Sky FTTP Unavailable

Our CFP has just completed commissioning so we can place our orders (Hooray!). The Openreach fibre checker updated overnight and now shows FTTP as available at our address. I have placed an FTTP order with BT but checking the same address with Sky, Ulrafast Fibre (FTTP) is not available. I am not a Sky customer but Sky soft launched their FTTP nationally at the end of August so I am not sure why this is. I thought all checks to the EMLC dialogue service were done in realtime. Can anyone shed any light on why Sky say FTTP is not available please? Could they be using an outdated cached data set or perhaps they have not launched nationally after all? I am querying this for one of my neighbours who is a Sky customer and wants to order from them - Sky have not been particularly helpful so hoping to have more success here.

In reply to a post by zag164:

Our CFP has just completed commissioning so we can place our orders (Hooray!). The Openreach fibre checker updated overnight and now shows FTTP as available at our address. I have placed an FTTP order with BT but checking the same address with Sky, Ulrafast Fibre (FTTP) is not available. I am not a Sky customer but Sky soft launched their FTTP nationally at the end of August so I am not sure why this is. I thought all checks to the EMLC dialogue service were done in realtime. Can anyone shed any light on why Sky say FTTP is not available please? Could they be using an outdated cached data set or perhaps they have not launched nationally after all? I am querying this for one of my neighbours who is a Sky customer and wants to order from them - Sky have not been particularly helpful so hoping to have more success here.

Does anyone know if fttp will show available via Sky if new cable links are required in the local headend exchange?

I am in the same position as yourself. Some of my neighbours wanted to use Sky but as its still a soft launch it appears to only be available in certain areas and not available to us.
I would imagine a national launch might be after the New Year but who knows

Sky and Talktalk are not national.

Upgrades need done in some exchanges before they can sell FTTP and they will be prioritizing exchanges with lots of FTTP.

Neither is available to me despite me having BT FTTP.
Neither available at any address on my exchange. It has very little FTTP.
Though it was just announced by OpenReach yesterday.

If the OLT serving you isn't Huawei it may well not have any cabinets on it and, hence, Sky don't have a Cablelink to it yet.

They seem to be quite reactive in this regard where BT Wholesale seem more proactive.

In reply to a post by CarlTSpeak:

If the OLT serving you isn't Huawei it may well not have any cabinets on it and, hence, Sky don't have a Cablelink to it yet.

Openreach FTTP connections have nothing to do with cabinets.

I don't follow your logic about Sky and Cablelinks either, even if they did.

In reply to a post by RobertoS:

Openreach FTTP connections have nothing to do with cabinets.

I don't follow your logic about Sky and Cablelinks either, even if they did.

No cabinets = brand new OLT for FTTP = Sky haven't had to purchase Cablelink until they started selling FTTP so may not have placed the order until recently and are within the lead time for it.

Cabinets on the OLT already = Sky probably have a Cablelink in place to serve the FTTC customer base on the OLT.

I was offered Sky FTTP when I was upgrading my Sky TV package but declined as I had two months remaining on my BT contract (FTTP). Sky offered up to £100 compensation for termination with BT. Later and after second thoughts I decided to take the offer but it was declined as they said FTTP was not available in my area (a small village on Anglesey). When I insisted that the offer was made previously, I was given a different contact number and the rep offered their top tier 145-150 FTTP for £27 with a promise of repayment of BT cancellation fee. The activation date is the 24th September.

I believe it is a combination of perseverance and luck contacting the right person for FTTP with Sky. It seems that prioritising exchanges with lots of FTTP cannot be true in my case as this area is hardly heaving with FTTP installations.

In reply to a post by AlanPot:

I was given a different contact number and the rep offered their top tier 145-150 FTTP for £27 with a promise of repayment of BT cancellation fee. The activation date is the 24th September.

Thanks for all the replies - @AlanPot would you be able to post or PM me the alternative contact number please?

Regrettably I have lost/misplaced the contact number. However, two numbers that possibly might help you are 03442410515 & 03337594835-these are contact numbers on the Sky Broadband & Talk information email I received . The contact numbers are in relation to FTTP and the order and it is possible that they know the number I was given. Hope this helps.

There is a surprising amount of FTTP on Anglesey. but none near Holyhead (Holy Island), There is FTTC.

I agree there is a surprising amount of FTTP on Anglesey, however the point I was trying to make was that Sky were not prioritizing exchanges with lots of FTTP. This is in view of the fact that our exchange is relatively small and rural in comparison to larger urban areas where it seems Sky FTTP is unavailable.

In reply to a post by CarlTSpeak:

No cabinets = brand new OLT for FTTP = Sky haven't had to purchase Cablelink until they started selling FTTP so may not have placed the order until recently and are within the lead time for it.

Cabinets on the OLT already = Sky probably have a Cablelink in place to serve the FTTC customer base on the OLT.

I was trying to make the same point when I posted below

In reply to a post by dect:

Does anyone know if fttp will show available via Sky if new cable links are required in the local headend exchange?

Thanks for the contact no's @AlanPot.

I appreciate all the replies. If I hear anything positive i will post an update.

OK, so the latest I am hearing from is that even though the FTTP infrastructure is in place,Openreach have to make ports available to Sky to allow them to sell the service which has not happened yet. In the world of equivelence all ISP's are treated the same and in this case we can order from BT (I have) . Can any experts please explain what steps are heppen at the exchange for a direct Openreach ISP (ie not via BTW) to be able to sell an FTTP service.

As previously stated above Sky may not have as yet purchased the necessary cablelink from OR whereas BTw have done so.

