OpenReach web Fibre Broadband checker seems to have changed

The OpenReach checker on their site seems to have changed as well as many other things- I currently live in an area where the cabinet serving my line is full, and orders cannot be made - The old checker gave that information telling us there is "high demand" on the cab, but their new one doesn't. Also gone is the horizontal blue/purple array of icons telling you about the "fibre" status of your line, IE "in scope", "accepting orders" etc., and it no longer tells you the cabinet number your line is served by, or the fact that there's high demand/ on it as in our case. I do have an order committed, for early next month, after ordering when it said it was available, but was curious about the state of the as a couple of others round here are trying to get the service too.

I do know that this info is available from the BT wholesale checker and a lot more info besides, but I couldn't help wondering why OpenReach now tells us so little.

All it tells me now for my number is "Faster and more reliable fibre is coming to your area soon." What does that really mean ?


Fibre is already "in our area" and has been since 2012 though because I was on an EO line before I moved just around the corner I could never get it and had to use ADSL.

I think the old OR checker was more useful.

Apologies as I initially posted this to the wrong forum I've deleted it and posted it here now. It's a long time since I last posted here and much has changed. Sorry!

Edited by shaunhw (Mon 20-May-19 17:54:43)

Are you currently on FTTC? If so, it's quite possibly FTTP is coming to overlay or replace it.

I'm liking the look of this.

https://imgur.com/Ez2p7Lp

While I also think the old checker which is still working assuming you have written your own application version returns and displays more information, it also confused some people.

But I think they have dumbed it down to make it more clear to the customer, I have seen many people confused with the old information.

I also like the new layout shown >> here << in this image.

The only down side to this new look is that it makes it easier for them to progress to a point like the connection stage and then just revert back to not having it, but with the old version you saw the different stages.

So now you cannot see the progression of the install.

One thing they need to change is the following:
Great news. More reliable, future-proof and faster Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is available today at this postcode.
should say the following:
Great news. More reliable, future-proof and faster Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) is available today at this address.

FTTP is not postcode related or based on a postcode, even if they say it is.

But other than that, I think the look seems clean and is clear to understand whether you have fibre available to your address and if so what kind.

Its a shame it doesn't return the actual speeds speed's, what dp number you are using in the returned JSON Response like it did in the old checker, although it did have some info that wasn't needed, but the new version its new maybe they will add more information when they need to.

Paul

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

FTTP is not postcode related or based on a postcode, even if they say it is.


Paul

Depends on how you view fttp provisioning. For instance with BDUK, maybe only two or 3 postcodes on a fttc cabinet will get fttp. So for that instance it certainly is correct wording. Hampshire is a prime example of small areas getting fttp - where the speed is below 24mbits.

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

FTTP is not postcode related or based on a postcode, even if they say it is.


Paul

Depends on how you view fttp provisioning. For instance with BDUK, maybe only two or 3 postcodes on a fttc cabinet will get fttp. So for that instance it certainly is correct wording. Hampshire is a prime example of small areas getting fttp - where the speed is below 24mbits.

That's my point, its shouldn't say postcode, half my postcode cannot get FTTP even though the FTTP hardware is there.

Basically our FibreDP is at the end of the chain so our fibres coming from our splitter go through 2 FibreDP's, one has its Manifold on the pole and the other has it in the chamber by the pole with its DP hardware.

Now people on those poles cannot get FTTP even though the actual fibre cables are there in place ready on that phone pole / chamber and those addresses have that same dp number on the pole.

So my point is still correct that FTTP is not postcode related or based on the postcode, but more to an address.

If it was postcode related then those people connected via those phone poles would be able to get FTTP via the hardware that was installed for them back in 2011 / 2012, but sadly this isn't the case and now that hardware is just sitting there with nobody using it.

Paul