Identifying New Pole Boxes

Hi folks. FTTP is currently being installed in my area, and they've gone round and fitted the CBTs on all the poles. However I've noticed that there is one small area (a group of 4 adjacent streets) that haven't had CBTs fitted, but instead have these black boxes with what appears to be a door on the front. Can anyone shed any light on what these might be, as I've never seen them before. Photo here: https://imgur.com/a/BX03Fpd. Thanks.

That is an Altnet CBT to my mind. Seen similar round here, Toob, or Trooli maybe

Have you checked your area in bidb.uk ? May give some clues who's working around there.

Although work that is just pulling cable through existing ducts onto poles won't always show up there as there won't be a permit for it. Lit Fibre are doing a lot of work around here and they had permits for duct clearing (presumably as a contingency in case they had to dig), but once it was proven clear the actual work took place without any associated street works entries.

In reply to a post by derby13:

Hi folks. FTTP is currently being installed in my area, and they've gone round and fitted the CBTs on all the poles. However I've noticed that there is one small area (a group of 4 adjacent streets) that haven't had CBTs fitted, but instead have these black boxes with what appears to be a door on the front. Can anyone shed any light on what these might be, as I've never seen them before. Photo here: https://imgur.com/a/BX03Fpd. Thanks.

Exposed 'teet' connector type CBTs are typically (almost always) Openreach. Flat fronted/with hinged door type distribution boxes will be an Altnet

Lit Fibre are using CBTs that look very similar to the Openreach ones, perhaps slightly smaller. Fairly sure I've seen a 4 port one that is arranged as a single column.

Netomnia using a similar style CBT to Openreach too.

Look lower down on the pole for a yellow marker with "Caution Overhead Fibre" printed on it. Dead giveaway.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Have you checked your area in bidb.uk ? May give some clues who's working around there.

Looks like it's FullFibre Ltd. Odd that they're putting their CBTs up at the same time as the OR ones, and how come the poles only have one or the other, rather than both?

In reply to a post by AndyPandy:

Look lower down on the pole for a yellow marker with "Caution Overhead Fibre" printed on it. Dead giveaway.

No sign on there yet, though it's only just been fitted so probably hasn't had any fibres blown in yet. But it's clearly fibre related as it has the yellow striped duct on there.

Yes normal modus operandi for both Openreach and one of one hundred or so <insert name>AltNet building around the country. Feel free to call 'bingo' if you get Openbreach and two or more AltNets overbuilding in your patch 😂

For commercial logic, see @XGS_Is_On post from earlier today in neighbouring thread here.

I'll call Bingo.

I have Openreach FTTP.
Trooli are currently building at the top of my road. Lightning Fibre is building 3 roads away and Cityfibre say they will be overbuilding my area as well.

Not quite a bingo, but we've had CityFibre steadily building from west to east here in Reading and Openreach apparently running around playing catch-up, although for some reason Openreach have left out our street. In East Reading Grain Connect have also been building so 3 choices are likely there before long (and all areas have Virgin Media HFC broadband available too). Here's a typical pole in our area with plenty of paraphernalia.

Edited by Stargazer99 (Thu 20-Oct-22 09:35:19)