Openreach' Fibre First? It's all Fibre To The Premise now..

�. or so says the Morrison Utility Services contractor.

Christmas must be coming. As I posted about here, despite being relatively well provided for by FTTC (we get 64Mbps, the furthest property from the PCP is forecast at least 35Mbps under "Impacted Low" on the DSL Checker), we've had a roadworks scheduled for the past two weeks around the whole area served by our PCP and VDSL2 twin for duct clearing for "PON installation".

Despite limited appearances during the scheduled works period which has now finished (they left a pile of materials around for the 10 days, dug one chamber, and connected together two existing chambers inside a small side road), the contractors have turned up in greater force this week. They've paint-marked blue B|T marks in about 10 places across the whole cabinet footprint (which, see map, is certainly not going to be a main spine link) and have started digging and refilling about 18"-24" square holes at each location. I guess the | between the B and the T is where they believe there's a blockage.

See map of works/cabinets/footprints here: Google Map. Green shaded area is PCP12s footprint and where the works are being undertaken.

Despite suggestions on the first thread that they were likely doing this for some other purpose, having spoken to two of the contractors separately today, they've said they're installing FTTP to our roads. One said the others were doing the duct clearing, and he was installing the fibre.... he mentioned he was going to install a 12 port DP initially near the middle of the road in my street's case. I'm guessing the connectorised version talked about here. I asked if it was because someone had ordered FoD, and he said no... it's a general rollout. When I spoke to the second person a bit further on he said everything's going fibre to the premise now, and again confirmed that's what they're rolling out. Even one of the Irish guys doing some of the digging asked what I think (of them rolling out fibre) as I walked past and peered into their hole!

I remain a little sceptical that I'll be able to benefit, but after the discussions today am ever-more optimistic that this is a sign of Openreach's recently declared "Fibre First" policy - despite very little chat about it since the announcement in February.

I can understand this would make sence has the tide really turned within Openreach; the small business park adjacent to us (served by a different PCP, but ours and their PCPs are literally 1m apart) is in desparate need of any fibre broadband solution, and I believe they are indeed getting FTTP despite the DSL Checker still saying "Exploring Solutions" (Turgis Green PCP11). In fact there are a number of fibres and what looks like a fibre DP within the chamber in front of the two PCPs and the Morrison utility guys who had it open today said they'd just installed said fibre but still needed to joint it. So when providing fibre to the business park, roll it out wider too.

I'm even wondering if at some point they plan to "steal" our VDSL2 cabinet to expand the nearby PCP5, which has a far wider footprint as you can see on the map, and is scheduled for expansion by early 2019 according to Codelook. With only a few 12 port DPs being deployed initally, perhaps not... and is there yet a process for migrating everyone currently provided FTTC by a cabinet to FTTP so they can remove our links to the cabinet and redeploy it? I also don't know if they could do this leaving the cabinet where it is... I've not measured the distance, but would say it's touch and go whether PCP5 is over the max distance from the PCP12's VDSL cabinet... but perhaps something else they've considered? Due to the wider footprint, in estates built at least 10 years earlier, it would no doubt be a lot more expensive to deliver FTTP to them.

GFast would probably be quite pointless here vs FTTP as there's at least 50m to any properties, and the average are probably in the 200-400m range; and in the large numbers of relatively recent, undergroud-ducted estates across the country, I'd imagine it were a similar story.

Photos:

Pavement Markings B|T

PCPs 11, 12 and 12's VDSL2 Twin

Footway boxes already joined (in a side road)

New duct overlay being installed

PCP5(hidden in the hedge)

PCP 5's existing VDSL2 twin

Lots of chambers(on the main spine into Bramley, adjacent to PCP5 and running along Sherfield Road from W to E). And where the ducts are being cleared certainly isn't such a main spine!

Have you considered that this work might just be for premises connected to cabinet 11

e.g. RG26 5EG where some premises are showing as FTTP on the way

The grey cabinet with a slight 11 on it is unusual if an Openreach PCP since it has some vents

I know where you are roughly ... are you sure the fibre DP isn�t being put in to serve just those in that business park ?

