An FTTP database question

Who decides which properties 'suddenly' get listed as having fttp available?

I've been informed that an exchange doesnt need to be listed as having FTTP for FTTP to be available to some properties. So I was wondering who makes the decision? What is the process of making that decision?

Is it that OR recently pushed fibre optics down a nearby road? or is it the number of people grouped together with fttc lines? or maybe no fttc available?

No decision the fttp available means they've rolled out the physical infrastructure to you, UNLESS you are talking about availability of Fibre on Demand which is a different set of questions.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

No decision the fttp available means they've rolled out the physical infrastructure to you

Ahh ok. That answered that question.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

UNLESS you are talking about availability of Fibre on Demand which is a different set of questions.

What is the different situation for FoD ?

I'd be willing to spend some money to try and get either FoD or FTTP. But there doesn't seem to be a place to get an estimation from. I'm sure there is. But I don't know who I'd contact.

What does the BT DSL checker say? That will tell you if FTTPoD is available and if it is, you may well find the costs are very high -possibly measured in thousands.

Neither FTTP or FoD are available.

I'm on FTTC at the moment.

I was just wondering if there was a place we can get an estimated cost to make it available. What processes would need to be done to make the case etc.

If your line does not even have an FTTPoD option then you would be looking at, potentially, tens of thousands and a very, very long series of discussions with BT. As to where to start, I have no real idea and to be honest you really could be wasting a lot of time and energy.

Its a non-starter, the only route would be http://www.communityfibre.bt.com and getting others onboard to pay for FTTP is FTTC available at reasonable speeds would be an uphill battle.

Nobody decides to suddenly list anything. If it's not available, it's not listed as available. When FTTP is rolled out to an area, the properties who have had FTTP infrastructure rolled out to them would be added to the database as having FTTP available.

If someone "suddenly decided" to add your street to the database as having FTTP available, it would cause no end of problems. OpenReach need to add the infrastructure or no order could be completed.

In reply to a post by bowdon:

I've been informed that an exchange doesnt need to be listed as having FTTP for FTTP to be available to some properties. So I was wondering who makes the decision? What is the process of making that decision?

This was the case for FTTPod recently. If you tried to place an order for FTTPod with the likes of FluidOne but it wasn't showing as available, FluidOne would ask OpenReach to enable the exchange if the infrastructure is already in place at the exchange. However in the last few months OpenReach seem to have added hundreds of exchanges as FTTPod being available. There may still be some not showing available that might have the infrastructure, but if your exchange shows no FTTP at all then it's unlikely.

Not the case for FTTP though. If some properties on the exchange have access to FTTP then it should show as the exchange having FTTP.

You also can't order FTTPod as a residential customer at the moment. It comes with a 3 year contract, which can only be sold to businesses.

One of the limits on Fibre on Demand is having local Openreach staff who can actually install it, and this limitation means some areas might have the aggregation nodes and handover options but not showing FoD in the checkers.

To change that means doing things like less roll-out of stuff like the BDUK projects, or G.fast or commercial native GEA-FTTP or recruiting more staff but then they need training.

Also worth noting with FTTPoD that, if my experience is anything to go by, FTTPoD being marked as "available" on the checkers doesn't necessarily mean that it's possible to make a connection in the short term

So once you order it can take some time (6+ months in some cases) to get a line enabled.

Is that not kinda why it's 'on demand' ???

It isn't just sat there awaiting prospective orders, it is done as and when on an individual basis.

I dunno I guess I thought on-demand would mean that the bit that needs added is the link from to Fibre node to the customer premises, not that there would be no infrastructure in place all the way to the head end exchange...

Anyway point of the post was to warn OP that this isn't like ordering an FTTC connection that might come in a week, you could be looking at a very long wait...

It's more akin to a leased line, bespoke delivery without the SLA/SLG to bump up the price

That is exactly the point, on demand means they only build out from the aggregation point when someone asks...

Alas there is not a team per exchange sitting idle to do these jobs, they are all very busy working around the UK rolling out the fibre to the cabinets or native GEA-FTTP areas...

In short - employ more staff, spend more on salary and prices would need to go up and install times for on demand stuff can come down.

Pressure due to performance targets on delivering Ethernet business connectivity too has not helped.

Indeed I can imagine people are busy at the moment, which is why I was a bit surprised that a team got sent out to replace a pole, cut branches and run fibre to right outside my house before everything got put on hold due to the lack of a FTTP card at the head end.

I do think that they'd be better doing the availability check before taking the order so that the customer has got an idea of the lead time before they sign the contract. FluidOne were not expeecting this 6 month+ delay, their expectation was far more around the 2-3 month mark for delivery.

Interesting replies on here.

Is there any way we, none industry people, can observe when fibre is being laid?

Would it show up as a job on the roadworks site for example? or maybe listed on the council website?

Not really.

There may be some preparatory works such as duct clearing bur the actual installing of fibre is Openreach�s business only

Edited by deleted (Thu 21-Sep-17 08:10:28)

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Nobody decides to suddenly list anything. If it's not available, it's not listed as available. When FTTP is rolled out to an area, the properties who have had FTTP infrastructure rolled out to them would be added to the database as having FTTP available.

That's not entirely true, the whole of my road and side roads all have the FTTP infrastructure (Fibre DP's, Manifolds etc) which my actual Fibre daisy chains through.

They even upgraded a few chambers so that they could mount the DP's correctly in them.

Sadly BT have now decided on relocating the copper lines from an old cast iron cabinet to a new aluminium cabinet and also installing a FTTC cabinet and it now seems that the remaining homes down my road and lower side roads (even though all the FTTP infrastructure is in place) are going to get FTTC.

So no its not if the hardware is there, its down to their decision whether you get FTTP or not.

Maybe its all boils down to overall cost and how fast they can get the funding back, due to not everyone will go for the top speeds and most would be happy with Infinity 1 or 2.

TBH I think its a waste of time and money installing a FTTC cabinet where there is already FTTP hardware in place, especially when BT want to end up installing FTTP everywhere.

Paul

In reply to a post by lee111s:

Not really.

There may be some precluding works such as duct clearing bur the actual installing of fibre is Openreach�s business only

Agreed, installing FTTP won't show up on roadworks, upgrading the chambers to support the DP hardware will, along with the unblocking of ducts like you have already said.

Paul