Sky need to order a cablelink in the exchange.
OpenReach need to install it.

There are no ports OpenReach need to make available to Sky.

There is a lead time on OpenReach installing the cablelink. It's not a same day thing.

Sky have either ordered the cablelink and are waiting on it being installed or they haven't ordered it at all.
Sounds like they might have ordered it and Sky are simplifying this to "OpenReach need to make ports available".

There is 100% equivalence of all ISP's.

BT don't buy these cablelinks, they buy a Wholesale service from someone else who buys the cablelinks.
Hundreds and hundreds of ISP's are free to use the same cablelinks that BT do.
BT's supplier is subject to the exact same lead times that Sky are.

Remember BT have been selling FTTP for coming on a decade now.
Sky launched this barely a month ago.
Sky are behind the ball on this. They have been ordering GEA cablelinks since FTTC launched, they know about the lead times to install these and it's pretty poor blaming OpenReach for their own decision not to sell the product until now.

Edited by j0hn83 (Thu 17-Sep-20 17:19:05)

Thanks @j0hn83 for the additional information, much appreciated. That is clear now.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Sky need to order a cablelink in the exchange.
OpenReach need to install it.

There are no ports OpenReach need to make available to Sky.

There is a lead time on OpenReach installing the cablelink. It's not a same day thing.

Sky have either ordered the cablelink and are waiting on it being installed or they haven't ordered it at all.
Sounds like they might have ordered it and Sky are simplifying this to "OpenReach need to make ports available".

There is 100% equivalence of all ISP's.

BT don't buy these cablelinks, they buy a Wholesale service from someone else who buys the cablelinks.
Hundreds and hundreds of ISP's are free to use the same cablelinks that BT do.
BT's supplier is subject to the exact same lead times that Sky are.

Remember BT have been selling FTTP for coming on a decade now.
Sky launched this barely a month ago.
Sky are behind the ball on this. They have been ordering GEA cablelinks since FTTC launched, they know about the lead times to install these and it's pretty poor blaming OpenReach for their own decision not to sell the product until now.

+1

More like [censored] poor planning from the ISP. Nothing to do with OR, cable links need to be purchased, either that or Sky doesn’t have capacity and are upgrading core network before allowing FTTP punters on board. When it’s available on Openreach systems it’s available to any ISP that wants to sell it just down to them to ensure the provisions are installed back at headend in terms of ISP equipment.

Looks like Sky have realised they are facing some delivery issues. Ultrafast fibre is now harder to find from their home page and their availability checker has been updated so that if Ultrafast is not available, it is not even displayed in the results (previously Ultrafast was displayed but marked as unavailable).

In reply to a post by zag164:

Looks like Sky have realised they are facing some delivery issues. Ultrafast fibre is now harder to find from their home page and their availability checker has been updated so that if Ultrafast is not available, it is not even displayed in the results (previously Ultrafast was displayed but marked as unavailable).

No issues here. If I go to:

https://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/

I click on 'get started', type in my postcode & select address, i get this:

https://postimg.cc/hX4KjZ6C

Edited by deleted (Wed 23-Sep-20 21:21:08)

In reply to a post by Highland76:

In reply to a post by zag164:

Looks like Sky have realised they are facing some delivery issues. Ultrafast fibre is now harder to find from their home page and their availability checker has been updated so that if Ultrafast is not available, it is not even displayed in the results (previously Ultrafast was displayed but marked as unavailable).

No issues here. If I go to:

https://www.sky.com/shop/broadband-talk/

I click on 'get started', type in my postcode & select address, i get this:

https://postimg.cc/hX4KjZ6C

My address shows 'superfast' and 'ultrafast' with prices, but 'essential' shows with no price, and highlighting it gives the detail that it is not available at my address, I believe this is because 'superfast' and 'ultrafast' are delivered as FTTP and will hit max speeds, but 'essential' would be very slow due to line length and they ain't interested.

In reply to a post by burble:

My address shows 'superfast' and 'ultrafast' with prices, but 'essential' shows with no price, and highlighting it gives the detail that it is not available at my address, I believe this is because 'superfast' and 'ultrafast' are delivered as FTTP and will hit max speeds, but 'essential' would be very slow due to line length and they ain't interested.

I get the same as you at an address which has FTTC but not FTTP. I suspect this is because the local exchange does not have any Sky ADSL LLU equipment.

But I thought Sky only offered 1 tier of FTTP , Ultrafast 160/30?

Edit: It seems Sky offer FTTP 80/20 as well (Superfast) because checking a FTTP only property near me @ IV2 6ED offers both Ultrafast & Superfast but not Essentials.

Edited by deleted (Thu 24-Sep-20 02:44:05)

I get the same as well at my address which has FTTC and no FTTP but I know ADSL with Sky is available because I was on it while I was waiting for FTTC to become available.

I think Sky are no longer making Essntials available in areas that have fibre.

There was a guy on the Sky Community forum yesterday wanting to switch to Sky but on ADSL because he said he doesn't need fibre and was moaning that Sky wasn't offering ADSL to him.

Sky ADSL is (or was) available from my local exchange, but AFAIK Sky policy now is not to offer a product if the predicted speeds are low as it affects their stats. Technically from my address I could have ADSL, FTTC, or FTTP, Sky only offer FTTP as the others are poor speed.

It seems that, as well as bviaFTTP, Sky Ultrafast can also be delivered via FTTC G.Fast - that’s the case for my address where FTTP is not available (except via FTTPoD) but I can have Sky Ultrafast 160/30 if I want it