Great News!

Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme.

Regardless of the coronavirus situation we're all in, which will natually slow things down, is there somewhere I can find out just how long it will take for Openreach to reach my property? I'm swithering over whether to get FTTPoD in the meantime, but if it's likely to be fairly quick (say in the next 12-18 months) then I'll just sit tight. Thanks.

OR release a list of the Fibre First exchanges every 3 months - next one is due any day now. This shows for each area the number of exchanges due to be built in the next 18 months, listing the exchanges due to start in 3 months, already underway, and completed.

They also released a Rural Exchanges list on 24th January.

I'm afraid you're unlikely to get more detail than that. But given that FTTPoD can easily take 9-18 months to deliver, you may be best sitting tight.

Edited by candlerb (Thu 02-Apr-20 16:05:22)

That's excellent, thanks for that. My exchange is Glasgow Langside, and it's on the list.

Due to start in 3 months, and that was in a report published 3 months ago. You could be in luck

In reply to a post by candlerb:

OR release a list of the Fibre First exchanges every 3 months - next one is due any day now.

I doubt this, since we have the global pandemic stopping all non essential work.

Even though cityfibre have basically stopped here in Northampton, I still see Openreach doing things, ive seen them twice around my estate obviously doing fttp installs, the outside bit from man hole to front door, hardly essential work I would say, we were new to order on March 14th on the estate, but I suspect no one is getting the finish install done anytime soon, indeed mine is due tomorrow, ive had two emails telling me my engineer is getting ready, a hub delivery and a automated phone call, not expecting anything to happen though.

Edited by Rolandrat (Thu 02-Apr-20 19:50:05)

Apparently the FTTP build is considered essential, at least to the future economy, so is continuing at least as far as openreach is concerned.

They are certainly

Work started on my street 4 weeks ago. They have been here most days this last week.

They have cabled the entire area. They have port checked everything.

There are just 2 troublesome pavement chambers they are trying to unblock according to roadworks.org - once that's done we should be completed.

The lockdown certainly hasn't slowed them down.

But I guess it'll stop them entering properties to install an ONT

In reply to a post by candlerb:

OR release a list of the Fibre First exchanges every 3 months

Which web page is this link on? I'm trying to find it so when the update happens I can download the pdf.

Post deleted by busterboy

Edited by busterboy (Fri 03-Apr-20 15:11:13)

In reply to a post by bowdon:

In reply to a post by candlerb:

OR release a list of the Fibre First exchanges every 3 months

Which web page is this link on? I'm trying to find it so when the update happens I can download the pdf.

I think the link was originally published on the fibre-first page, but AFAICS it isn't any more (only the rural one). The link here is broken too. I think we'll just have to wait for the news sites to pick up the next update.

If you can drill the whole yourself then you can just connect the ONT when the installer pushs the cable through. I know a few have done this

It now seems to be here, right at the bottom.

Connector will mean usually needs to be pushed from inside the house to the outside now.

In reply to a post by foxtrot_yankee:

Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme.

Where did you find that out from? I'm in Glasgow Halfway which is being "currently building in" and I've seen signs of that nearby. But not up my road Langside is only due soon.

The problem now is you cant place an order, I was lucky, I ordered FTTP within hours of it going live on Openreach website on 14th March, my install was yesterday (3rd April) and I was fortunate I had a lovely lady engineer who was originally just phoning me to say she couldnt do it but I asked if I did the hole etc would she still do the outside bit and she agreed.
My next door neighbor who ordered one day later than me had his order cancelled and no amount of begging got them to change that, he now has the cable rolled up at his front door for god knows how long now.

Edited by Rolandrat (Sat 04-Apr-20 09:22:53)

In reply to a post by Woolwich:

In reply to a post by foxtrot_yankee:

Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme.

Where did you find that out from? I'm in Glasgow Halfway which is being "currently building in" and I've seen signs of that nearby. But not up my road Langside is only due soon.

I signed up for Fibre First updates and an email came through straight away saying that.

You can still order FTTP.
It will simply be delayed (possibly till June) if a home visit is required.

Individual ISP's may handle this differently but it can definitely still be ordered.
I helped place an FTTP order yesterday.

