Superfast Cymru

Has anyone else noticed changes to the results on the https://beta.gov.wales/go-superfast/can-i-get-it site?
Since around the beginning of 2016 it's had the village of Llanbedr DC as being in line for FTTP with the dates changing every few months to be put back. About a week ago it started giving differing results depending on which property was being checked in the postcodes (LL15 1UT is my postcode) and changing from FTTP to FTTC and back depending the individual property being checked and the day I was checking on. It now seems to give a generic result along the lines of 'The Superfast Cymru roll-out ends on 31st December 2017. Please check back after this date for an update on the status of your premises.' for everyone and I was wondering if everyone else was in the same boat now.

Interestingly the https://www.homeandbusiness.openreach.co.uk/fibre-br... site tells me I should be able to receive a fibre service between now and December when I enter my phone number and a can't order today but should be able to do so within 12 months message on my postcode, but again no longer specifies whether this is FTTC or FTTP so no real help there either.

I can see work still seems to be going on in my area so have my fingers crossed something will be available soon but having already waited 4 or 5 years I'm not getting my hopes up!

All depends on what is actually going on in an area, alas the phone number and address sides of the Openreach system do not always update in sync.

Additionally some areas previously done as full FTTP have seen mixtures of FTTC and FTTP delivered.

As for the roll-out ending on 31st December, if they (BT) have not met contract targets then penalties can be enacted, but as with other projects across the UK there is always a few areas that stretch on e.g. not allowed to close a road to do a key bit of work

Yes, I was using it as it (did) give more detailed information than the main openreach one (outside of Wales), as you say it's gone from giving a date out to generic you're in scope for FTTP message.

I get the same results for a post code and phone number search.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Additionally some areas previously done as full FTTP have seen mixtures of FTTC and FTTP delivered.

Agreed, lower parts of my road and side roads can now get FTTC (via LNILC p24) whereas people on my phone pole (also on same cabinet) and hardware can get both FTTC and FTTP.

I think that was done due to FTTC being cheaper to install, not too sure what will happen to the now redundant FTTP hardware the bottom of my road, maybe it will be used later on, who knows.

Paul

Yes I am getting the same message before that we had a completion date of December, for FTTP.

The Superfast Cymru roll-out ends on 31st December 2017. Please check back after this date for an update on the status of your premises. Not all premises in Wales will be completed under this project. Other checkers may give varying results however this is the latest position under Superfast Cymru.

checking multiple premises on varying postcodes I notice that some get the message
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The Superfast Cymru roll-out ends on 31st December 2017. According to current data, you are unlikely to receive superfast broadband under this project. Other checkers may give varying results however this is the latest position under Superfast Cymru.
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which possibly makes our message a bit more optimistic?


The response to my query from Openreach I got a couple of days ago was
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Thanks for contacting us about fibre in your area. I've had a look at this and can see the cabinet 10 which serves you, isn't currently fibre enabled. However, your area is a part of a government scheme to install Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) and Fibre to the Cabinet (FTTC) which will provide an even faster connection directly from the exchange to your property.

As I'm sure you can appreciate; installing fibre is a technical complex civil engineering project. Therefore any dates we give you are only estimates and are subject to change

When we plan fibre jobs we have to take into account all aspects of the work required and give realistic timescales, however these are provisional dates only and are barring no unforeseen issues along the way.



My advice to you is to keep checking our website for updates. When FTTP is available and orders can be accepted, this information will be given via this link:

https://www.homeandbusiness.openreach.co.uk/fibre-br...

Our website will also give the details of CPs who offer FTTP/C products to their customers.
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So, basically just have to sit and wait, should be used to that by now

Thanks, definitely used to waiting, though not always patiently

There is some hope as we have new poles and chambers in place and I have seen them working on the roads between our village and the exchange, presumably laying the fibre. Most of that was done a few years back. Recently the only thing I have seen going on is work at the cabinet, that could be unrelated though.

Update

There have been contractors installing fibre etc to the poles the past few days just hoping they stay on it until it's completed.

We had a similar experience last year - we're not too far from you, between Wrexham and Ruthin. The checker continually put the date back, then suddenly released it. Works must have taken a couple of years. We ended up with FTTP, I think because the village is too scattered, although one nearby community got a new cabinet and FTTC with it.
It's really frustrating as good information is hard to come by. Have a chat with an engineer if you see one - they seem to be willing to talk about progress.
One thing that's really annoying with FTTP is the lack of ISPs which support it. In rural areas it's either BT or Zen. BT's initial pricing is quite predatory and so they seem to have hovered-up most of the business. We've gone with Zen and although their prices are higher than BT's initially (although remarkably similar in Year 2), their support is excellent - can't fault it.

Things seem to be moving on a bit, DSLAM cabinet was installed a few weeks ago with power supplied and on the postcode/address checker on the OpenReach site it's moved onto the Activate stage. Spent the best part of the last 2 years being told we were in line for FTTP but assume that the DSLAM cabinet means that FTTC is the more likely provided solution? Fingers crossed I'll have more than 3-4 Mbs soon, though I suppose I wouldn't be surprised to see to see everything slip back to 'We are exploring solutions', after 4-5 years of varying dates etc. I've come to understand that Openreach/Superfast Cyrmu information doesn't overly tally with reality! The actual existence of the DSLAM cabinet is nice though