I love Openreach

Not really. Their left hand clearly has no idea what the right is doing.

At the end of last month I saw half a dozen OR vans down my road. I saw them running fibre. Wondering if my luck might be changing (my exchange area is 'build complete', half my estate was FTTP enabled a couple of years ago) I filled out the 'my neighbours can get but I can't' form at OR asking for an update.

By complete coincidence - I assume - the OR vans were back no sooner than I'd emailed. Then a couple of hours later a phone call from OR.

And guess what? There are no plans to build FTTP in my area. But they'd email me details of how to get R100 funding from the Scottish Government.

So I can literally see Openreach running more fibre and fiddling about with distribution points in pavement chambers while being told 'no plans'. And to add insult, the suggestion I should ask the government for money to pay OR. Never mind the fact R100 isn't available to urban areas where fibre (FTTC) already exists.

It's all enough to make me think I should order Virgin....*

*Never gonna happen!

A few months back I started a thread asking if anyone could explain an apparent discrepancy between 2 different OR website pages concerning full fibre build in my area. One promised "by end 2026", the other said "no major plans". An interesting discussion followed, but the question was never fully resolved.

On checking back just now, the glimmer of hope that was briefly offered has now gone - the page that was promising "by end 2026" now just says "not yet available". The other page still says "no major plans".

So in my case OR have got more consistent, but sadly not in the way I would wish.

I'm sorry to hear that, because that sounds not good

In reply to a post by Woolwich:

So I can literally see Openreach running more fibre and fiddling about with distribution points in pavement chambers while being told 'no plans'.

Have they been working in the pavement chamber outside your house? Did you see them install an FTTP manifold?

You could just find that in a few months magically you have FTTP available. Or not. (They could for example be installing spine cabling, or even a leased line).

As I've said before: the rule is "it ain't available until it's available". That's regardless of what the provider may say about intentions to deliver, positive or negative.

In reply to a post by Thaumaturge:

On checking back just now, the glimmer of hope that was briefly offered has now gone - the page that was promising "by end 2026" now just says "not yet available". The other page still says "no major plans".

I always thought the 2026 date meant you'd get FTTP by then because by that time they'd have done 85% of the UK. Meanwhile I think "not yet available" is the answer to everywhere FTTP is not yet available. Even areas like mine where the build is complete.

That has changed, in 2021 my street was "starting to build". Other streets were connected but not mine and the checker went back to "no plans". So now everywhere is just "not yet available", no hints or teases.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

Have they been working in the pavement chamber outside your house? Did you see them install an FTTP manifold?

Yes. They are working in chambers and as far as I can see manifolds are going in. Were here yesterday and the day before.

What I haven't seen is a manifold installed in 'my' chamber nor cable run down my section of the estate. Maybe I'm not obsessive enough and I missed them. But honestly, the way the are has been cabled up (this will be the third phase of construction by OR over ~ 4 years for a new estate of ~300 homes) I wouldn't be surprised if the houses on my section of the street were missed again.

Virgin took a week to do the whole estate via PIA.

As I've said before: the rule is "it ain't available until it's available". That's regardless of what the provider may say about intentions to deliver, positive or negative.

Yes, very true and I know really! Perhaps OR should say nothing. I was frustrated by being given clearly wrong information. It must be bad enough working in a call centre but not to have accurate up-to-date information can't help.

Had something very similar happen to me.
To cut a very long story short, the 'new' BDUK liason officer and OR area managers all said FTTP was not being rolled out here, it wasn't until I sent a photo of the installation that the BDUK liason officer finally believed me, but he still denied it was anything to do with BDUK, I was intregued as to why OR would have done it unfunded, so contacted the 'old' BDUK liason officer who came back with the info that it was BDUK funded but was puzzled as to why OR seemed not to know it was happening.

In reply to a post by Taras:

I'm sorry to hear that, because that sounds not good

Thanks for your thoughts. It's not a major issue for me at present - I have FTTP with altnet Swish Fibre, which is OK on the whole except when it doesn't work at all. Other folks are currently much worse off.

11 months ago, Fern Trading announced that it was merging Swish with 3 other altnets it backs - Jurassic, Giganet and Allpoints. I've heard nothing at all about this officially, and I still deal with Swish. But all innovation seems to have stalled, things like IPv6 which were rumoured to be happening before the merger aren't progressing. It seems like all the companies have gone into a chrysalis where they are concentrating on a major internal restructuring, from which I understand a Cuckoo will eventually emerge. I just hope I like the look of this Cuckoo when it appears.

When I signed up I knew using an altnet could be a bumpy ride, but I had no real alternative except a dreadful FTTC line @ 30Mbs tops, so I took the risk. I don't like that Swish is a closed network and I have no alternative to switch to. I would like there to be some alternatives and competition.