Leased line fibre, change supplier

We have spent over £12,800 (over 3 years) on getting fibre to a domestic property because fast internet speed has not been available.
Now the 3 years is up, we wish to change providers, because the installing company do not offer a domestic tariff.
We've endured the 'commercial' sky high monthly payments, but now the contract is up, we'd like high speed domestic broadband at a 'normal' domestic price (£300 less, per month, than we are currently paying).
The problem is: we're told that our fibre is from our property to the exchange.
So why can't a provider connect the fibre in the exchange to an internet connection?
They say they can't because they would need to install ANOTHER fibre cable from the exchange to our property!!!
SERIOUSLY! you couldn't make this up!
Does anyone know who in the fibre world, I could speak with on this issue please?

You've bought and paid for a leased line with a specific provider. You are stuck with it - no other provider will adopt that fibre. So either you keep on paying or cancel it....

Edited by gorebrush (Tue 27-Feb-24 13:21:24)

FTTP and Ethernet leased lines are not the same type of network , it’s not a simple as disconnecting your fibre from the leased line providers Ethernet kit and somehow connecting you to an Openreach FTTP PON , there is nothing really common between them ( apart from the fact they operate on the same type of fibre cable ) , you could potentially switch your Ethernet leased line provider to a cheaper provider , but you ultimately would still be on an exclusive fibre from your home to the Ethernet provider kit , and be paying a rate commensurate with that type of connection , it’s not a brilliant comparison, but OR can run 30 customers on a single fibre via a splitter, your Ethernet fibre has just you on it , and there is no easy way to convert your fibre to one capable of servicing anyone other than you .
With hindsight you should have ordered FTTPod, that way after the minimum term your connection is simply an ordinary FTTP one , that you could migrate to any provider that offers FTTP in your area,

Edited by Iniltous (Tue 27-Feb-24 14:09:14)

Looks like you have bought a leased line. That can't be transferred to another provider.

If you had ordered FTTP on Demand, that would have been transferrable, however that ship has sailed.

On the plus side, you now have the fibre plant installed, so you could shop around for another leased line provider and order a new service from them - you'd have to pay their installation charges and then their rental which may or may not be cheaper than what you already have.

If you're looking for service for £30 a month though, you're not going to find it.

Ethernet leased lines are portable to a certain extent but only between retailers that offer them , it’s usually businesses that want these type of services and they generally don’t want any downtime , so they don’t transfer services as such , but order another Ethernet service from their new chosen Ethernet provider, because a ‘fibre’ Ethernet service already exists , it’s a ‘quick win’ as far as Openreach are concerned, so the lead time is negligible, and any costs are absorbed into the rental costs , once the new service is in ( for arguments sake on fibre 2 of the existing 4 fibre bundle) , the customer ceases the original service that was on fibre 1 of the same bundle, customers own comms staff transfers their own ‘kit’ from one to the other before the cease takes effect.
An alternative, that has a break in service, is to simply cease the service, and then reorder with a competitor , the existing but ceased fibre route is repurposed for the new provider, that’s often the case when a business customer moves into a commercial property that a previous occupant had a fibre service.

Edited by Iniltous (Tue 27-Feb-24 14:59:18)

If your leased line is using a circuit from Openreach then you'll be able to migrate it to another leased line provider who also uses Openreach circuits.

Since it already exists there will be no Excess Construction Charges, and if you can find a provider who will take over the line (a novation and A-End Shift) then the installation charges they pay to Openreach will be lower - which they may return to you in the form of a shorter contract period, so you may be able to get a 12 month term at a reasonable price.

Note that many leased line providers have contracts which auto-renew for subsequent 12 month periods, unless you give notice 90 days before the end of the contract. Do check this, if you intend to cease your existing service.

But apart from that, as several other people have said, you can't convert this to a consumer FTTP connection. They are two different networks that work in completely different ways. You will just have to wait for Openreach to deliver consumer FTTP; they intend to cover 85% of the UK population by Dec 2026. In the mean time, you may want to keep your leased line if you can it at a reasonable price and a short enough term.

It sounds like you are confused between FTTPoD pricing which becomes normal FTTP after the installation and opens up options for reverting to a more reasonable tariff, and EAD which is what you have and costs the provider £150/month + VAT just for the fibre between you and the exchange.

If you were told that buying a leased line would give you FTTP options once the contract had ended then it's been mis-sold.

Have you checked if regular FTTP has become available at your property in the last 3 years either on Openreach infrastructure or from an alternative network (aka altnet)?

In reply to a post by _Larry_:

We have spent over £12,800 (over 3 years) on getting fibre to a domestic property because fast internet speed has not been available.
Now the 3 years is up, we wish to change providers, because the installing company do not offer a domestic tariff.
We've endured the 'commercial' sky high monthly payments, but now the contract is up, we'd like high speed domestic broadband at a 'normal' domestic price (£300 less, per month, than we are currently paying).
The problem is: we're told that our fibre is from our property to the exchange.
So why can't a provider connect the fibre in the exchange to an internet connection?
They say they can't because they would need to install ANOTHER fibre cable from the exchange to our property!!!
SERIOUSLY! you couldn't make this up!
Does anyone know who in the fibre world, I could speak with on this issue please?

Are you talking about having FTTPoD or a Fibre Ethernet (Leased Line) service? They're very different things and it isn't clear from your post.

If you had FTTPoD installed, then after the initial term you can migrate that like any normal FTTP service between providers (eg if we're talking of FTTPoD via Openreach).

If you're on about some sort of Fibre Service from some altnet type, you might have no option sure, as they might not have any wholesale options for other providers, and even if they do choice could be very limited.

If you're however talking about Fibre Ethernet then that's a whole heap of different - it isn't the same as the FTTP type of service and not compatible - so no, you can't take that and 'convert' it to PON/FTTP service with anyone, and thus have a domestic fibre service.

Which thing are you actually talking about?

The subject specifically says a leased line.
The 3 year minimum term on FTTPoD ended in 2018. Since then it has been a 12 month minimum term.
WBC FTTP doesn't become available after the minimum term, but as soon as the FTTPoD is ready to go live. It isn't available.

For those 3 reasons I think it's pretty clear this is a leased line and not FTTPoD.

Edited by j0hn83 (Tue 27-Feb-24 18:00:07)