Switching provider when FTTC cabinet is full

I've seen posts say that you would be unable to switch provider when a cabinet is full as the port will disappear when your service ceases, is that still the case ?

I'm looking to change provider as I'm currently paying almost double with BT compared to some of the offers on the go at the moment.

Anyone have a definitive answer to this ?

That is true, it will go to someone else who's on the waiting list, you don't have priority.

Have you tried calling up BT and threatened to leave? See what offers you can get if you haven't already tried.

The waiting list is a myth, doesn't exist does it ?

In reply to a post by welshy1812:

The waiting list is a myth, doesn't exist does it ?

They do.

Orders can be placed on the waiting list and once there is capacity, the order will commit for the next possible date.

Matt

So I'm effectively trapped paying BT's prices unless I want to cancel my service then...

Essentially, yes.

Alternatively you can switch company and join the waiting list, go on ADSL until a slot frees up.

Edited by deleted (Thu 01-Mar-18 14:38:07)

Go on the BT website and on your account look at "My Offers" - there may be options there. If not, ring BT and ask them for a discount.

Apparently now only used when someone has lost their port due to an order foul up.

As I understand it if you were to switch supplier to one also using BT wholesale then the switch should be purely logical with no physical changes needed at the cabinet - in theory, doesn�t always work if the order goes awry - not worth the risk unless you don�t mind losing service.

Either get a better deal from BT or wait until new capacity has been added. If you see it become available I�d wait several weeks to make sure it�s not just a single port that�s come free from a ceased service.

It would be nice to see a complaint to Ofcom. Openreach which is part of BT should be stopped from doing this.

In reply to a post by AL66:

Apparently now only used when someone has lost their port due to an order foul up.

As I understand it if you were to switch supplier to one also using BT wholesale then the switch should be purely logical with no physical changes needed at the cabinet - in theory, doesn�t always work if the order goes awry - not worth the risk unless you don�t mind losing service.

Which is odd as the ports are (in a way) virtual anyway. So when a port fails and an engineer�s requests a lift and shift (service to be moved onto a spare port) it is done within 15 minutes and suddenly that person�s service shows up on a completely different port. Doesn�t matter what CP they�re with.

At least one port per board seemed to be reserved for those lifts & shifts when I had a good look when my cabinet was being installed. The numbering system on the inside of the door didn't include the right-hand port on the installed boards, and the number of slots times the number of ones per board came to 288.

I don�t quite follow your point.

When a Lift and Shift occurs it can just be put onto any port listed as spare on the system. A port predictor is used to give us the next best port to use. There are also ports marked as reserved. These can�t be used for lift and shifts as a customer will be going onto that port soon.

Is that just in exchanges, which I would understand? Or also in cabinets where I know what I saw but may have guessed wrongly re the purpose of the right-hand port on each card?

There were four present and the numbering on the preprinted sheet on the door went up to on each of all slots in the two banks.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Is that just in exchanges, which I would understand? Or also in cabinets where I know what I saw but may have guessed wrongly re the purpose of the right-hand port on each card?

There were four present and the numbering on the preprinted sheet on the door went up to on each of all slots in the two banks.

I�m was talking about cabinets in my last post. I haven�t done a lift and shift in an exchange for a long time now, so that didn�t occur to me!

As far as I know it works the same in exchanges. BT Wholesale just look for a spare port, and like in cabinets the port predictors tend to select one that has been recently ceased as we know it�ll probably be be a good�n. Also the difference would be if you want a lift and shift in an exchange and it�s a non-BT Wholesale circuit then you�d call whoever owns the DSLAM- Sky or TalkTalk usually. They�d then give you the new port. Whereas with fibre cabinets it�s Openreach directly organising the lift and shifts as they own the fibre cabinets.

Edited by deleted (Sun 04-Mar-18 11:31:50)