new fibre install out in the countryside

Morning all, we have an engineer visit scheduled for tomorrow.
My current understanding is this is for an FTTP survey. But an email just received says :
"What's on your engineer's to-do list?
Your engineer will:
• upgrade your master phone socket
• set up your broadband
• connect a device of your choice
• show off your incredible new broadband speed
"

To me that sounds more like the final visit. Anyone able to comment specifically on this email message?

Thanks.

It's a stock E-mail, so don't draw too much from the content.

Can you explain why you have been given to understand it's only a survey? That may shed some light on the process. What does the BT wholesale checker show for your property?

Sometimes installations are done as 2-stage (external and internal separately), sometimes a 1-stage. Even with a 2-stage, it's possible that the engineer will do the internal installation first, leaving the remainder to an external engineer to do later - although obviously they won't be able to "show off your incredible new broadband speed" in that case.

And in some cases, a survey is indeed done first.

• upgrade your master phone socket

doesn't sound like something that happens with FTTP - FTTP doesn't use your existing phone line, so the master socket has nothing to do with it.

Cheers candlerb.

The back story is long and boring.
It's sort of a second home, during lockdown the occupants moved to the city, needed to be near hospitals and doctors etc.
A few weeks ago I went down and discovered a BT underground chamber had been installed at the end of the driveway. Seemingly it was installed around new year. Fine. Checking online I found it gave FTTP - which was ecstatic given the ADSL service had only ever been about 2 Mbps and that disappeared when the phone line went down, which was very frequent.

Here's the checker this morning : https://ibb.co/xS7Kccv

So I reported the news to the owner and recommended getting the FTTP connected up.
Because the owner is still living away all discussions revolve heavily around trying to impress on BT that access arrangements need to be made well in advance and stuck to. This has led to many fraught hours.
After the order was placed, various emails received from BT. The first one I thought was very confusing - it talks about "our full fibre customers" (which is FTTP) - but then the order says Fibre 2 which I understood to be FTTC. Cue more phone calls.

Anyway there is an engineer visit scheduled for tomorrow which from everything that's been said led me to believe it will be "the survey" prior to any fibre installation. All good. Except the engineer arrived yesterday, got lost about 3 miles away, phoned for directions and got an earful about showing up when there was nobody on the premises to discuss anything with.
However tomorrow's visit is supposedly still on, although I got a bit worried seeing the contents of this morning's email which led me to my post above.

At the moment, if it's a "survey" tomorrow leading to a discussion and agreement about the route of laying any fibre, that's great. Anything else will cause more high blood pressure. There are serious concerns that trenching could just happen when there's nobody about to say 'don't go there'.

Thanks sheephouse.
Very much to the point.
The first email from BT after the order was placed was confusing. It said :"
Your package
Broadband
Fibre 2

Your contract is for: 24 months

Your contract starts on: 21 Jul 2021
How fast will it be?


Your estimated download speed 74


Your estimated upload speed 20


Your Stay Fast Guarantee
Your Stay Fast download speed is: 34Mbps

That's the minimum speed you can expect from your broadband. In fact, we guarantee it. So if it's slower than that, let us know and we'll sort it out. Find out more about your Stay Fast Guarantee.
How much can I use?
Because your broadband's unlimited, you can use the internet as much as you want - we won't charge you extra.
"


I read that as being FTTC. This is where much worry on my part has started - I feel responsible having recommended to order the new service, but FTTC would be a disaster coming over such a flaky copper line.

That's FTTC Gfast Not FTTP !.

No mention of FTTC or G.fast on the availability result, just Adsl and WBC FTTP. Looks OK to me
Fibre 2 can be FTTP where FTTC isn't not available

Edited by witchunt (Tue 20-Jul-21 10:12:31)

Nope it’s definitely native FTTP available there.

Read the footnotes again….

“Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Pre built to curtilage Hard
FTTP is available and a new ONT may be ordered”

The BT products named "Fibre Essentials, "Fibre 1" and "Fibre 2" can be provided over either FTTC or FTTP - at BT's choice. However in your case, FTTC isn't available, so you're safe that it's FTTP.

(FWIW, the rule seems to be: when the property has both FTTC and FTTP, "Fibre 1" and "Fibre 2" are always provided over FTTP. "Fibre Essentials" is provided as FTTC, unless the expected speed falls below some (unspecified) threshold, in which case they use FTTP)

"KCI2 assure" in the checker does generally mean that a survey is required before the order can be accepted. Hence if there's no existing duct to the property, this is what I expect you'll be agreeing to. However it's not entirely impossible that they'll turn up with a van and be ready to lay the fibre on the same day.

I assume the property owner has authorized you to agree a route, and given you specific instructions on what's acceptable?

Quite strange that the contract start date is tomorrow, I ordered FTTP on 14th July - my order is due to start on 28th July and the survey (first stage) is due to happen this week sometime.

It could just be errors on the order.