Openreach won't touch our blocked duct

We're trying to get fibre installed at our industrial unit but hitting a brick wall, or rather a concrete floor. Openreach aren't even sure where the existing ducting runs from the maintenance cover outside, but it appears to surface in the warehouse where the copper line comes straight up from the floor.

After weeks of back and forth, they have said we'll have to excavate it ourselves before they will run fibre in. Obviously I'm nervous about doing this since any mistakes could take out our broadband and incur costs from OR. The ISP are unable to help or advise, apparently this doesn't normally happen.

What would you do in this situation?

Is the maintenance cover on your property?

>>ISP are unable to help or advise

Down to the ISP to manage the installation with Openreach. Blockages are not a new thing. Try a different ISP.

I wouldn't think that a duct that runs underneath your warehouse floor is Openreach's problem to dig up. Though I would expect them to CAT scan it and mark where the blockage is.

Need to try and find out if the existing copper lead in cable under the floor is direct in the ground or in a duct that is currently just below the finished floor level and has been screeded over to protect against gas and water ingression. I can't believe its direct in ground but nothing surprises me these days. if its ducted then I would take a cautious approach and try to reveal it myself.

Edited by deleted (Thu 24-Mar-22 17:41:31)

If the duct is blocked below the floor of your building , that is your responsibility, if OR agreed to excavate your floor , you would expect them to reinstate it to your satisfaction, plus with the possibility of damage to the fabric of the building or damage to other services , means that OR won’t entertain doing that.
If the blockage was in the duct between the joint box ( the box probably being in the public foot way ) and the outer wall of the building , OR could consider excavation ( with the appropriate permissions ) to intercept the existing duct , and remove the blockage , or bring a new duct connected to it up against the outside wall and use that to install the new cable.
If OR have rodded the existing duct from outside and the distance the rods went in , indicates the duct blocked under the building ( probably where the duct appears internally ) , then you may be asked to pay more , as it’s your ‘fault’ the existing OR property ( duct ) is unserviceable, after all it was probably something the building owner or tenant did that blocked the duct in the first place, by ( for example ) laying a concrete floor covering , and allowing that to flow into the duct and block it

Edited by Iniltous (Thu 24-Mar-22 18:05:59)

Until the OP exposes the duct internally it can't be 100% determined if any blockages can be cleared by simply rodding the duct which would be the logically first step.

In reply to a post by UKNetizen:

What would you do in this situation?

If you don't have the skills or tools in-house I would suggest you get a specialist comms contractor to assist.

Is this for FTTP or a leased line?
Would it not be easier to bypass the issue and get a new duct to somewhere more accessible? This would likely incur excess charges but if its a leased line that may be of little concern.

If that was my problem, I would ask openreach to supply new ducts, plus Draw rope and I would get the local JCB driver to dig the trench and Install them,
That what I did when I built my own house (But I installed the ducts.)

What about an an 'Aerial Drop wire (fibre) ' ??? is that possible.