fibre to ?

Hi
I am connected to Cromer exchange and according to Better Broadband for Norfolk (BBFN) we are away to get a massive upgrade but the woman was really vague about exact details.
I currently have FTTC but am a mile away from the cabinet so get a really bad connection sometimes 11meg down but mostly about 5meg..
today a company called "HAL" were going up the road with a cherry picker, they were going up every pole that was a DP and putting a new box on pole and running a fibre down the pole to the ground and leaving a roll at the base. they put yellow tickets on each pole saying beware fibre optic cables.
I asked him what was going on and said we would all have fibre in next month or two.
can anybody tell me what this would be? would it be fttp or?
many thanks
K

Connectorised FTTP at a guess.

A photo of the block at the top of the pole would provide proof positive.

Hi
Thank you very much, will take a photo in the morning.
Best wishes
K

p.s. just looked at this video and it doesn't look like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouSB_3c_fm8&feature=...

Do they do one that is fibre to the DP and copper from DP to house?

Edited by keymaster (Tue 28-Aug-18 22:11:12)

In reply to a post by keymaster:

Do they do one that is fibre to the DP and copper from DP to house?

No. It's fibre all the way into the premises.

Hi
Thanks guys, I can confirm from early am inspection kit is exactly the same as that video above.
As I am 1 mile (exactly) from the cabinet what speed are we likely to be offered?
will I need to change the provider? I currently have two lines - one AAISP(btw) and other Pulse8(TTB).
I have been looking at CIX and their control panel looks like AAISPs one.
Prices will go up sharply when they turn this on I assume?
many thanks guys
K

In reply to a post by keymaster:

As I am 1 mile (exactly) from the cabinet what speed are we likely to be offered?

Fibre doesn't depend on distance (*), only what type of optical line termination equipment Openreach have. Most likely you will be able to get speeds up to 330/50 or 330/30. There will be slower packages like 160/30, 200/20, 80/20.

(*) To be more accurate, it only works up to a certain distance e.g. 20km. But as long as you are within optical range, you will get the full speed regardless of the actual distance.

In reply to a post by keymaster:

will I need to change the provider? I currently have two lines - one AAISP(btw) and other Pulse8(TTB).

Not many service providers currently offer FTTP, see https://www.thinkbroadband.com/packages/fttp-broadband

AAISP have recently started offering FTTP, and are limiting speeds to 160/30 for now. See: https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2018/07/uk-isp...

In reply to a post by keymaster:

Prices will go up sharply when they turn this on I assume?

Not necessarily. Firstly, you are not forced to migrate - you can stay on FTTC as long as you like. Secondly, the price will depend on the service you take. If you take a 80/20 service over FTTP, the cost will be broadly in line with 80/20 FTTC - except that you will get the full speed as if you were right next to the cabinet. With AAISP you should end up paying the same for FTTP 80/20 as FTTC. If you want 160/30 service then I think it's an extra £10/month.

AAISP normally has a £100 setup and 12 month contract for a new FTTP service, but I don't know what they'll charge for a regrade of existing customer.

Note: if you want *two* separate FTTP services, I don't know how this will be delivered. OR used to install a multi-port ONT, but not any more. Maybe you'll end up with two separate ONTs and fibres.

Actually, your price may go down by £5/month as you no longer need the copper pair

https://aa.net.uk/broadband-home1.html

Hi
Wow lots of info, I cannot wait,
Thank you for all this. looking at the list I think speed we get will be price driven as those packages seem very expensive.
I have contacted Pulse8 who cannot provide, awaiting response from Cix. may just go back to BT.
this is fantastic, I wonder how much this will add to value of houses here as the 5 meg broadband used to put people off.
thanks again
K

How much downloading do you expect, as the AA allowances on Home::1 are good enough for a lot of people without needed to go for the 2 Terabyte option.

I�m on the FTTC 80/20 200GB and as I typically only use around 50GB that means with their cumulative 50% rollover I start most months with over 350GB available.

Hi
thank you for your response. The AAISP line we currently have is the £60 tb one, we use maybe 100 -200gig,
I spoke with CIX about my other line and they told me no way would this be FTTP where I am and it would be totally unprecedented as FTTC is already available in area.
The engineers yesterday told me it was and equipment on pole looks identical to the video in earlier post so I think he is wrong.
<u son uses the AAISP line and I believe he will keep that so my line will need a new provider, however, is the fast FTTP is so expensive I wonder if I stay on FTTC I will at least get far better speeds.
Many thanks
K

Your speeds on FTTC won't change. You would have to change to a FTTP package to benefit - the higher cost is because relatively few ISPs provide FTTP but most ISPs do not distinguish between the same packages on FTTP and FTTC for price.

So, as you get a low speed on a 40Mb FTTC package you could move to a 40Mb FTTP package and get the full speeds (not quite 40Mb due to overheads but close). The FTTC 40Mb and FTTP 40Mb packages from BT are exactly the same price.

