Openreach Changes & Project Gigabit Project Eligibility

My local exchange has always been on the Openreach in the future list. My postcode is on the White list for inclusion in Project Gigabit and our contract is due to be signed any day (March actually but delays.......)

Following a news story yesterday I checked the Openreach Full Fibre Build Plan and our exchange status has changed from future build to build soon with availability within 12 months. At the same time the adjacent exchange has gone the other way and is now a future build having previously been build within 12 months.

With the apparant volatility of Openreach plans and inclusion in Project Gigabit being reliant on no commercial plans within 3 years I am left wondering what we are going to get, who we are going to get it from and worst of all might we fall through the cracks and not get it all.

I've been keeping an eye on the Openreach build plan map given that two or three altnets are active or actively building in this area. First we were an area with the "by 2026" label. Then we were, for a while, an orange area (soon with availability in 12 months). I had assumed the altnets building around here lit a fire up their behinds but roughly two weeks ago at a guess we have since reverted to the dark grey "in the future".

I'm going to guess that it's impossible to say what we will end up with here until all builds are complete. Build plans change all the time and I've given up placing hopes on them from any provider. Even the roadworks map and the data on bidb.uk can change up to the day that works are supposed to start - and they have done around here many times from Openreach and altnets alike.

Watching and hoping for fibre roll outs is an exercise in frustration, that's for sure.

My concern is that Openreach having classed the exchange as within 12 months might take us out of the Project Gigabit area as contracts are awarded but Openreach might then decide not to bother.

I don't see any value in keep moving exchanges between classifications. It would be better if they kept quiet until they were actually starting to do something.

Even that isn't an answer for us. Whilst the exchange is now listed as within 12 months we live in one of the satellite villages and have no idea whether we are included or not.

As Senn says it is all so frustrating.

In reply to a post by chris52:

My local exchange has always been on the Openreach in the future list. My postcode is on the White list for inclusion in Project Gigabit and our contract is due to be signed any day (March actually but delays.......)

Following a news story yesterday I checked the Openreach Full Fibre Build Plan and our exchange status has changed from future build to build soon with availability within 12 months. At the same time the adjacent exchange has gone the other way and is now a future build having previously been build within 12 months.

With the apparant volatility of Openreach plans and inclusion in Project Gigabit being reliant on no commercial plans within 3 years I am left wondering what we are going to get, who we are going to get it from and worst of all might we fall through the cracks and not get it all.

Do you have a link to the build plan checker?

https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/where-when...

I suppose, thinking out loud, that if the market you wish to be part of is full of other competitors desperate to woo the same customers, then publicising your roll out plans for all to see might be a little foolhardy.

Also frustrating is that although your exchange may be in scope, your street may not be. That is exactly what I’ve been seeing for several months. Openreach are building to serve our exchange area, but now exclude a number of streets that had previously been included, sadly one of those being mine.

In reply to a post by MercuryRH2:

Also frustrating is that although your exchange may be in scope, your street may not be. That is exactly what I’ve been seeing for several months. Openreach are building to serve our exchange area, but now exclude a number of streets that had previously been included, sadly one of those being mine.

I know that they have included my exchange but how do you find out which streets / villages?

In reply to a post by chris52:

My concern is that Openreach having classed the exchange as within 12 months might take us out of the Project Gigabit area as contracts are awarded but Openreach might then decide not to bother.

Project Gigabit doesn't care about the exchange status. If you're not being covered by Openreach's plans you remain the same status.