Re: New FTTC cabinet no longer allowing orders

Hi, got a new cabinet (Halfway exchange - AIO cabinet number 56 thanks to BDUK) connected up at the end of last week (across the road at next corner down, so around 40m's or so from my home). Checker on monday was saying it was unavailable but that it could take 2 weeks to go live. So I went to stay with my son for a couple of days & visit the grand-daughter. Was excited going from a 2,5mb EO line to being about to order fibre.

Next door neighbour sent me a text on tue afternoon to say it was available to order. I checked dsl checker + openreach wholesale checker along with the Openreach 'When can I get fibre?' site & sure enough, FTTC was available ( dsl checkers showed max 80 - min 62). Checked all 3 again on wed & it was still available to order.

I got back home on thurs around mid-day & went straight to sign up for Fibre but after putting in my postcode/number, it said I could only get standard broadband. I then went back to both the dsl checkers & FTTC info was gone from both. All that remains is Fibre on Demand & Adsl info.

The Openreach 'When can I get fibre?' site (for both my phone, postcode + other nearby postcodes that are also served by the cabinet) has been saying:

Superfast Accepting Orders - 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.

Does anyone have an idea as to what's happened here? A prob with the cab, filled up with vdsl orders in the2 days it was available, BT/OR database glitch etc!

Have been checking religiously since I got home but still getting the same messages every single time I try & am now beginning to dread the thought that my fibre chance may now have passed me by.

Thanks

Edited by deleted (Sat 01-Jul-17 16:31:47)

From what I can see is that Cabinet 56 along with some other are having EO Lines moved over to it, some are still in the process of being moved.

Also I can see a load of lines listed as being too far from the cabinet, what I have noticed in the past with BDUK upgrades especially AIO (All in one cabinet) is that they seem to stick them either on the Exchange grounds or very close to it.

So people on EO Lines that might of originally got around 10 - 15Mbit now get about 5 if not less, even some have been unable to get fibre due to being too far away.

If you are really that close to the cabinet, then its a glitch that does happen now and then before it goes live.

I would give it a few days, checking it daily just in case, nothing worse that waiting and then end up missing out due to it becoming full.

Paul

When my cabinet went live it went to this message for a few days before it cleared.

Looking at the Codelook page for cab 56, I think it is safe to say that nowhere will be too far from the cabinet to get service. It is just too small an area; almost everywhere seems within 300m, and your estimates suggest you were maybe 150m away. You would need to be 1500m+ away to be at risk of "too long".

In the normal course of things, a cabinet that was now "full" would still end up with the BTW checker reporting speed estimates for FTTC/VDSL2, but instead of saying "available," it would indicate "waiting list".

If FTTC was available but the line was too long, it would not indicate estimates, but there would be an "available" status for "VDSL multicast".

However, for lines that have recently been added to a cabinet, the BT database can be incorrect ... and the checker would give a report that *looked like* the line was too long.

Your report sounds like the database is incorrect, rather than the cabinet being "full." And it has been seen to happen on lines with copper re-arrangements going on. The solution might be to wait (they do sometimes update them behind the scenes), but it might need you to kick up a fuss.

An alternative explanation, if some of the lines have been transferred over from a distant cabinet, is that some "live-to-live migrations" need to be carried out prior to accepting new orders. BT might have realised this belatedly ... and the best indication is if any orders placed in those 2 days get delayed or cancelled. Check with neighbours.

NB: I put "full" in quotes, because even if the cabinet ran out of ports, it is likely to just need an additional linecard adding to create some new ports ... so keep checking anyway.

All lines around here are EO and given how far we are from the exchange speeds are 2 - 5mb max. My own attenuation was 54 on EO but is now showing 57 after being routed through Cab 56.

Openreach put those in surrounding streets on a couple of cabinets years ago and left the rest of us on EO. Thanks to BDUK, half the remaining EO ones were moved to cab 80 in April (nuts decision since it's located so far away), while the rest of us are now on Cab 56. No postcode on Cab 56 is too far away from it to get fibre. All are within a few hundred metres max. The other half that are on 80, are the opposite given the cab is so far away from them.

Cab is live and has been since at least tue of this week. Next door neighbour etc has already ordered fibre and Talktalk have given them a migration date of 13th July.

From mon night/tue to thurs mid-day of this week, fibre was available to order but since then nothing.

After the box first went Live, this message was what was showing initially but it changed to showing fibre available to order for a couple of days before going back to it hence my confusion as to what's going on here.

I think the system went a bit premature, I say give it a few days and check it once or twice a day, just in case it becomes available.

Paul

The Codelook location for Cab 56 is incorrect. It's at the bottom of Maidland Rd so much closer to me than what Codelook shows. 40/50m max from me!

