FTTP; equipment identification

Hi all,

I was wondering if any of you could shed some light on my fibre question.

Over the summer we saw someone doing a survey on the trees and vegetation, on chatting to him he told us that it was for a fibre installation over the poles - he said that engineers would be heading round about a week or so later to install the fibre. True to his word we had Openreach engineers installing fibre over the poles in front of our property. When we spoke with them they also told us that it was for FTTP and that generally it would be available about a month after they complete the cabling for the service to be ready for installation. That was now over
4 months ago and all the cabling has been completed.

I've contacted BT and they tell me that there are no plans for FTTP in the area (they tell me that the install was for FTTC to our nearest cabinet, which was already fibre enabled before the cabling started!).

I have also contacted Openreach with much the same response - no plans for FTTP and the cabling was for FTTC at our local cabinet - which as I've already said was fibre enabled before!

So my question is; where do I go now? I've attached a link to an image of the equipment that was installed right outside our house, we are in a rural location midway between a main town and a small village; both I understand to already have fibre. Can anyone identify the equipment installed and tell me if I am wasting my time pursuing BT/Openreach for an answer, or who I am best trying to contact?

https://snag.gy/ci1gCR.jpg

many thanks in advance
Matt

The picture shows a mechanism for locking off overhead fibre cabling. (and to its left a copper joint)

As it is that isn�t evidence of fibre availability .... it could be providing a single point to point service or some such, the pole is probably just a way point.

Providing your postcode might help others on here provide more detail.

Or someone further down the road has orders Fibre on Demand

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

The picture shows a mechanism for locking off overhead fibre cabling. (and to its left a copper joint)

As it is that isn�t evidence of fibre availability .... it could be providing a single point to point service or some such, the pole is probably just a way point.

Providing your postcode might help others on here provide more detail.

That isn't a copper joint to the left, that is a fibre joint as you can clearly see the fibre tubing going in at the bottom of it, plus yellow tag. They use those joints for fibre too, as well as standard universal clip joints below ground.
https://bt.i.lithium.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-i...
https://bt.i.lithium.com/t5/image/serverpage/image-i...

To the OP, look to see if you have a fibre CBT at the top of the pole like this or similar

http://blog.thinkbroadband.com/wp-content/uploads/20...

The one at the top of your pole might have more ports on it, depending how many houses your pole serves.

What speeds are you currently getting on FTTC? Its quite rare to see areas with good FTTC speeds overlaid with FTTP in non Fibre First areas.

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

Or someone further down the road has orders Fibre on Demand

Yep.

the OP shows a copper joint not a fibre joint I think the "yellow" tags are faded foil from copper cables. the fibre connector box on the poles in my garden doent have a domed top

The two joints you have linked pictures to ARE fibre track nodes, the one in the OP�s picture IS a copper MC31 joint.

Openreach do not house fibre joints in 31 series closures, the splicing trays won�t fit. A 31 is round if viewed from above, the joints you show are oval if viewed from above. They ARE for fibre, that joint isn�t.

I�ll agree the original picture looks like it shows a fibre lead beneath the joint, but the picture is too vague to see where it is going.

Yes, agreed, see my reply to �The Installer�

I think you are both right. There's a fibre joint behind the copper one if you look very closely.

We have a strange situation, I was told by gf of a contractor surveying for laying fibre down our road, whilst away some work was done, saw OR engineer working on our chamber and he stated that ducting had been laid and as far as he knew sometime soon fibre would come.
But, local BDUK officer says BT knows of no fibre work in area

In reply to a post by partial:

I think you are both right. There's a fibre joint behind the copper one if you look very closely.

Am looking on a phone .... my excuse and I�m sticking to it

But it IS copper in that 31 innit

But the ducting may not be for the kind of fibre you are hoping for.

Thanks all for your responses, I will take my time to read them and try to understand. From my understanding the domed capsule on the left of the pole existed before the fibre cabling was installed and it is the black cable with a yellow stripe that is new. From what the engineers told me they are hybrid cables - with both a fibre and copper core in them.

Our post code is PL30 5AY, as I said we're part way between a town and a village and have asked around and no-one has asked for an FTTPoD install there are only a handful of properties within the postcode and I've traced the overhead cables as far as I can go.

If anyone has any additional information, I'd be very grateful.

many thanks
Matt

PL30 5BB and some others in area have FTTP i.e. those with very slow FTTC speed estimates. Fits in with the pattern in other parts of Cornwall too

Who knows? Could be FTTPoD to the company at end of road, but BT told BDUK officer there had been no work done.