Did your neighbor have the order cancelled, or just the installation cancelled/postponed?

I'm certainly not aware of OpenReach cancelling orders.

Edited by j0hn83 (Sat 04-Apr-20 16:17:12)

I was in the process of setting up a community fibre project, collecting neighbours addresses and openreach out of the blue emailed me a couple of days ago to say I didn't need to as my address is in their rollout plans now. I was a little skeptical so I signed up to fibre updates (I thought I already had) and got the email straight away too saying the same.

Assuming the connector needs to pass through the hole (and I note it may not, but best to be prepared), what size hole do you need?

Is there any setting up to do at the customer premises, or does it just work or not?

I can only go by what he said to me, whole order was cancelled he said.
It cant be ordered online with BT, I looked at Zen also and there is a note on FTTP orders saying they cant progress them at present or something.

No, the connector goes into the ONT, and you ‘reel’ the rest out and pass the non connectorised end through the hole to the outside.
Ideally, a 15mm hole, so a kit can be fitted (a length of tubing with bell mouth caps either end) this stops the fibre sagging in wall voids and controls the bend radius t either end) but in these current times, a simple 8mm will do.

Once lit, and with a steady PON light, it should simply be a matter of connecting your CP supplied router to the WAN out out of the ONT by a supplier RJ45 ethernet cable.

If you choose to use your own router, then some config will be required, applying the PPP settings and the like.

In reply to a post by foxtrot_yankee:

Your address is part of our Ultrafast fibre rollout programme.
I signed up for Fibre First updates and an email came through straight away saying that.

Mine says

Unfortunately, your address isn't part of our current rollout programme.

Which is disappointing. And interesting because it suggests that being on a Fibre First exchange doesn't mean you'll get FTTP any time soon. Also interesting is that my exchange is currently being built out whereas Langside is only on the list for starting soon. That kinda confirms I won't see FTTP down my road this side of 2025.

Not sure if anyone other than Openreach can answer this but how far ahead are current plans? if you're included now, is that part of fibre first? So if all goes to plan you'd have it by March 2021?

Fibre First does not have an end date of March 2021, that is a goal of 4 million and Fibre First is likely to continue beyond then

Thanks, I guess I could have worded that better. If you're in current plans, is it likely that you're in the 4 million by 31 March 2021, I guess it what I'm asking. My exchange isn't listed in the plans yet. I'm guessing no one knows but wasn't sure if there was info out there, that I haven't seen. Essentially I'm just after an idea of when I might see work start, this year, next, 5 years from now...

Edited by deleted (Sun 05-Apr-20 16:07:52)

OpenReach publishes an 18-month area list for Fibre First, so if your exchange is in that plan, work is likely to start by Oct 2021 (plus unknown delay for current situation)

The point I was making is that I'm on a Fibre First exchange currently being built but there are no plans to FTTP my street. Meanwhile foxtrot_yanke's street is going to get FTTP but his exchange is yet to start building. So just because you are served by a FF exchange, do not assume you will get FTTP before 2025.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

OpenReach publishes an 18-month area list for Fibre First, so if your exchange is in that plan, work is likely to start by Oct 2021 (plus unknown delay for current situation)

Thanks! Its not unfortunately but OR did tell me not to bother continuing with my community fibre project. I'll just be patient

Looks like the April 2020 report has just come out, linked from the "transparency" page:
https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/open...

Updates are highlighted in purple. Some exchanges have been "brought forward due to operational reasons", whereas others have delayed or removed due to "unforeseen operational obstacles"

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Looks like the April 2020 report has just come out, linked from the "transparency" page:
https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/open...

Updates are highlighted in purple. Some exchanges have been "brought forward due to operational reasons", whereas others have delayed or removed due to "unforeseen operational obstacles"

Yes, my exchange is one of the ones removed. Gutted.

Have been looking at them for a while and neither my copper or FTTC exchanges have appeared.

Today, I happened to be scrolling don and it stopped on the London Borough I live in - guess what my exchange is listed there and was also in the previous version. Logical or not?

In reply to a post by MHC:

Logical or not?

Certainly. It's like the USB-B plug which doesn't go in the first way round, doesn't go in the second way round, but goes in the third way round