BT openreach planning to use poles for FFTH Rollout

A friend has brought this to my attention that BT openreach are planning installing new telegraph poles for FTTP rollout in his area , is this common practice in an area where the existing line plant is directly buried or in ducts? it just seems a little backward

Poles are cheap, and the underground lines may be direct bury.

I don't get the problem with poles, but then I grew up in a town where they are absolutely everywhere so I guess I'm used to them,

Exactly, next we’ll have people moaning about lamp posts!

The benefits of decent internet far outweigh the minor visual intrusion.

In reply to a post by gorebrush:

Poles are cheap, and the underground lines may be direct bury.

I don't get the problem with poles, but then I grew up in a town where they are absolutely everywhere, so I guess I'm used to them,

and @Kr1s69 I understand your points, but in an area with near zero poles, Unless direct buried line plant, Underground VIA EXISTING DUCTING, should be the preferred option, not poles that can cause restrictions in the future

Use of existing infrastructure will be the preferred choice but they may use poles if there is no available underground duct,existing duct maybe full or blocked/damaged . Duct overlay may add significant cost and time and result in an area becoming unviable.

Edited by witchunt (Wed 24-Jan-24 23:18:35)

In reply to a post by witchunt:

Use of existing infrastructure will be the preferred choice but they may use poles if there is no available underground duct,existing duct maybe full or blocked/damaged . Duct overlay may add significant cost and time and result in an area becoming unviable.

As will future damage caused by cheapness over quality build wise, (but the same costs are passed on to the consumer)

In reply to a post by tommy45:

In reply to a post by witchunt:

Use of existing infrastructure will be the preferred choice but they may use poles if there is no available underground duct,existing duct maybe full or blocked/damaged . Duct overlay may add significant cost and time and result in an area becoming unviable.

As will future damage caused by cheapness over quality build wise, (but the same costs are passed on to the consumer)

There's an aesthetic element too, especially in an area that doesn't already have any poles, that can cause homeowners to come over all NIMBY on the planning people.

I am pretty sure that my own fibre install stalled for 3 years because a pole that was supposed to be installed outside someone's house, never appeared because, I suspect, they opposed it. The planning notification went up to say it was happening, sat there for 6 months and then quietly disappeared again without a further word being said.

Fortunately, my own install is now moving forward (see other thread about YouFibre) using the mix of poles and ducts that my end of the streets already has, but I foresee some bumpy times ahead for the rest of the estate, much of which has no poles, no ducts and, according the cable map, dug-in cables throughout. Either the whole lot will have to be dug up for new ducts, or they're going to put poles up. And, knowing some of the people that live up there, I suspect that the cheaper option of poles is going to generate enough opposition as to cause a bit of a headache to those who would rather have better internet.

Apparently, YouFibre are heading up there next, so I guess it will be interesting to see which option they choose, and how it's accepted (or fought!) by the residents.

I don't see poles as being cheap. More that its easier to maintain. If done properly and not say put 4 poles with in 20m of each other (we have 4 within 10m of each other) then its reasonable.

People don't complain about street lights and those are effectively a pole!

How come 4 poles within 10m of each other ?

Openreach poles are usually about 40 to 50m apart.

Do some of these belong to Altnets ?

An extra set of pole appeared near me - all the copper is u/g, the electricity is o/h - and now so is the fibre (less than 5m horizontally, which I'd have thought would be undesirable anyway...)