If there's a company at the end of the road, then the fibre could be for a leased line (which is nothing to do with FTTP)

I can predict FTTP being provided around Newton, Beech Tree cottages, Challacott barn and Tremabyn

In reply to a post by MrSaffron:

PL30 5BB and some others in area have FTTP i.e. those with very slow FTTC speed estimates. Fits in with the pattern in other parts of Cornwall too

I just used the dsl checker with the address option, and barring a couple of addresses that are coming up with an erorr(duplicate entries) its showing wbc fttp ?

@jaffakke http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/ADSLChecker.Addres... can you try that link and select your property?

Hi,

I have tried selecting my property on the link and get the message:

Your address has been successfully matched; however we cannot determine ADSL availability at this address. Please try the Telephone Number or Postcode Checker.

I have checked the nearest property and get information on FTTPoD being available (but I can imagine at great cost based on the other thread on that on here) and there is a note under the table saying FTTP is not available.

We get around 10mbps down currently.

https://snag.gy/avY2V6.jpg

I'm beginning to wonder if the surveyor and engineers were pulling our legs when they told us what the fibre cables were for!?!

Edited by deleted (Tue 20-Nov-18 22:20:48)

edit: just the farm showing up FTTP, I can't match the results you get from your postcode

second edit: I'm checking the wrong post code

FTTP at Trekillick Farm. If that's Feb past you then that is what you see.

Edited by j0hn83 (Tue 20-Nov-18 22:49:47)

Yes, I guess that is what we're seeing as they are fed by the same cabinet which is surprising as I would have thought they would be closer to a cabinet in Bodmin...

If the fibre already passes us and we went for an FTTPoD install would they have to install fibre from the cabinet to us as well or "hook into" the existing fibre?

thanks

Did you see the second or third response which contains an image of a fibre connector block terminal (CBT). If you work your way down the poles from your house and see if you see any of these within around 300m should tell you if FTTP is being provided or not. A post with further images of fibre going into any connector blocks you find on the poles may also be useful if you're unsure.

[EDIT] Also wondering if you've looked at the Superfast Cornwall though it doesn't mention your postcode the neighbouring 5AX and 5AZ do seem to have just received an upgrade under the latest phase. It looks like 5AX is further down the lane from you, though if they've failed to provide the one extra CBT when passing your hamlet it does seem a bit bonkers... . I would give the Cornwall team a call or email to see what they say.

Edited by deleted (Wed 21-Nov-18 00:29:15)

I'm so sorry, i took Andrew's postcode from his post and not yours, jaffakke...

Edited by Taras (Wed 21-Nov-18 00:00:23)

So I summise that the fibre feeds Stephen Gelly farm with FTTP which appears to be down the lane from you (??), and is provided by Connecting Cornwall.

Assuming they haven't/won't connect your hamlet, you may at least find FTTPoD is relatively cheap if it only requires a CBT to a nearby fibre junction... assuming they built the "trunk" with spare capacity.

@taras, no problem!

@olicuk - it is very odd, as you say 5AX is currently able to order FTTP so the fibre running past our house is powering their connection. There are more properties in closer proximity to us (5 of us) so it does seem odd that we can't order it..

What's even more interesting is that our neighbour has a different postcode and they too are able to order FTTP, so something is very odd!

I've emailed Superfast Cornwall for more information..

Farm = business so as the EU money targets business broadband probably why they've got it and not the other parts

Talking to the Cornwall team specifically is the best way forward

The theory is that the spare capacity is there, but the way the accounting is done, the farm connection will have only seen BT paid a proportion of the cost of getting the fibre to them, so any FoD orders would still be expected to pay their proportion even if using jump off points on the way.

@MrSaffron; Thanks, but it does beg the question why PL30 5JX which is literally next door can order FTTP and they are also residential. I feel something is up with the postcode mappings..

If you use Google Maps the two postcodes are further apart oddly than if you use ONS latest dataset

If the premises are as clustered together as the satellite imagery suggests then yes would expect you to have had a spot on the manifold.

This may just be a checker issue, and in that case pictures showing how close the existing manifold is, and counting number of premises within 100-150m versus number of ports it has - easy to count ports with the CBT as you can see the connector covers given a zoom lens.

Talk to the Cornwall team and if that fails I can try and talk to the London end and make the case but would need something like the satellite image of the little hamlet marked up with where the manifold is, and which is your property to illustrate the point.

Yes I've just looked that up Cornwall's GIS and what look to be all of the "true" properties on 5JX have Ultrafast as you say; and assuming you are right next door as the postcode 5AY implies, it would be silly if you weren't meant to have been enabled. As Andrew says, annotate the map, ideally take some photos too, and send it to the Cornwall Broadband team and see how you get on. If you can map out every DP and junction even better. If you look into the data returned to your browser on the Openreach Home and Business checker after selecting your address, you can also see which copper DP you and your neighbours are on. Worst case you'll have your own (copper) DP and the other properties will be on one or two others... and Openreach may then continue to say you can't have FTTP as there's no fibre DP matching your copper one! I hope they wouldn't do such daft things but....

