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Hello,
Please excuse this if it has been asked elsewhere (a search couldn't find anything recent)...
I have been lucky enough to have OpenReach in my estate laying fibre cable in the last few weeks - even despite the lockdown - they are troopers!
Initially we had the big cable trucks then a week or so later the cluster of vans with engineers in the manholes with pliers and kitbags etc. I had a chat with one of the engineers (maintaining a respectful distance etc) and he told me that as far as he was aware things were 'ready to go' and the fibre cable was 'up and running'.
This was at the end of March and the very beginning of April.
So the question is 'ordinarily' does anyone know how long would it take to go from laying the fibre and ensuring it was all working (what the engineer said 'he' was doing at that point), to when the website checkers will pick it up and let me order it? Every online tool says I'm only FTTC and my speeds are woeful.
Also... will the lockdown affect this - I'm guessing it will - but has anyone got any experience of how it has been affected - asking as I was genuinely surprised to see the engineers out to be fair.
Thanks very much for any helpful knowledge...
J
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Even if it is all ready to go, due to the pandemic, no orders for final installation are being accepted at present.
June is being bandied about as when the provision ‘books’ reopen. There will doubtless be a bow wave of work at that time.
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Two weeks back I saw a couple of external installs happening near me (i.e. up to the CSP), so my hat goes off to them.
But these are the old 2 stage installs and that I assume the internal work will have to wait to at least June, due to I haven't seem them come back yet, but at least a fibre cable has been allocated to them.
So by doing the external work would reduce the amount of work come June.
Paul
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Yes Paul ...
The ‘new’ way has gone back to fitting a (different) ‘CSP’ so the first visit looks for issues, checks for light at the CBT, tests ducts to the property, checks line of sight for overhead installs, etc, etc. These have still been going ahead, so when appointments can be made it should be easier.
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I also had my street cabled up for FTTP During March.
We had port testing and then it took 2 weeks until it appeared on https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/
However in those 2 weeks Openreach had logged something on roadworks.org to shut pavements to clear 2 blockages - so I think that delayed things being ready to order
But as pointed out - BT don’t even show full fibre at my address
Zen
Aquiss
AP-something
All do
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AP-something
Andrews & Arnold? (aa.net.uk / aaisp.net)
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Yeah, probably, it was a distance away looking from one of our windows, I could see fibre cable being fitted but that was it and then the vans drove away.
So what does this new CSP look like?
I can see why they use the connectorized cables for the speed of the install, but they would never be as good as two fibres being joint together, assuming they was joint perfectly.
Paul
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But as pointed out - BT don’t even show full fibre at my address
BT have removed all FTTP Products from their site ATM, we are on FTTP and it also says we cannot get Full Fibre even though we are on it now.
I would just check with the Openreach Checker.
Paul
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Thanks very much all for your speedy replies.
In reply to this post in particular - I can't use the DSL checker tool - I have no BT phone line (I have no paid for land-line service at all in my house and the 'notional' number given to my by my ISP returns errors on the DSL checker tool - its either not connected or it correctly identifies it not as a BT one).
The only other option on that part of the tool is the Access Line ID - reading through links on here I'm not sure what exactly that is...
This is so teasing - during this time my wife and I both try to use our (very weak FTTC with the cabinet over 1km away!!) to try and VTC into work whilst my son is also smashing netflix - knowing there is fibre under the pavement less than 10 meters away... but not obtainable is really frustrating!
Looking at the big picture - I can totally wait... but... fibre!!!
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What about the Openreach one? https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband and click "Use our fibre checker"
This is address-based.
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AP-something
Andrews & Arnold? (aa.net.uk / aaisp.net)
Yes that was the other one I checked - I couldn't recall the full name
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But it’s only the same as the connection between your SC end and the ONT
I cannot find an exact match, but page 81 of their catalogue is close https://www.dexgreen.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/...
On their app it is item code 100632
Just noticed page 68 has a Mimtel 444b REIN detector !
Edited by Zarjaz (Fri 17-Apr-20 19:01:52)
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What about the Openreach one? https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband and click "Use our fibre checker"
This is address-based.
Yes this is the one I have been longingly using - apparently it's "great news!" as I can get FTTC!
Surprisingly, no matter how many times I check - we still don't have any fibre!!!
I just have a horrible feeling - what's the chances that the engineers ARE critical workers and going risking their safety throwing down fibre cables, but the guy who updates the "can you get fibre" database for these online tools ISN'T a critical worker and is at home or furloughed not able to press 'the button'?
