New Openreach site: Register Interest

I registered my interest at the new openreach website, i got an email shortly after saying that i was in its plans for ultrafast. but on the page i registered it says its not available. so i am confused. anyone shed any light on which i should believe.

Just means that its not available at the moment, but you in their plans to make it available in the future.

Their checker has very limited information, the old version displayed more information, but to some also became confusing.

But be aware these plans can change day to day.

Paul;

I also got an email saying "Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme", but no other details.

Are the plans published anywhere, or is this the default reply to anyone checking?

Hi

I think everyone is in the Ultrafast plans, as the plan is to upgrade most/everyone, but that could be 10, 15 or 20 years away! It also could be a badly worded email or they are using the wrong template. Perhaps it should say, "Thank you, we've registered your interest in our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme".

The full list of exhanges/areas up to 12 months in advance is openly published by BT,see this link https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/fibre-firs... then scroll down to the map and choose your closest city, you need to chose some location before it adds the shaded areas to the map. If you zoom out you can see just how little of the UK is under progress. There is also a link in the notes under the map that will take you to a document listing all the areas to be fibre enabled in the next 12 months.

Regards

Phil

Well the results in the emails from registering are changeable/odd!

I used my phone number - checker says no FTTP - so I clicked to register and manually entered my details and the email back said you are in the Ultrafast Fibre programme.

Checked using the postcode and selected my address - checker says no FTTP - clicked to register and email back says you are NOT on the Ultrafast Fibre programme.

So I'd take it with an even bigger pich of salt than normal!

thanks, for responses, i can see now its probably teething problems

Not everyone is in their plans. For my London EO line (slow ADSL only) I received

Never say never

Unfortunately your address isn't part of our current rollout programme. But don't worry. You'll be one of the first to know when our Ultrafast service arrives in your area

The new checker seems to have added the "programme" level. You might be in a programme but not yet in plans. The previous checker started from plans. I guess this gives us a bit more insight into their work. Those who are in a programme but not in plans will probably get their upgrades faster than those who are not even part of a programme.

Ditto - I got the

Never say never

Unfortunately your address isn't part of our current rollout programme. But don't worry. You'll be one of the first to know when our Ultrafast service arrives in your area

message as well.

My cabinet/FTTC line (also in London) actually has a g.fast pod on it - though we are too far away to benefit from g.fast.

As such, I would be interested if other g.fast areas are also getting a similar message (though I know there is some overbuilding going on)

Edited by gt94sss2 (Wed 22-May-19 15:19:06)

I'm in a G.Fast area but too far away from the cabinet to benefit from it. I currently get 38-42Mb from FTTC.

I got the following message after registering:
Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme. We'll keep you updated throughout the process as your address progresses through our build plan.

Pinch of salt or what.

https://imgur.com/Ez2p7Lp

Agreed, a friend round the corner from me who also has all FTTP hardware in place since 2011/2012 but just not enabled yet had a FTTC cabinet installed a little why back, then when at the connection stage it was removed (not suitable location - BT said), then a new location was planned then that was cancelled and now they are not even down for fibre.

Also shown on the new BTOR Checker >> result <<:
But we all know that BT has no clue what is installed and what is not, Sooo, I also take this as a pinch of salt.

Paul

Interestingly by looking at the Openreach website, I noticed that the small village just down the road from me that has yet to be enabled for FTTC (Minster Ramsgate Exchange, Cabinet 11, Plucks Gutter- CT3 1JB) is now due to be enabled to FTTP.

To enable this, and according to Roadworks.org the cabling is due to be run pretty much past my house in June/July - combination of underground duct along the main road, then overhead along the 2km length of road down to this small village. This fibre cable will run across the same pole that feeds my (and approx 9 others) current FTTC/copper line, which is around 1.6km from cabinet

Our little hamlet of around 15 homes gets speeds of around 20-25mbit.

Although Openreach doesn't suggest our postcode is due to see FTTP, I do wonder if after Plucks Gutter is enabled we may also get enabled as a result as our speeds are generally classed as sub-superfast?!