Looks like all DPs are covered for FTTP so definitely an issue with the availability data.

If we are fairly sure that is the case, then if the original poster emails me [email protected] and can include a picture of the Google maps sat image with the properties marked to illustrate closeness will pester Openreach for them to review the checker results.

Hi all,

I was able to map the poles and the properties nearby today and take some pictures of the poles in the hope that you all maybe able to shed some more light on the situation.

The overall map is here: https://snag.gy/7cxnqj.jpg

Pictures of the numbered poles are here:

Pole 1: https://snag.gy/Xa4onA.jpg

Pole 2: https://snag.gy/w0gOTM.jpg and https://snag.gy/qVGQx6.jpg

Pole 3: https://snag.gy/zvSrl1.jpg

Pole 4: https://snag.gy/78fudD.jpg

Properties in PL30 5JX are able to order FTTP, however those in PL30 5AY are not!

many thanks for your help

Well done. So there definitely appears to be a fibre distribution point on Pole 2. I can see from Street View that your line comes from Pole 1. There are some oddities however:

- this is the "hidden" data from Openreach's Home and Business checker for the two postcodes.
- you can ignore the properties on DP326 as these are some distance away at the bottom of the hill by the main road.
- first thing is that it lists only one property on your postcode, which doesn't appear to be yours. Do you actually have a working Openreach line? If not, maybe that's the problem, and your property is just missing from the database. As I assume "The Piggery" is the plot across the road from you, and the Cornwall GIS confirms this, showing yours as "Treningle Farm".
- if you do have a line, is it with BT, and you therefore have a BT number? If so what does a dslchecker.bt.com check and an Openreach Home and Business check say for your phone number (don't post your phone number!)?
- Street View shows a label on Pole 1 saying DP144.... however the Openreach data shows "The Piggery" (the only property on your postcode) comes from DP 269. It shows DP144 only serving 2 Beech Tree Cottages (based on these 2 postcodes) - with FTTP available. So pretty sure FTTP is available to you, if only your property existed.

So without knowing if you have a line, it looks like your property is missing from the OR database... [EDIT]� though I've found its UPRN via the Cornwall GIS, and dslchecker.bt.com does respond to this (and only shows FTTPoD, not native FTTP, whereas for say 2 Beech Cottages which has a UPRN a couple of numbers from yours, it does show native FTTP as expected).

Edited by deleted (Mon 26-Nov-18 00:32:54)

Need the email to chase this one up now

Hi Olicuk,

We do have a phone line but this is through Sky, as is our existing broadband connection. I've mailed Andrew with the details and will revert back here with any further news.

many thanks all

In reply to a post by jaffakke:

Hi Olicuk,

We do have a phone line but this is through Sky, as is our existing broadband connection.

And that looks to be the reason for the database issue

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by jaffakke:

Hi Olicuk,

We do have a phone line but this is through Sky, as is our existing broadband connection.

And that looks to be the reason for the database issue

Having a non BTW based line/ bb service does not cause or increase the risk of Openreach database errors. No such errors on the OR database once my FTTPoD service went live (checker changed from FTTPoD > WBC FTTP) - despite having a TalkTalk line for donkeys years.

Not sure as I have tried contacting BT and saying I am a new customer without a line and given the address but had the same response from them. No fibre available at your address.

cheers

In reply to a post by Taras:

And that looks to be the reason for the database issue

That would affect phone number lookups but would have no impact on address lookups.

Hi
the exact same situation occurred in our hamlet, the pods appeared on all the poles in our village despite us having FTTC (albeit terrible as cabinet 1 mile away). but when I go on ADSL checker it says the only FTTP available is on demand. I noticed in many neighbouring villages these pods have sprung up on the outskirts of their villages too, mostly fitted by a company called HAL or another I think called CPD.
I asked one of the guys working on them and he said that FTTP would be available soon, however, all equipment was owned by them until job complete then signed over to Openreach - then it would show up.
I contacted better broadband for Norfolk (I am in North Norfolk) and the lady told me due to being available mid-December - some two months after work done.
I am guessing similar scenario for original poster as equipment looks identical.
K

Thanks all - I have heard back from Openreach and they have acknowledged an error with the data and are in the process of resolving it.

Thanks @MrSaffron for your help - I'll update the thread when we have a confirmed order

Congrats Jaffakke, good luck with your future fttp install