[THREAD CLOSED] Swish Fibre - anyone using?

Hello everyone

Swish Fibre contractors are currently digging trenches in pavements around us (Beaconsfield). I'm tragic enough to find this reasonably exciting and hopeful that we would be able to order an actual real fibre service within 6 months.

Does anyone have any opinion or experience of service with them so far?
Their website is sparse on technical detail, which is a shame for a provider potentially able to cater to an enthusiast/technical market.

I have the following questions...
1) Does Swish support IPv6 natively?
2) If so, do they provide a fixed IPv6 delegated prefix?
3) Anyone know the make/model of router provided?
4) I'd prefer to not use the ISP router, though perhaps in bridge mode. Anyone know if this is supported?
5) What is the connection that arrives into the property... is it fibre LC/SC or cat5/6 RJ45?
6) I assume this will be a closed-access network until an inevitable merger/aggregation by a larger operator in some years? I assume there isn't a national infrastructure/duct sharing agreement in place at this stage.

There was also a flyer for another fibre provider Hey!Broadband a few weeks ago. I would be interested to know if there's some sort of agreement between Swish and Hey! to share infrastructure or if we are in for another session of "Mr Bull: we're digging up the road"

Cheers, B

Edited by seb (Sun 21-May-23 21:32:26)

Hey Broadband customer here. Hey's network (Fibre & Wireless) is completely separate to Swishes. 2 different FTTP providers with they own networks, one being a lot more expensive than the other at the moment.

Ah ok, interesting. Well there's lots of Swish activity around here. New cabinets, trenches, manhole covers and looms of fibre appearing on telegraph poles.
I have not seen any activty for Hey!Broadband yet. Just a flyer which I thought intially was something from Tesco.

What is the Hey! connection into the property? Is it fibre or cat6/copper?

To be fair Swish's pricing seems reasonable. It's about 20% more than we pay for Zen for symmetrical speeds that should be at least 700% faster than our current VDSL 60/12. Zen have been great for years and I would always recommend them but since there's a fibre provider going down our road then that's extremely tempting.

It's an fibre connection that plugs directly into their provided GPON TPLink Archer router (which can be put into Bridge mode if required). There's no ONT.

Lots of Swish activity where I am too. Their infrastructure was installed down my road back in March but it's still not live. They originally told me go live was May but clearly something has happened to delay that.

Very happy with HB, would recommend them.

In reply to a post by nofappingway:

It's an fibre connection that plugs directly into their provided GPON TPLink Archer router (which can be put into Bridge mode if required). There's no ONT.

Lots of Swish activity where I am too. Their infrastructure was installed down my road back in March but it's still not live. They originally told me go live was May but clearly something has happened to delay that.

Very happy with HB, would recommend them.

You seem to just be posting about Hey Broadband - are you affiliated with them in some way?

No, nothing to do with them. Just someone who's excited to have a symmetrical gigabit link after years of living in an underserved area.

In reply to a post by batfastad:

5) What is the connection that arrives into the property... is it fibre LC/SC or cat5/6 RJ45?

Fibre will be routed to an internal location, requiring at least a single socket power outlet, and terminated on SC/APC connector. This will directly plug into a provided GPON ONT/router. Any FTTP service (in this country at least) will always have the user interface presented as ethernet via RJ45 on the providers kit. In some other countries FTTP providers allow end users to provide their own equipment (GPON routers, ONTs or pluggables).

6) I assume this will be a closed-access network until an inevitable merger/aggregation by a larger operator in some years? I assume there isn't a national infrastructure/duct sharing agreement in place at this stage.

Safe assumption. Only Openreach through PIA provides chargeable access nationally to its duct and pole infrastructure, but the reverse isn't the case with AltNets as they build the infrastructure currently for their own use. Many don't even lay ducts in the traditional type, but rather direct-bury bundles of small bore blown fibre micro ducts.

There was also a flyer for another fibre provider Hey!Broadband a few weeks ago. I would be interested to know if there's some sort of agreement between Swish and Hey! to share infrastructure or if we are in for another session of "Mr Bull: we're digging up the road"

As above.

Edited by Pheasant (Wed 02-Jun-21 09:22:44)

Not using them yet but they've started digging where I am too and I got a couple answers from them by e-mail that fit your question

1) Not IPv6 yet, but it is on their roadmap. They couldn't give me a timeframe though
4) They told me they supported using your own router connected to their ONT

Hey batfastad.

1) Does Swish support IPv6 natively? IPv6 is in development with plans to perform further testing with our early adopters in the next 3 months
2) If so, do they provide a fixed IPv6 delegated prefix?
3) Anyone know the make/model of router provided? Depending upon on the make up of your LAN we either provide a SmartRG SR400 or a Plume SuperPod - this will change when we get our hands on 802.11ax (Wi-Fi 6) equipment
4) I'd prefer to not use the ISP router, though perhaps in bridge mode. Anyone know if this is supported? We do not force customers to use our router and you are welcome to connect your own
5) What is the connection that arrives into the property... is it fibre LC/SC or cat5/6 RJ45? 10 Gbps XGS-PON SC/APC connector
6) I assume this will be a closed-access network until an inevitable merger/aggregation by a larger operator in some years? I assume there isn't a national infrastructure/duct sharing agreement in place at this stage. It is a closed access network

All the best.

Chris (Swish Fibre Team).

Edited by Swish_Fibre (Thu 15-Jul-21 12:54:30)

In reply to a post by Swish_Fibre:

5) What is the connection that arrives into the property... is it fibre LC/SC or cat5/6 RJ45?
10 Gbps XGS-PON SC/APC connector

Adtran ONT?