Its rare for Openreach to roll out full fibre to areas already enjoying good FTTC speeds, though its not unheard of. It could be construction for a leased line or as Mr S says, FTTP to an area not currently getting superfast (>15 Mbps) speeds.

Premises on cab 11 are down for FTTP is people care to look at the Openreach checker

Incorrect as part of this �Fibre first� roll out throughout the UK, Openreach are targeting areas served with cable (of which usually have good FTTC speeds from Openreach) as part of a commercial FTTP roll out.

You�ll see this ramping up massively in the coming weeks/months.

The existing FTTC is very unlikely to be reused for another cabinet, this is because it would require all FTTC users to move to ADSL or FTTP and Openreach wouldn�t move them to FTTP free of charge, this would require them to upgrade via this provider - that�s only if their provider offers FTTP and has the required equipment in the headend exchange.

This may all change but not anytime soon, not until more providers take up FTTP service and it becomes more widely available.

Obviously that was my initial assumption; I thought until they actually started work that it may have just been work for Cab 11 and they'd got the roadworks schedule wrong... because after all, it's hard enough to get FTTP anywhere, and a wholly un-Openreach thing to overlay a good FTTC area with FTTP, especially in a village, way off the usual trial and priority areas.

But seeing where they have started and have marked for duct clearing they're not in cabinet 11 areas if you take a look at my map. RG26 5EG appears to be the only postcode on cabinet 11, and that's just the business park. The areas undergoing works are either wholly cabinet 12, or for a couple of postcodes there are one or two properties also on cabinet 5 (and still due a reasonable speed).

Also what the guys said when I spoke to them... they seemed quite joyous and upbeat about rolling out FTTP, and doing so quickly, it felt as if perhaps they'd just undergone some induction into a new programme they are part of, and they were the people bringing this wonderous thing to our door.

I get the same sense from unknown101's post, that Fibre First is now a BIG THING in OR (and I'm guessing from the language unknown101 works for OR or closely with them).... and that quite possibly there really has been a significant U turn or step change from all of our ingrained expectations of OR behaviour based on the last however many years.

And that really was part of my point in posting, to ascertain if this is indeed Fibre First in action, as since the initial announcement I've not noticed any discussion about it. And if it is, and similar reports start coming in as it sounds like they might, perhaps it's time for a little celebration that the behomoth has rolled over and a brighter, faster, future is finally in sight.

And after all the hassle I had at my last address, having to organise an eventually successful campaign to get FTTC to our new-build estate and several others around it, it would be fantastic to witness such a massive change literally on my doorstep.


Re cabinet 11, yes it does look a little unusual but I'm certain it is the PCP.

In reply to a post by unknown101:

Incorrect as part of this �Fibre first� roll out throughout the UK, Openreach are targeting areas served with cable (of which usually have good FTTC speeds from Openreach) as part of a commercial FTTP roll out.

You�ll see this ramping up massively in the coming weeks/months.

Thanks unknown101... no VM cable here, but I presume that's not the only criteria, and I take from your reply that there is indeed now a huge programme gathering momentum within OR. Which is great news for many.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

I know where you are roughly ... are you sure the fibre DP isn�t being put in to serve just those in that business park ?

Yes, for the reasons in some of my other replies such as the routes being duct-cleared. The (small) business park's cabling must run from the PCP at its central entrance, the around 100m in either direction of its length. That's what the BT pavement chambers also imply, and you can see some of the route onStreet View here where they've obviously installed new ducting between the 2nd and 3rd chambers from the cabinet. In a southerly direction the run of chambers is easy to see.

The cable route to any of the offices surely wouldn't run around the new-build estates bendy roads (which didn't exist when the business park was built), and then through someone's garden - that would be the only explanation if the work was solely for the business park.

What the Morrisons guys I spoke to said also makes me sure this isn't (just for) the business park - without quizzing them too much, they seemed clear enough that they were putting fibre in the residential roads.

I know it's all too much for most of us to believe, me included....!