Fingers crossed.

If done via the BDUK project in Kent, then if you are NOT superfast then FTTP in a future phase is possible, but so it is also possible you might find the winning lottery ticket on the pavement outside your house tomorrow i.e. predicting future plans is a big unknown

A lot depends on what you mean by generally sub superfast? Most of the stuff I see in Kent tends to be lines in the sub 10 Mbps being helped.

My address / postcode says not part of current plans for Ultrafast.
Probably fair enough as mostly the village is running on FTTC and we're pretty small so most people will get reasonable speeds.
Has anyone got an idea of what sort of long term plan Openreach could be working towards for FTTC to FTTP conversion? Are we talking 5 year or 10 year type timescales? I'm awaiting a FTTPoD site survey quote and it would be nice to know whether it's likely to be 5,10 or infinite years if I wait for FTTP to arrive naturally.

A couple of years before the first areas (which will be urban Fibre First exchanges) start to see a shift from FTTC to FTTP.

So if a village likely to be nothing changing massively until post 2025 for FTTC to FTTP conversion. FTTP may arrive before then and it might not be from Openreach, or if OR do it will be left to you to choose to upgrade.

Promise to give you next weeks lottery numbers in a short while.

Well there is a big Euromillions jackpot this Friday so it would be appreciated.
I suppose we will all be running 5G connections anyway or something by then.

Lol, that sites checker for my address says they're upgrading my area to FTTC soon, not only isn't that going happen it would be an Insane waste of money putting an FTTC cab close to me.

In reply to a post by Swac3:

Lol, that sites checker for my address says they're upgrading my area to FTTC soon, not only isn't that going happen it would be an Insane waste of money putting an FTTC cab close to me.

You may be surprised.

I know someone who lives in an isolated rural cluster of less than a dozen buildings (mostly farmhouses), and last year an FTTC cabinet sprang up right outside their house. They've gone from 4Mbps ADSL to full 80/20.

The fact that the person living in the mansion opposite is extremely wealthy may or may not have been a factor.

But this demonstrates it certainly *is* possible for a cabinet to arrive serving a small number of buildings. It doesn't seem to make much sense to me - an underground fibre splitter would cost less to buy and takes no power - but there you go. Maybe OpenReach are contracted to buy a certain number of cabinets or FTTC line cards per year?

Agreed, and I have seen a place have FTTP hardware installed several years back but not get enabled, then 6 years later to have a FTTC Cabinet installed to be removed a week or two later to now have no plans to get fibre al all.

Paul

In reply to a post by Swac3:

Lol, that sites checker for my address says they're upgrading my area to FTTC soon, not only isn't that going happen it would be an Insane waste of money putting an FTTC cab close to me.

Care to add some context? Why isn't it going to happen.
What's your current technology/speeds over the OpenReach network.

Similar to the comments above I know of OpenReach installing an FTTC DSLAM for just 9 properties.
That was despite them installing FTTP 6 months earlier about 100m along the road for around 15 properties.
Common sense screamed that FTTP would be a better solution but up popped the DSLAM anyway.

Alternative providers in the area who provide much higher speeds makes not a lot of difference either.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by Swac3:

Lol, that sites checker for my address says they're upgrading my area to FTTC soon, not only isn't that going happen it would be an Insane waste of money putting an FTTC cab close to me.

You may be surprised.

I know someone who lives in an isolated rural cluster of less than a dozen buildings (mostly farmhouses), and last year an FTTC cabinet sprang up right outside their house. They've gone from 4Mbps ADSL to full 80/20.

The fact that the person living in the mansion opposite is extremely wealthy may or may not have been a factor.

But this demonstrates it certainly *is* possible for a cabinet to arrive serving a small number of buildings. It doesn't seem to make much sense to me - an underground fibre splitter would cost less to buy and takes no power - but there you go. Maybe OpenReach are contracted to buy a certain number of cabinets or FTTC line cards per year?

Odd. Given small numbers fttc cabinets are usually too expensive and fttp is cheaper. (Which is what the did rather than upgrade my own cab)