Actual 56 Location

You are correct though in that those on 56 are all well within range of the cabinet to get v good fibre speeds. No lines are too long. Every line around here was EO. A couple still remain but everyone else is routed through cabs 56 & 80.

When I tried on tue and wed, dsl checker and wholesale dsl checker was showing full FTTC stats. 80 - 63 clean. Impacted was something like 63 - 50 give or take a few megs. Now all I get is:

Wholesale DSL Results

Given it's a new cab, I am wondering if it's filled up with orders in those 2 days and seeing none of them will be live yet, the BT database has simply reverted back to it's most generic unavailable message. In which case, I'd still expect to continue seeing FTTC stats on the dsl checker though. Hence the confusion whether it's a cab fault, cab is filled up with orders or if it's an OR database error.

Fingers crossed that's what's happened and I have been checking regularly since I got home.

I know 3 neighbours that I have spoken to that have ordered when ordering was available so am a tad concerned that OR may have underestimated demand and have been over-run with ISP orders during that time though.

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

Fingers crossed that's what's happened and I have been checking regularly since I got home.

I know 3 neighbours that I have spoken to that have ordered when ordering was available so am a tad concerned that OR may have underestimated demand and have been over-run with ISP orders during that time though.

If it was full it would say there is a waiting list.

Paul

It is a corner of Glasgow that has often been a bit of a mess on checkers, so its wait a few days or get provider to push through some manual checks to determine status.

So close to going live (i.e. our system has only just added cabinet 56) seeing the messages you do is pretty common.

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

The Codelook location for Cab 56 is incorrect. It's at the bottom of Maidland Rd so much closer to me than what Codelook shows. 40/50m max from me!

Actual 56 Location

Yeah - Codelook isn't good for identifying the actual location of a cab.

I found 56 from one spot on Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/Pc3TcShzALw

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

Now all I get is:

Wholesale DSL Results

Strange that you don't even get the "VDSL multicast" listing. That suggests the cabinet has been removed from availability entirely.

It wouldn't surprise me if those who had managed to order were cancelled or delayed.

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

Given it's a new cab, I am wondering if it's filled up with orders in those 2 days and seeing none of them will be live yet, the BT database has simply reverted back to it's most generic unavailable message. In which case, I'd still expect to continue seeing FTTC stats on the dsl checker though.

Exactly. I don't think it is this case at all.

Where is cab 80? I wonder if some of the properties have been re-routed from that, back onto 56, requiring those live-live migrations.

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

Yeah - Codelook isn't good for identifying the actual location of a cab.

I found 56 from one spot on Streetview: https://goo.gl/maps/Pc3TcShzALw

Yep, that's it. All connected properties are well within range of FTTC. Crazy thing is that half the street are on Cab 80, which is way out of range for fibre.

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

Strange that you don't even get the "VDSL multicast" listing. That suggests the cabinet has been removed from availability entirely.Where is cab 80? I wonder if some of the properties have been re-routed from that, back onto 56, requiring those live-live migrations.

Multicast did come up on both dsl checkers at the time along with WBC FTTC 18/2 Sim with yes underneath it.

Cab 80 is located directly on the main road behind where Codelook lists. It's a baffling decision given how far away it is. Codelook curiously states that a lot of those postcodes currently connected to Cab 80 are served by/served in part by Cabinet 70 instead. Even the Codelook option for my own street states cabs 56 & 70 with no mention of 80. Yet in reality it's 56 & 80.

Cabinet 70

Cab 56 was to go live in July/Aug last year according to BDUK. Come Sep, still nothing, so I contacted BDUK. After a month waiting I finally got a reply. They said that OR had apparently run into issues when they went to 'turn in the lines', That some of the lines weren't the same way that they had on record. Nothing till April when half the street suddenly went over to Cab 80 (with Codelook still saying Cab 70). Then came our turn. Contractors turned up a couple of weeks ago. Fibre checker moved at the end of last week to Accepting orders but unable to order. Come Tue & Wed, it went to accepting orders, then from Thurs (or late on wed night), it went right back to Accepting orders but unable to order.

Whole thing is a jumbled mess.

Would that still apply to a brand new cab though where no fibre orders will currently be active & are all still being processed/migrated though given that some orders could be cancelled/declined/messed up etc before going live? No clue here but I was thinking that the OR checker would only update to a cab full message once the FTTC lines went live & their system detected that the existing capacity had been reached. In which case, it would then update the message status accordingly.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

It is a corner of Glasgow that has often been a bit of a mess on checkers, so its wait a few days or get provider to push through some manual checks to determine status.

So close to going live (i.e. our system has only just added cabinet 56) seeing the messages you do is pretty common.

Can't argue with that given we are on the very edge of 2 exchanges (Barrhead serves Peat Road & Silverburn which are just across the road from us while the Halfway coverage boundary ends right next to us.

