2005...

Your cabinet look the same as mine! The popular huawei 288. A good move by Openreach.

Huawei 288 https://www.dropbox.com/s/lsg5y0hbninx2at/Photo%2005...

Can you step closer to the vent can you hear any sound buzzer? If yes, then it will be LIVE pretty soon. The lock will be silver bolt on it when it went LIVE also.

Edited by adslmax (Mon 05-Jun-17 18:45:11)

Okay so all depends on getting the copper that links the two cabinets, power (hence the have a listen for the faint sound of cooling fans - more likely on a hot rather than rainy day), and the fibre feed.

Boom - Looks like it could possibly be this:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/zk7pg2iw1qquaak/Screenshot...

Google Street maps history is showing that the cover was removed sometime in the last ~ 6 months, so I guess it's all progress.!

Just a little frustrating not having any real information flow / reporting out of BT.

Assuming that it is the related FTTC Cabinet, normally there is likely to be signs of trenching from it to the (old) PCP Cabinet, to accommodate the essential Link Cabling; and also possibly other trenching for the essential Mains Supply, probably from the street lighting circuit.

The LH side of the FTTC has the DSLAMs and the Power Supply plus Battery Back-up.

The RH side has the Filter-Links to make the connections from the DSLAMS to the PCP Link Cables.

As said, it looks like a Huawei 288, so (eventually) it can accommodate up to 288 Upgrades to FTTC.

There is a Back-Plane at the back of the RH side, to take (eventually) 288 F-Ls; organised in small groups of 25, 5 rows by 5 columns.

Those small groups are organised in to two columns of groups, 6 rows deep.

In each small group, the 25th position, bottom row - RH end, is not used, giving -

2 big columns x 6 small group rows x 24 F-Ls = 288.

With my local FTTC, only the first two LH small groups had the actual F-Ls fitted, March 2014, ie potential for only 48 Upgrades initially.

About 15 months later, a second batch of 48 F-Ls were added below the existing ones, taking up to 96 F-Ls fitted, of which at August 2016, only 64 Upgrades had actually been ordered and installed.

Those progressive, stepped batch additions, explain why there can be confusion as to when exactly an individual Upgrade is carried out.

There have been more actual ordered Upgrades since then; but I suspect only up to around 80, by the infrequent visits to the PCP.

Normally, only the PCP has to be accessed for an Upgrade, intercepting the existing wiring, splitting it and connecting those split ends to the required Link wiring. I watched my own Upgrade being done in June 2014.

The F-Ls are white, about a one-inch cube; and are plugged in rather like old thermionic valves. I was talking with the technician adding the second 48 as he did it, taking about 5 minutes.

He had another 20 or so FTTC cabinets to do similar additions, scattered over a wide area, probably covering about 40 miles in the process.

The associated PCP has apparently 287 phone lines.

--------------

The FTTCs are remotely monitored and last Autumn, a technician had opened up the LH side of the FTTC, to check the Back-up Battery module, expecting to have to replace a segment, resulting from a remote check.

OK, but care to explain what 'F-L's' are ? It's not a set of initials/acronym I have come across before.

The (many) plug-in white Filter-Links plugging in to the vertically-mounted chassis fitted to the interior, right-hand, back-wall of particularly the Huawei 288 FTTC cabinets, although also obvious in most interior photos of opened FTTC cabinets that I have seen.

My understanding is that they complete/link the connections of the Link wiring to/from the PCPs to the DSLAMs, within the FTTC; and also contain the filter required to prevent the VDSL signals being absorbed/dissipated in the E-side wiring back to the Exchange.

Thus corresponding to the filters in the Dongles/Splitters and/or the NTE, to prevent the VDSL signals at the domestic end, being similarly dissipated by the traditional phone wiring, phone units etc in the home.

I don't recollect coming across an "official" description/name, so perhaps from my more detailed description above, you may be able to inform all of us participating on this thread, from your every-day knowledge of working for BT.

To me the roadworks notice suggests its to do with getting power connected, UKPN are the power people

Within openreach they are just referred to as splitters

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but you can't get FTTC, that cabinet is just for that specific road. I actually spoke to the BT engineer.

Thanks for that information.

I always feel wary in referring to the domestic version as "splitters", as this can be confused with the the simple splitters to accommodate two or more simple phone extensions.

The DSLAM will cover the same area as the PCP a single Road is unlikely

In addition to that, it is likely to be several Postcodes, as these generally cover less than 50 addresses each.

So I suspect typically around 10 Postcodes, for a PCP associated with a Huawei 288 FTTC.

In some cases, some of the peripheral Postcodes are shared with one or more PCPs hence FTTCs, so can become (very) confusing.

Boom - where and when has progressed to connecting!
Wanted to feed back and say thank you to everyone

Looks like BT are finally doing something !!! (PCP4 is mine)
Location:
(PCP4), NGA RELATED WORKS, (PCP4) SIDE OF 1 WILTON CLOSE ACORSS CARRIAGEWAY TO OPPOSITE 74 ON, DUNMOW ROAD
Description:
Install 46m of 2 poly ducts in Footway,Install 8m of 2 poly ducts in Carriageway,provide,renew or recover 1 DSLAM street cabinet and base