Wish me luck

It's been a very long wait and I'm sure I have lots more waiting to do but today was another step forward in our quest to get FTTP.

Contractors here again today feeding more fibre both underground and overhead from pole to pole but was told straight by the really nice guy it was far from finished.

Apparently it's someone in India who feed them information regarding work / jobs which I found rather strange if I'm honest but hey ho.

Anyway they started a few weeks ago with the fibre on the pole outside my house and today the chap was fitting these things to certain poles in the picture (sorry I don't know what they are) but hopefully another step nearer.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/lgpz4jfufikg9yx/Fibre%20po...

https://www.dropbox.com/s/u4wi9lc0ba07a26/ONT.jpg?raw=1

https://www.dropbox.com/s/87ns3k4x6bgo66w/Fibre%20Ov...

Edited by busterboy (Thu 15-Aug-19 19:37:08)

Picture one is a reel of fibre, most likely the tail coming from ...

Picture two, which is a four port CBT (connectorised block terminal) to which the final drops to the properties will be connected to as and when service is ordered.

Picture three is just a generic warning label.

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Picture one is a reel of fibre, most likely the tail coming from ...

Picture two, which is a four port CBT (connectorised block terminal) to which the final drops to the properties will be connected to as and when service is ordered.

Picture three is just a generic warning label.

Thank you Zarjaz.

There may be more work, (ie not just your street/road) but anyhoo..Good luck

Once they had the fibre to our poles it was just a few short weeks until FTTP could be ordered.

in our case it was nearly a year before orders were accepted

In reply to a post by threelegs:

in our case it was nearly a year before orders were accepted

Damn.

And there are reportedly places where FTTP equipment was put up years ago but never activated.

In reply to a post by busterboy:

In reply to a post by threelegs:

in our case it was nearly a year before orders were accepted

Damn.

Stay positive Tim, even if it was 6 weeks, 6 months or even a year its better than waiting until 2033.

In reply to a post by dect:

In reply to a post by busterboy:

In reply to a post by threelegs:

in our case it was nearly a year before orders were accepted

Damn.

Stay positive Tim, even if it was 6 weeks, 6 months or even a year its better than waiting until 2033.

Totally agree mate, Been living here since I got married in November 1980 with utter rubbish internet so sort of got used to it.

It was a year ago since we were informed by "Superfast North Yorkshire" we would be getting FTTP.

They first told us then we would have it for Christmas 2018.
They then said April 2019, then we could order by the end of July, all been and gone so still playing the waiting game.

I have one thing to look forward to though.

FTTP has been confirmed which is better than FTTC and the miserable 1Mbps we get now via copper so all my Christmas's will have come at once when it finally gets here.

The contractor I spoke to this week held no punches when telling me there was a lot of tree branches to remove which will mean putting the job out to tender, then getting the work done before we progress any further. Could be months if not 2020 yet!!.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

And there are reportedly places where FTTP equipment was put up years ago but never activated.

Yup got that issue here, one loop of fibre stuck on a dp for the last year. We are supposed to have work started " now or in the near future" according to the Hampshire Broadband team. Yet openreach's website has gone back to saying no fibre for me ..

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by candlerb:

And there are reportedly places where FTTP equipment was put up years ago but never activated.

Yup got that issue here, one loop of fibre stuck on a dp for the last year. We are supposed to have work started " now or in the near future" according to the Hampshire Broadband team. Yet openreach's website has gone back to saying no fibre for me ..

At least this still looks bright.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/15pc58crc6p3m6w/Better%20B...

Using your photos this the amount of work done so far

https://uc7ee9981899c196d0eb3c1eabaa.dl.dropboxuserc...

We will be one of the last Hampshire wave2/wave2 extension projects

In reply to a post by candlerb:

And there are reportedly places where FTTP equipment was put up years ago but never activated.

Yup, I can confirm this LOL, most of my exchange was suppose to get FTTP back in 2011, all the hardware got installed (in most of the area, Google Maps show this too), then the engineers got moved away to do the BDUK work and our area was forgotten.

It took about 3 years of me complaining then another 2 years by my local MP and myself on the phone, email and letters to BT's CEO and Chairman's office every week before they activated our hardware.

Sadly everyone else down our road had to wait for FTTC to get installed and activated, even though the FTTP is in place (BT by the way says its not there) Google Maps also states this.

So I would say if its all in place, you just need to keep on at BT until it becomes activated, no need to be rude or shouting at them, that will get you no where, just keep calm but be firm.

Paul

In reply to a post by Taras:

Using your photos this the amount of work done so far

https://uc7ee9981899c196d0eb3c1eabaa.dl.dropboxuserc...

We will be one of the last Hampshire wave2/wave2 extension projects

That is nothing, I know the areas near me have all the FTTP hardware in place like this FibreDP (taken 2015 from the pole down from mine) even the Fibre Manifolds (taken 2014) on that phone pole.

