FTTP Lead Time

Hey guys

A few weeks ago Kelly Comms was all around our streets taking pics of houses etc and now we have these red markings on the pavement and around poles.

OR engineer today said it's most likely to do with a fibre deployment.

Anyone had the same and what's the expected(ish) time from here before fibre will be available?

It varies. Could be weeks, months or years.

Yeah thought as much just wanted to get a picture of others if they had experienced the same.

Just looked on one.network and there is a lot of OR activity round here over the next 2 weeks. Fingers crossed this means fibre

As well as a new EE mast that's just gone up... 5G coming as well? It's like Christmas!

Edited by deleted (Thu 08-Apr-21 09:19:52)

My own timeline, but as has already been said, every area will be different.

27/07/2020 - Openreach survey, pavement markings appear in our courtyard off street.
31/07/2020 - Evening works in road, pulling stuff off huge drums through the street ducts.
10/12/2020 - Flower beds in front of neighbour's houses have new chambers installed using existing ducts to street.
20/01/2021 - Fibre CBT installed in flowerbed chamber by Openreach contractors RDJ Utilities.
24/01/2021 - A peek indicates thoughts that I'm on direct buried armoured copper seemingly confirmed.
25/01/2021 - Tails of CBT spliced in a large chamber across the road, in the back of an RDJ Utilities van.
31/01/2021 - Openreach wholesale checker still doesn't offer FTTP, but FTTPoD has been upgraded from 330/30 to 1000/220.
03/02/2021 - Openreach wholesale checker now offers WBC FTTP 1000/220.
04/02/2021 - Ordered 900/115 from Zen over phone. Status on order tracker "Wait for KCI-2". No date for install yet, but claimed single visit(!)
05/02/2021 - Noted OR checker says "Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Pre built to curtilage Hard." - usually 2 (or more) stage install...
08/02/2021 - OR engineer arrived to survey, looks like plan is to intercept duct either in our flower bed or at edge of drive. Duct proved clear.
09/02/2021 - Email from Zen, 1st stage external install schedule 27/04/2021, 2nd stage internal install appointment 07/05/2021.
14/02/2021 - DIY installed 22mm barrier pipe as conduit from outside wall to inside wall ready for fibre with a couple of draw ropes.
22/02/2021 - Email from Zen, civils work confirmed required and scheduled complete by 03/01/2021. I asked if we could improve on date.
01/03/2021 - Guys on OR flatbed did the civils work to intercept the existing duct in our flowerbed and lay a duct up to the front of the property.

Great info thanks for this!

Guess I'll just have to keep my eyes peeled

Wow, that's interesting! Thanks! Not long from CBT installation to going live! A lot quicker than some around here!

There were only a handful of CBTs put in in the area in my wave, which may have been a factor.

Ah, yes. There are loads going up around here. Hopefully, not too long now!

It seems, at least from how things progressed here, that they tend to do the work in stages, with different teams coming to do different stages with different tools and training. I guess it makes sense to get all of one kind of work done, then do all the next kind, etc etc.

Yep, that's what I've noticed here, too. It must be the most efficient way of deployment. It does make you wonder if work has stopped sometimes, though!

Round my was it was something like 3 week after the CBT's were installed to going live.

NPS, who are Openreach's infrastructure build subcontractor in the area, spent 2 days putting ducting between the footway boxes on the estate and install the CBT's.

Yeah, I think it depends on how ready the other part of the network is. For example, some CBTs on my exchange were installed in October and have only recently gone live. The CBT serving me was only installed a few weeks ago and is apparently supposed to be live by the end of May, so a much shorter gap.

So apparently the surveys have been completed here but it's being deployed by a 'turnkey' (which I believe means it's all being handled by contractors rather than OR)

Yeah BNE are rolling it out here, I think OR are only doing the backend/installs work.

Some of the poles have got a blue rope tied around the base of them - is this hooked up to some fibre to pull through?

Yup! There is a good example near me of an exposed duct with blue rope coming out of it attached to fibre which is coiled about halfway up a pole.

but not all poles have fibre pulled to them right?, do they make the connections pole to pole as such as well?, asking as my exchange EADER seems to be enabling a select few, the pole has the yellow stickers and CBT but according to BT Wholesale CHecker the exchange isnt being upgraded

All looks promising then! Hopefully the fact it's all being managed by a contractor means it won't be ages until it's available

If the pole has a CBT on it, then it's planned for FTTP