CIX are talking out their back end.
Very common for really low FTTC to be upgraded to FTTP as part of BDUK upgrades.

You may be 1 mile from cabinet as the crow flies but the line is likely much longer with those speeds.

This sort of infill is increasingly common but CIX may not know that yet, so take anything they say under caution.

NOTE As others have said if you stay on FTTC then there will be NO CHANGE in the speeds, you need to switch to FTTP, there are 40/10 FTTP packages available for pretty much the same cost as FTTC, which would give you a speed boost i.e. speed tests will show 38 Mbps down and 9.5 Mbps upload

The onus is very much on you to choose the provider and package you want.

Hi
All you guys for all your great help and advice.
cannot wait...my line is a mile from cabinet and runs down the side of road to pole outside my house. it may have some extra going up and down poles but it is more or less as the crow flies.
K

Cix don't appear to offer FTTP. At least it doesn't appear on their website. Having clicked on their "Control Panel" link it does provide a lot of information. I assume that's what you mean, because the way it is presented is very different to AA's .

As Ian says, the new FTTP infrastructure will make no technical change to FTTC provision. It could though lead to a large percentage of FTTC users in your area with similar speeds upgrading. This would remove them from their connections to the FTTC cabinet which could result in a faster connection for you due to the loss of crosstalk if present.

That would only show up if and when it happened.

Is there any particular reason you have two lines, other than the speed question and the (by the sound of it) high usage your son makes of the throughput capacity? How much data does he actually download? It will show in his Control Panel for ages of history. I'm assuming the 100-200GB you cite is your usage on the Pulse8 line.

I'm wondering whether simply upgrading that line to FTTP and ditch the Pulse 8 one might be your best solution. Possibly keeo their phone service if you want a conventional landline - I have mine from them.

Either at 80 or 160Mbps. The AAISP website seem to say they are the same price from them but it depends on other factors whether they can provide the 160. It's unclear at first glance.

Edited by RobertoS (Wed 29-Aug-18 12:21:04)

Hi
OMG you guys know everything, thank you.

my son took second line with AAISP as he heard they were best and he has more available funds than me (he is adult). he plays lots of games and if I was on netflix/amazon prime we would argue about who had priority at what times
he has 4k netflix package, downloads quite about 100gig and games constantly.
I also download about 100-200g per month but no gaming.

My line has telephony, my sons does not. I like all the info he has on a control panel, with pulse8 you get none, although the service is great. I liked the look of CIX control panel and they offer FTTP through their parent company ICUK.
Many thanks
k

For the price you pay combined you could potentially get a much faster service with FTTP - perhaps even the top tier. That would reduce any risk of your and your sons activities conflicting and give you a serious speed boost.

I doubt if control panels are needed much on FTTP other than to know your usage. You always connect at exactly the speed you signed up to, in both directions. Attenuation does for all practical purposes not exist. Noise, similarly.

Significant latency between you and the ISPs gateway routers, again unlikely unless there is congestion on a shared WBMC node. From there onwards, as now - it entirely depends on the rest of the ISP's own network and peering links.

Plus on the faster FTTP options the target site may well not be able to keep up. We see that even on high end FTTC.

*Update*

Hi
Checking on btwholesale checker website the line in my sons room (AAISP/BTW) shows up as "FTTP on demand" as available at 300/30.
My line, however, in same house/cabinet (Pulse8/TTB) shows as not available.
What should I do?
thanks
K

Fibre on demand is NOT what they are delivering to your area it appears (say appears as it may be a neighbour has ordered the on demand version - installs run at £2,000 to £30,000 for that version)

You are waiting for the left hand side to say WBC FTTP available

Hi
Ok thank you, in meantime, I had email back from BBFN to say the FTTP is scheduled for November now - was April then September now November.
Thanks again
K

In reply to a post by keymaster:

I have contacted Pulse8 who cannot provide, awaiting response from Cix. may just go back to BT.

BT retail periodically have special offers where you can get cashback, e.g. a £125 prepaid Mastercard, when taking new ultrafast service. But BT will give you a dynamic IP address (which may or may not be an issue for you and/or your son).

Otherwise, Zen are pretty well regarded and are worth talking to.

I'd suggest you get a single 80/20 or 160/30 service and split the bill with your son. It'll be way better than what you have today.

Thank you, we are waiting for confirmation of what exactly is on offer.

Hi
Ok big update, HAL. guys have been mob-handed on my street this week with maybe 6 wagons and some OR guys with them. they added extra poles (about 3/4 the height of others) and connecting up loads of new cables. some poles still have rolls of fibre hanging from them, some, including mine, now have these things

Outside my house

How long do you guys think I got before I can order and who should I order from as my current supplier cannot offer FTTP.
Many thanks
K

Edited by keymaster (Sat 22-Sep-18 11:24:49)