Contradicting info from Openreach re: "Direct in the Ground"

I live in a rural property in west Scotland (postcode KA18 2RR) which currently gets terrible broadband of 1Mbps.

About 5 months ago we were delighted to be visited by an Openreach subcontractor who was surveying the area for the installation of FTTP.

The surveyor said he would be arranging for installing the fibre underground rather than using telephone poles, so as not to spoil the views in the area. (Personally I couldn't care less if they put poles up if it means we get decent broadband!)

The road through this area is apparently privately owned, so Openreach contacted the farmer/owner who I know has given them permission (a few months ago) to dig up the road etc. but since then we have not had any updates.

I checked the BIDB.uk website and can't see any planned roadworks in the area.

Last week I contacted Openreach with a quick enquiry about progress and I received a reply saying the following:

I’ve looked into your query and can see that the cabinet that you’re connected to has been upgraded for fibre broadband. But you can’t get the Fibre to the Cabinet(FTTC) service due to how far you are from the cabinet.

The fibre speed is dependent on cable size, materials used and how far away the cabinet is from your home. We’re really sorry, you won’t get fibre speeds on your line.

Further I would like to inform you that the current Copper Network that serves your premises is Direct in the Ground and at present we have no way of providing the Fibre to the Premises(FTTP) network to your property.

We are investigating ways to provide the infrastructure to these types of premises but at this time we are unable to offer any timescales but we can keep you up to date when things change.

I'm hoping this is just a mistake and the FTTP installation is still planned to go ahead.

Checking the Superfast Scotland website I see the following:

Based on the current engineering schedule your address is in scope to receive its superfast connection by the end of September 2022.

Is there any way I can check and see what's actually going on?

Thanks

Edited by zeppelin7 (Tue 02-Aug-22 15:15:58)

They are with me today in a KA18 location, they are mixing moleing a 63mm duct into verges plus direct digging a trench and inserting 50mm tube down my track all with a pull cord. My target date is Jun 2022 but the roadworks only got notified on Scottish Roads website 2 weeks ago and BIDB 2 days later. There is nowhere other than the roadworks site to see what's going on. I might get connected by Oct/Nov based on the fibre and CBT's not being started so guess you are Dec Jan. We are Mushrooms. They seem to be working out from both Cumnock and Drongan with inbetween being the last to do.

PS there is a EE 5G enabled mast just North of Drongan over the other side of the A70 which may be a short term alternative. I can't get a signal from it but you are much closer.

Edited by kommando (Tue 02-Aug-22 15:39:17)

I'm hoping this is just a mistake and the FTTP installation is still planned to go ahead.

Openreach surveying the area doesn't mean you were ever planned to receive FTTP.
The survey is there to decide which properties will and which won't get FTTP.

The surveyor has no idea which properties will receive FTTP. They simply survey the area and some bean counter makes that decision later on.

Your postcode looks like it is in Lot2 of the R100 programme.
Lot1 and Lot3 will be exclusively FTTP. Lot2 will be a mix of FTTP and FTTC although the vast majority will be FTTP.
So even though you may get a Superfast connection from Openreach but it won't necessarily be FTTP.

What makes you think that the DIG (direct in ground) info for your property is contradictory?
Do you know for certain that your Openreach line is fully ducted?

Edited by j0hn83 (Tue 02-Aug-22 16:08:08)

Openreach are doing the R100 build, but some time ago dropped all the R100 properties and their planned R100 dates out of their website and reverted to data from the local exchange upgrade dates. So I get the same, OR website says no, R100 website says yes by X date and the actual date is some months later.

In reply to a post by kommando:

They are with me today in a KA18 location, they are mixing moleing a 63mm duct into verges plus direct digging a trench and inserting 50mm tube down my track all with a pull cord. My target date is Jun 2022 but the roadworks only got notified on Scottish Roads website 2 weeks ago and BIDB 2 days later. There is nowhere other than the roadworks site to see what's going on. I might get connected by Oct/Nov based on the fibre and CBT's not being started so guess you are Dec Jan. We are Mushrooms. They seem to be working out from both Cumnock and Drongan with inbetween being the last to do.

PS there is a EE 5G enabled mast just North of Drongan over the other side of the A70 which may be a short term alternative. I can't get a signal from it but you are much closer.

Thanks for the reply. Really nice to hear from someone local on here. I am indeed right between Drongan and Cumnock (near Bardarroch) so it sounds like we could be the last to get done.

I'm using an EE SIM at the moment with a 4G (Teltonika) router and an external antenna but it's pretty dire. Top speed usually maxes out at ~30Mb but typically much lower even though my bog standard iPhone gets 120+Mb from the same spot.

Support has suggested I should configure my router to only connect to certain bands/masts but honestly I'm not sure how to identify which ones I should be choosing.

Do you know much about mobile networking and if so, do you mind if I PM you to pick your brains, please?

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

What makes you think that the DIG (direct in ground) info for your property is contradictory?

It's not that; it's the fact that Openreach are telling me one thing while the R100 website tells me another.

Do DIG properties just usually not receive new superfast connections at all?

Yes PM me for help on 4G as I get 65mbs from EE pointing at Auchinleck mast and you should be much better.

R100 builds in KA18 are all fibre so full fat connection. They were to be FTTC but luckily they went to FTTP.

In reply to a post by zeppelin7:

Do DIG properties just usually not receive new superfast connections at all?

FTTP rollouts have limited budgets and DIG properties are usually more expensive to rollout to.
Some rollouts will have enough funds to cover DIG properties while other rollouts won't.
A street/property being DIG is 1 of the main reasons for being skipped.

Openreach will either return at a later date to cover the skipped DIG properties with leftover funds or they will wait for a subsidy/public funds to pay for covering said properties.

Just a FYI... Superfast is 30Mb+ and Ultrafast is 300Mb/s+.
If you are marked as going to receive a Superfast connection in the future then there's a small chance this will only be FTTC.
If you are marked as going to receive Ultrafast then it should be FTTP.
Though the Superfast Scotland website tends to always state "Superfast" rather than "Ultrafast" so don't worry too much about that.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Ultrafast is 300Mb/s+.

That doesn't sound right to me

Linky

It depends who's definition you take.

OFCOM seem to define Ultrafast as 300Mb/s+ Here and here
Openreach define Ultrafast as 300Mb/s+ (they don't count G.Fast below 300Mb/s as Ultrafast)

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

It depends who's definition you take.

OFCOM seem to define Ultrafast as 300Mb/s+ Here and here
Openreach define Ultrafast as 300Mb/s+ (they don't count G.Fast below 300Mb/s as Ultrafast)

OK thanks, must be honest I've always assumed 100Mbps+ was the threshold but its all really sales speak at the end of the day