I'll just stare oddly and longingly at the manhole that I know has all the fibre in it outside my house for now I guess...
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It can take a long time from fibre being laid to being ready to order.
Things may not be ready at the exchange end (e.g. no spare OLT ports).
All the street cabling has to undergo an audit. If it fails audit, it may require reworking. For FTTPoD you'd typically expect to wait a couple of weeks for audit, but with a full area deployment the auditor may not arrive until a larger batch is ready to do.
Once audited, GIS records and database need to be updated. Even then, OR may decide to release a larger area at once, rather than piecemeal.
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The date from build to live varies...back in November 2019 saw them doing light tests on the first FTTP for village (part of a tour) thus proving light all way from headend in town to the street was there. This street did not show as live for another 4 weeks.
At this time no reason to believe they have stopped updating the checkers
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The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
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Thanks all,
I think this testing phase is what the engineer might have been doing the last time I spoke to him - he was obviously putting it in lay terms for me but he said words to the rough effect that (and my paraphrasing) he could see connectivity all the way back to our exchange and that the cable was 'live'.
Based on a 4 week lead - I'd be looking to get excited for the next step (recognition that fibre has been successfully plumbed and 'available to order') around the end of April/early May.
I know this is all academic if they can't run in the last 10 metres into the house owing to lockdowns etc... but hope is a strong thing!
Thanks all - any other info or thoughts warmly received!
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We have a similar situation. We are five properties around a shared courtyard served by FTTC. The cabinet is c3km away so speeds are only c12Mbps with frquent drop outs. Within the courtyard's BT chamber is a CORNING Optisheath Multiport with a dozen or so free ports. Distance to the properties range from 10-75m. This was installed in 2018 by CASS when they brought fibre down the main road. What are the options to get fibre into our homes? Do we have to have the Open Reach survey before anything else can happen or would an independent survey do the install? If so could we still then contract with BT? Or should we just wait for FTTP rather than try FTTPOD? BT site says FTTP 'coming soon' but how do you find out what the actual roll out plans are? Thank you
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Who are CASS? If they didn't install this on behalf of BT then BT wouldn't use it - you would be in no different position to if it wasn't there at all.
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If CASS was not working on behave of Openreach then the multiport is nothing to do with Openreach.
It is possible that CASS were sub contractors and the FTTP coming soon suggests a reasonable chance, as for finding out actual plans if this is a sub superfast area then probably the BDUK contract team at local authority are the people to chase. Though with reduced staff numbers on teams (i.e. busy helping in other parts of councils) now is not the best time to figure all this out.
FTTP needs a fibre path all the way to the headend, and while your end part sounds potentially complete there may be a hold up somewhere that is far from obvious e.g. some miles away
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The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
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Thanks for your replies. I can see that CASS have worked on behalf of BT elsewhere but as you say there's no proof in this case.
The ticket on the port has the following details:
Route 1141 Ident:
Cable No:
Cable Section:
Fibre Count:
Job No:
CSS ID:
Contractor:
The job no. was WAJL6G1P - not sure if this format points to OpenReach
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CASS are the subcontractors who lay and pull the cables in Staffordshire. They did my street a month back.
They worked in tandem with Openreach vans who seemed to focus more on clearing blockages, pole replacements and the final testing.
Perhaps CASS work for other companies too, but good chance its Openreach, keep checking their site with your postcode.
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wesley19660
That is the OR Details.
Was there anything against each label? as they will tell some people what the section is for, it looks like a main cable at first glance ( Not for FTTP) but the detail may say otherwise.
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Route 1141 Ident:CBACQUG-TMAEJPU
Cable No: ON 63445
Cable Section:TMAEJPU
Fibre Count:12SST
Job No:WAJL6G1P
CSS ID:CTABB
Contractor:T/CASS
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Where I live in Market Harborough Leicestershire Openreach are replacing nearly every single telephone pole even ones that have been replaced in the last couple of years following car accidents and capacity upgrades.
At present there has been nothing mentioned about FTTP coming to the area but was just wondering if the pole upgrades are in preparation for new better technology? The ones that have been done already appear to be same wooden style ones
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Openreach always uses wooden poles apart from in circumstances where climbing is unsafe when a metal pole is used
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The author of the above post is a thinkbroadband staff member. It may not constitute an official statement on behalf of thinkbroadband.
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