Yet BT tell them and myself that no FTTP is here, even though I provided and sent them these images along with Google Maps links to show this.

Then they go and install FTTC, such a waste of money, I bet their share holders are not aware of this waste.

Just think of how many other areas are like this, at least we know it won't cost much when they rollout FTTP to everyone later on

Paul

I'm not surprised. This is what happens when you have multiple layers of accountants. Also Openreach (previously) didn't take FTTP seriously. They still wanted copper until very recently.

I would say BDUK builds are safer in terms of completion but we just need to look at Wales. The New Forest - where i am, has had a different set of issues though.

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

most of my exchange was suppose to get FTTP back in 2011, all the hardware got installed

I keep meaning to ask what you mean by most, as we both know Ilford is not a small area and has several exchanges. How much was supposed to get FTTP, I know the area reasonably well as I spent time in Mill House and Peachey House while working for BT back in the 90's.

In reply to a post by dect:

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

most of my exchange was suppose to get FTTP back in 2011, all the hardware got installed

I keep meaning to ask what you mean by most, as we both know Ilford is not a small area and has several exchanges. How much was supposed to get FTTP, I know the area reasonably well as I spent time in Mill House and Peachey House while working for BT back in the 90's.

Oh I remember the 90's back then we use to teach you engineers at Newham College along with Nortel's Engineers

I was referring to areas covered by Ilford Central (LNILC) the leaked docs shows FTTP and back in 2011 - 2012 most of the area was getting FTTP installed.

I created a database where I was doing checks of availability using my own script that used BT Wholesale Checker, I was checking about +25K addresses which I also got from the BT Wholesale checker after providing the postcode.

Some went live back then and the rest the work was halted in mid install.

I did see areas around me get all the hardware installed right up to the Manifold being installed on the pole and the engineers said its all done and just need to wait a week or two for the work to be signed off as being completed, then they were told to work on the BDUK installs.

Sadly the areas around me never went live, even though it was all complete, and BT kept stating there was no fibre hardware in place even though it was, I sent photos everything I had, but was still told no fibre.

Like you already know, it was only when I got my local MP involved people started to listen and it took several more phone calls, emails and letters to the CEO and Chairman's office before they flipped the switch.

And there are loads of more on that exchange that has the hardware, but was downgraded to FTTC or are still stuck on sub 4Mbps ADSL2+

Like homes on Cabinet 46 on Ilford Central, they were down to have FTTP back in 2011 ass well, you can still see the Manifold in place on Google Maps, yet BT said no fibre was in place and they had a FTTC Cabinet installed back end of last year / start of this year for a few days, then it got removed and now no plans for fibre.

Tell me that's not a waste of money.

Paul

In reply to a post by Taras:

I'm not surprised. This is what happens when you have multiple layers of accountants. Also Openreach (previously) didn't take FTTP seriously. They still wanted copper until very recently.

I totally agree, the sad thing is their engineers knows they are done, you can also show photos or video evidence its all there, but they still insist its not.

In reply to a post by Taras:

I would say BDUK builds are safer in terms of completion but we just need to look at Wales. The New Forest - where i am, has had a different set of issues though.

BDUK work that gets started will mostly be completed due to they have contractual dead lines that need to be kept, that's why the engineers were moved away from the commercial areas in London back in 2011 - 2012.

I have no issues in that, it was where they never came back to sign off the work as done or complete the areas that was in mid install.

Paul

One might in those circumstances be tempted to pay for an FTTPoD quote. That is force someone to come out and actually survey the job. Once they find that all or most of the cabling is in place and it just need jointing/hooking up the quote should in theory be very cheap.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

One might in those circumstances be tempted to pay for an FTTPoD quote. That is force someone to come out and actually survey the job. Once they find that all or most of the cabling is in place and it just need jointing/hooking up the quote should in theory be very cheap.

Probably find a blocked duct or two.. Also what might not have happened is the splitters or the connection to agg not completed.

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

One might in those circumstances be tempted to pay for an FTTPoD quote. That is force someone to come out and actually survey the job. Once they find that all or most of the cabling is in place and it just need jointing/hooking up the quote should in theory be very cheap.

Probably find a blocked duct or two.. Also what might not have happened is the splitters or the connection to agg not completed.

Well for the people down the lower part of my road that can only get FTTC, my FTTP fibres goes through their FibreDP's to the Splitter Node at the bottom of our road.
Basically our DP and Manifold is at the end of the chain, so if it was a blocked duct etc, then there would be an issue with ours, but that could be the case for people on a different cab round the corner.

But TBH I think BT have no clue what is and hasn't been done, its a real shame that BT don't send the engineers out to survey areas that was being worked on or reported to have the hardware in place.

Paul

Bit mad really, with a small amount of outlay Openreach could get thousands more FTTP premises if all the started work was completed.