Throw in the fact that a lot of these EO lines have been in for a very long time & it adds to the issues when they try to modernise the tech. BDUK told me last year after the initial Cab 56 activation came & went that OR ran into essentially a records issue when attempting to turn in the lines with some of them proved to not be the same as they had on their records.

The current Accepting but unable to order message did appear for a few days at the end of last week up till mon night/tue when it suddenly changed to allowing orders. Only to then change right back on wed night/thurs morning.

Guess the only option I have at this stage is to give it another few days & hope OR resolves it on their end. Failing that give Sky a call to see if they can be of any help.

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

Would that still apply to a brand new cab though where no fibre orders will currently be active & are all still being processed/migrated though given that some orders could be cancelled/declined/messed up etc before going live? No clue here but I was thinking that the OR checker would only update to a cab full message once the FTTC lines went live & their system detected that the existing capacity had been reached. In which case, it would then update the message status accordingly.

When the cabinet is full its full, no matter if its new or old, if its full it would still mention a waiting list is in action etc.

But where its not stating this anywhere for that cabinet points to its not full.

Like loads of others have said, its most probably a glitch in their database / system which can happen just before it goes live.

Just hope the glitch also isn't you being on the other cabinet, that would suck due to it being too far away.

Paul

Cab 80 is all the way up by the train station?

Then it is indeed a "bit of a mess". It deserves to get proper re-arrangement.

If they do attempt a rearrangement, to bring those properties near you back onto cab 56, then an AIO is probably too small.

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

I was thinking that the OR checker would only update to a cab full message once the FTTC lines went live & their system detected that the existing capacity had been reached.

The system can cope with ports being fully-ordered, but not yet installed ... and does jump to "waiting list".

And we've certainly seen some popular cabs go to the waiting-list state very, very quickly.

That's a positive sign then, thanks for confirming. Only reason I asked was I found an old thread on Digitalspy where someone mentioned an error message that was preventing fibre from being ordered, by the time they got to the bottom of it, they had been informed that the cabinet was now full.

Good to know that in this case, that it's something else entirely at play here and I haven't missed out. Must be a database error, a fault that was detected during the period ordering was available or yet another change in OR deployment plans.

If you are that worried about it, check to see if any other addresses on your postcode, can they get it?

Paul

In reply to a post by cathmcc:

Must be a database error, a fault that was detected during the period ordering was available or yet another change in OR deployment plans.

Note that cab 56 now seems to be available.

The same postcodes I tried last week now show VDSL2 speeds, and an "available" status.

Sadly still not yet. From Tue night last week a postcode + address search says 'Great News' on the OR fibre checker.

BT & OR dslcheckers, now show full VDSL line estimations when an address search is performed for any cab 56 property. Mouselike address check is also projecting 73.58mb for me.

However when a phone no check is done, OR still says the same Fibre enabled but unable to order message while both dsl checkers still only show ADSL info.

Mouselike number search says:

Exchange and PCP: Glasgow Halfway P56
Exchange OLO code: WSHAL
Possible To Order?: unservedpremises
BT Status Text:
Exchange Status: acceptingorders
PCP Status: reachissue
Estimated down speed: Mbps
Estimated up speed: Mbps

I have tried 3 different telephone numbers (my own + 2 neighbours right around the corner who are at different ends of the street from one another) & all the same info above shows up on every checker that's tried.

Same as myself, not available to order as of wed night/thurs a couple of weeks ago.

From tue last week, an address check now says 'Great news' on the OR fibre checker for any property connected to cab 56. DSL checkers are back to having VDSL line estimations as well when the address search is performed.

However a phone number check (tried 3 different numbers from cab 56) still comes back as unavailable to order, while a dsl check of a phone number is still returning only ADSL info.

Yep. Whole thing is a complete shambles. Local elected MP had a go at OR a few years ago about it & was told directly that it was not 'commercially viable' for them sort it out.

Even with BDUK money, they've still made a complete mess of it & they'll be forced to address the whole cab 80 thing in the near future. Especially when it becomes known to the occupants that x% on each surrounding street are getting high fibre speeds & they're forever stuck on noisy 2/3/4mb adsl lines. Can't see them putting in another new cab, so they'll probably try & shunt as many as they can into 56 when this occurs.

Latest update is that Sky have been unable to order Fibre Max for me. Order keeps getting rejected. Address check shows it as available on OR fibre checker but phone no one says it's not.

Cabinet 56 on the Codelook website has disappeared. It's still listed but when you click on it, it says postcode not found. A postcode search of the surrounding streets who are connected to it shows no mention of it either, Exchange 22 - Fibre not available shows up as the only listing.

Starting to think they may be going to relocate or remove it anytime now.