Virtual Tour of FTTP Broadband with BT and Openreach

If you're interested in the technical side of FTTP and want to know more take a look at this ISPReview article that contains a video thats really worth watching.

VIDEO – Virtual Tour of FTTP Broadband with BT and Openreach

Thanks that was interesting.

One of the punters in the comments from the ISPreview article, saved and then re-posted the equivalent YT "training" videos for Virgin Media/Liberty Global network, before they were taken down (after their corporate HQ got wind they were on open YT and panicked). Worth a look too...

Liberty Global HFC Tour v1.1/url]

Liberty Global FTTP Overview v1.1

Liberty Global Headend Tour v1.1

If we had some from CityFibre that would round out the trio of the BIG 3 😂 (Mind you CF would be somewhat similar to OR, so maybe a P2P network....)

What's the story with those trays labelled "XGPON [FUTURE]"? Is BT/Openreach preparing for multi-gigabit and/or 10Gb/s?

Jump to to 49:16 in the video for their "answer"

The impression that you get is that Openreach are installing a lot of excess fibre capacity, for example with 432 core ‘ribbon’ cable, certainly way more than is needed to deliver standard FTTP over GPON with 32 way splits.

They’ve hinted in the video that the fibre from the headend exchange to the ag node is multi service - that is it’s carrying FTTP but presumably also stuff like EAD. At the ag node FTTP carries on along the spine to the various splitter nodes.

If however Openreach over-provision the fibre running from the ag node to the FTTP splitter node that leaves them capacity (and options) to provide perhaps individual (say small business subs) the capability to have access to their “own” dedicated PON. It’s still stock GPON but rather than having up to 32 connections sharing - there is only one or perhaps two subs on the PON. Voila with QoS in place they could then offer up a ‘uncontended’ and potentially symmetric Ethernet service. Let’s call it Wholesale Ethernet FTTP 😉

I was a little confused at that point in the video as I always thought EAD had its own infrastructure and didn't come via an aggregation node that also served FTTP. Has my understand been wrong all along or are things changing.

Edited by deleted (Tue 08-Jun-21 21:49:12)

EAD does have its own infrastructure, but I'd be amazed if Openreach weren't planning on having the EAD-LA product use the fibre they're building out that already goes back to an exchange.

In reply to a post by jpm:

EAD does have its own infrastructure, but I'd be amazed if Openreach weren't planning on having the EAD-LA product use the fibre they're building out that already goes back to an exchange.

Thanks for clarifying

One thing I've just remembered is that RO2 exists, where fibres go to totally different exchanges over diverse routes, so the fact that EAD has a separate network is a valuable feature in a lot of instances.

To be fair that’s a high end enterprise product, I’d fully expect that to always have dedicated tails.

The Ethernet FTTP product definitely wouldn’t have the resilience of secure or secure plus, but pitched to small / medium business that doesn’t need (or afford) the bells and whistles of the “full” EAD product suite.

Price wise should sit between the top tiers of FTTP and EAD. If the customer had FTTP passing there should be no ECCs and they’ve already said they could deploy in 5 days if there is an existing ONT.

Strategically this gives them the capability to offer a symmetric, uncontended gigabit class service without moving to XGS-PON (which they appear to have kicked into the long grass for now anyway…). So if there is an decent supply of unused regular GPON ports at the OLT, add in a dedicated Cablelink, and plenty of fibre in the field, they can achieve the same net result, (actually better) for the relatively small number of customer that want a high bandwidth (Ethernet) service.

Edited by Pheasant (Wed 09-Jun-21 06:58:36)

I found this interesting. I always thought what I call Leased Lines went to the local exchange, regardless of where the handover exchange is. They always did anyway. Something like a 10Gb circuit goes to the nearest exchange, where it then goes on to a spare fibre back to wherever it needs to go. Often where the Metronode is for things like 5G masts. I’ve seen this process relatively recently. Though I may have some of the terminology wrong, that’s the basics of it.

Though I had heard that they wanted to use the new FTTP infrastructure for leased lines too. Maybe this is now happening.

Historically that is my understanding. Where the OR point of presence is the local exchange, that is where OR leased line circuits will terminate, served out the exchange by various nodes. When ordering OR tails they will get connected at the nearest node or mini node. That’s certainly how my London based LL is provisioned. Different of course for the high availability EAD etc services that require diverse paths to different POPs.

Of course FTTP doesn’t necessarily run from the local exchange but from the nearest GEA Headend or handover exchange (which will doubtless serve the same geography as several smaller local exchanges).

As more and more native FTTP gets built out by OR, I guess it makes increasing commercial sense for them to leverage this huge extra fibre capacity build out for there other services, perhaps dark fibre running to the Ag node (or beyond) and some actually piggy backing FTTP like BT’s Wholesale Ethernet FTTP product. The video is the first time I have seen them mention publicly (although intended for their CP customers not Joe Public) that Ag nodes are “multi-service”, perhaps they have always been so…or at least intended.

I suppose if it makes no difference to the customer then the leased line could go to the handover exchange, via the FTTP aggregation node.

But if a customer requested fibre to a specific exchange (maybe they’ve got a rack inside the exchange) then it’ll have to go there. As I say my knowledge is somewhat limited, though I have seen the order process and notes from Openreach engineers to see how they’re physically building a 10Gb circuit through to a Metronode.

Edited by _Icaras_ (Sun 13-Jun-21 09:25:56)

Worth bearing in mind that ultimately, in the wake of PSTN retirement and the retirement of copper, BT Group will look to complete their exchange consolidation / closure program. Ultimately down to their core network and the handover exchanges.

Yes, have seen the list of what’s closing. The leased line circuits will just be jointed through outside the closing exchange through to the handover exchange I would have thought.

Watched the video on Sunday and was particularly interested in the pole installation as my village has overhead cables and exchange only lines. Blow me yesterday Open reach appeared in the village and have installed exactly the same kit.

Still mustn't get excited as no doubt it will be another year before it gets connected up.

In reply to a post by agkq62:

Blow me yesterday Open reach appeared in the village and have installed exactly the same kit.

Still mustn't get excited as no doubt it will be another year before it gets connected up.

Excellent news, I'll keep my fingers crossed they get it done in good time for you

CityFibre just upload a new video

Digital Dig Walk https://youtu.be/OsxGQso1bbM