Will Openreach FTTP ever arrive on a small estate.

Hi,

I am hoping that someone (Mr Saffron?) can give me some insight on how and when Openreach decide to "fill in" gaps in FTTP coverage.

I live on a small close of about 35 houses (BB3 2HR) we got FTTC several years ago, but the speed is now a bit lacking for current use, 4 person household HDTV etc.

Last year a new housing estate was built nearby and Openreach installed FTTP to it and the fibre runs past the end of our close on its route to the new estate. I saw it being installed and spoke to one of the Openreach engineers. He confirmed it was fibre to the new estate but said there were no plans to install it on our close.

Our phone line and FTTC is supplied from PCP cabinet 24, which is just over a kilometre away. I believe it comes to us via an SCP about 200 metres away. Do Openreach ever install FTTC cabinets at SCP (the new fibre runs in ducting past the SCP)? If so that would give houses on it a considerably faster connection and free up slots on the PCP.

The close had Virgin fibre installed recently, but was previously a Virgin customer and I really don't want to repeat that experience! In fact if Virgen were the last ISP on earth I think I would prefer 2 bean tins and a piece of string!

Thanks

Mike

In reply to a post by MikeAK:

Do Openreach ever install FTTC cabinets at SCP (the new fibre runs in ducting past the SCP)? If so that would give houses on it a considerably faster connection and free up slots on the PCP.

Not really.
BDUK funds have been used to convert SCP's to PCP's in the past, then installing an FTTC "infill cabinet".
It's extremely expensive as it usually requires significant network rearrangement which is why it was usually only done with public funds. It's not something that's commercially viable.

I would be utterly astounded if they did this on your SCP going forward. FTTP is almost certainly going to be the next upgrade that you see.

If your property was built in the last 25-30 years and is fully ducted then Openreach have a programme called RNS (retro new sites) where they cherry pick cheap, easy to deploy, fully ducted developments to install FTTP to.
There are even some properties built in the 1980's that get covered under the RNS programme.

Keep an eye on the fibre checker on the Openreach.com website. It will usually be the 1st place to indicate a rollout is coming.
Also watch for your exchange being announced in the rollout plan. When an exchange is announced and work begins they try cover every property.

Edited by j0hn83 (Wed 26-Jan-22 12:40:55)

doubt there will be any FTTC deployed under now any programme
certainly i would expect there to be no futrher copper rearrangement
for a 25 premise development highly unlikley to ever be covered under the Retro new site programme (way too small) for that programme

only way is to look at a community scheme with an infrastructure provider already close

It's worth submitting the contact formwith reason "I cannot get fibre but my neighbours can".

You *might* find that Openreach suddenly realise there's a dead-spot here and fill it in. It's been known to happen before.

looking on google map it looks like the estate is underground fed completely probably via ducts so you might be lucky and OR realise and fit fttp.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

It's worth submitting the contact formwith reason "I cannot get fibre but my neighbours can".

You *might* find that Openreach suddenly realise there's a dead-spot here and fill it in. It's been known to happen before.

This is pretty much exactly what happened with mine. We live on a small, fairly new estate built in 2013, but have new build estates that went up around us in 2018 and 2020 (which both had FTTP installed). I contacted Openreach last year (October) to query if there were plans, and was told we would get FTTP in 6 months. I have recently placed an order with my ISP due for installation in Feb, after very swift engineering work on our street throughout November 2021 to January 2022!

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

for a 25 premise development highly unlikley to ever be covered under the Retro new site programme (way too small) for that programme

The OP actually said 35 premises does that make a difference or is it still too small?

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

doubt there will be any FTTC deployed under now any programme

There's still the odd rare commercial FTTC cabinet being deployed. Even the odd G.Fast pod.
They are very few and far between though.

The Scottish R100 programme is also using some FTTC in Lot 2 to cover up to 1,400 properties.
Hopefully that gets revised like they did in Lot 1 and it ends up being 100% FTTP.

certainly i would expect there to be no futrher copper rearrangement

I agree with this. Extremely unlikely there will be any copper rearrangements or infill cabinets.

for a 25 premise development highly unlikley to ever be covered under the Retro new site programme (way too small) for that programme

I haven't personally seen any RNS work on such a small scale but it is the perfect size for a splitter node. I can't see any reason why not.
There's quite a few small developments near me with around 50-60 homes that have been covered under RNS.

Edited by j0hn83 (Thu 27-Jan-22 10:10:27)

Post deleted by MercuryRH2

Hi, thanks for the replies. Looks like the only hope is we get included in an RNS update. I'll fill in the the contact form linked by "candlerb".

The estate was built in the late 60s/early 70s. These are dotted around the close

Manhole pictures

Don't know if they imply ducting installed? Probably full of silt/soil by now anyway.

Thanks

Mike

Just thought I'd give an update on this. Got an email from Openreach which says "Build planned between now and Dec-2026"

Also the Openreach fibre checker website confirms.

So assuming no delays and no changes to company/government policy we should have it in 2 1/2 years time! But at least there's light at the end of the tunnel.

I wish the various companies would share ducts. The close has been ducted by Virgin and the BT fibre ducting at the end of the close passes within 1.5m of the Virgin cabinet/ducts.

Mike

Various companies DO share ducts, Google PIA

Virgin do not share ducts with Openreach as far as I’m aware

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Virgin do not share ducts with Openreach as far as I’m aware

I know the older Virgin Media areas (formerly, NTL/Telewest etc) don't share, but I wasn't sure about Project Lightning or the newer joint venture nexfibre areas
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2023/06/virgin...

Virgin do use Openreach PIA in new areas and have done for a while. Not the other way around of course.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Virgin do use Openreach PIA in new areas and have done for a while. Not the other way around of course.

I thought they did for the FTTP deployments (RFoG & native) as a lot of them have been in relatively new builds so the OR ducts are likely in good condition.