Rollout backtracked: "We’ve reviewed our build plans"

Hi.

Just got an email from Openreach backtracking from putting fibre into my mother's village in Devon:

We’re getting in touch to update you on our Ultrafast Full Fibre build. We’ve reviewed our build plans, and currently we can’t deliver Full Fibre to [road].

There are lots of reasons for why our plans change - from engineering hazards to access permits. We review our build plans regularly as circumstances change. We hope this is just a temporary setback and that we can bring [road] back into our Full Fibre build plans in the future.

We'll keep you updated and let you know immediately if anything changes.

There are still works due to start in a few weeks which were FTTP-related, but this is obviously gutting news. When this has happened to others in the past, has this been a short delay or is it curtains for now?

Thanks

Will

In reply to a post by deiwise:

Hi.

Just got an email from Openreach backtracking from putting fibre into my mother's village in Devon:

We’re getting in touch to update you on our Ultrafast Full Fibre build. We’ve reviewed our build plans, and currently we can’t deliver Full Fibre to [road].

There are lots of reasons for why our plans change - from engineering hazards to access permits. We review our build plans regularly as circumstances change. We hope this is just a temporary setback and that we can bring [road] back into our Full Fibre build plans in the future.

We'll keep you updated and let you know immediately if anything changes.

There are still works due to start in a few weeks which were FTTP-related, but this is obviously gutting news. When this has happened to others in the past, has this been a short delay or is it curtains for now?

Thanks

Will

I had the same, Openreach recently emailed me to say that they were rolling out FTTP in my area and that I was in the build plans then the next day emailed to say that I was no longer in the build plans.

The day they emailed first it said "build planned between now and Dec-2026" when I checked my address but it now says "Not yet available" when I check my address here.

I'm hoping it's a glitch or something on Openreach's end as every postcode in my town says "Not yet available" with no future date mentioned but Openreach also say they're "building in my exchange" on this page and I've seen a lot of Openreach work at the exchange recently. I also have a phone pole in my garden and Openreach checked it last year to make sure it was still in good condition and they mentioned FTTP at the same time so I figured we'd be getting it soon.

If we've both have been removed from their plans I'll be gutted with you, I've been wanting FTTP for ages!

It’s deeply frustrating when this happens. I’m in the same position. Will be surrounded by FTTP but my road will not be done. No chance of an AltNet for such a small fill-in (14 homes) so will probably need a BDUK contract - as happened for a larger area to receive FTTC.

The road was built in 199 and is fully ducted with no blockages. It’s the access route that I suspect is the problem. The surrounding area appears to be fed from a different direction. That being said the nearby industrial area would benefit as well, but Openreach just aren’t interested in investing here now.

It's strange that it's not just one road, isn't it? I checked 4 or 5 postcodes in the immediate area and they're all the same now: "not yet available". But the work is still scheduled for April...

I'll update here when I hear anything.

That is rubbish, i wonder if it is more to do with Open reach realising that there are not enough people in the village to make it viable.

Surely the feasibility studies were agreed a long time ago...the village is small, but it's not a hamlet. Two pubs, every house is lived in, must be 500+ people there. Who knows.

In reply to a post by MercuryRH2:

It’s deeply frustrating when this happens. I’m in the same position. Will be surrounded by FTTP but my road will not be done. No chance of an AltNet for such a small fill-in (14 homes) so will probably need a BDUK contract - as happened for a larger area to receive FTTC.

The road was built in 199 and is fully ducted with no blockages. It’s the access route that I suspect is the problem. The surrounding area appears to be fed from a different direction.

I am presuming it's not actually a Roman settlement...

I'll just note that the topology of the FTTP network does not always follow the topology of the copper network. In my case, copper spans out from the local exchange due roughly South, whilst FTTP is fed from a fibre aggregation node to the West.

I know this because my FTTP was installed as FTTPoD, and I saw the route plans held by one of the engineers - and the various duct repairs which took place along the FTTP route.

Sometimes it just comes down to unexpected over costs, even doing some duct clearing can be extremely expensive once you add the civils, permits and TM costs. A project will have a cost limit and when they get to that limit they pull the project. Its not to say they won't be back at some point to complete it. I am assuming from your post it was a commercial rollout and not BDUK.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

I am presuming it's not actually a Roman settlement...

The copper may be antique, but not that antique. I meant 1999.

And yes the FTTP routes appear to come in from the opposite side of the surrounding estates. FTTC cabinet is about 250m away. If the FTTP route was followed then they’d be looking at about 300m of new fibre for the Close. Given there will be about 100 commercial premises then there might be a justification, but Openreach aren’t looking at that for now I suppose.

Same thing here in Honiton, Devon. Before Christmas the checker was showing between now and December 2022. Then in January the checker was showing between now and March 2023. Then got the same email "We’ve reviewed our build plans" now the checker now just shows not yet available.