PIA - What's the limit?

Hi folks. Just wondering what the limit is for PIA networks. Round here we've already got 3 and a 4th have started to install. I walked past one of the pits yesterday and it looked like a rainbow birds nest in there. Poles look like trees with numerous boxes and 26 dropwires and counting on mine alone.

I'm not complaining as I appreciate how I've got a decent choice of providers, I just thought that surely there's got to be a point that it becomes so crowded that it causes problems. In fact I've heard several stories of services being disconnected round here after another network has been in the pit.

I've seen some crazy routes used by the alnets repeatedly. Shallow so multiple blockages, single ways with boxes every 20m. When there are deeper level multiway manhole routes adjacent.

I expect they are doing this because they are all using the same planning software and all using the route that is a metre shorter.

I also don't think anyone is looking at pole loading any more. So a bad ice and snow filled Winter could be 'interesting' with the additional weight on overloaded poles.

What FibreBubble says … and I’ll add that it appears all and any existing copper joints encountered are unceremoniously dumped in the bottom of boxes.

This isn’t sour grapes, this is found as the cause of faults once or twice daily.

Large fibre nodes and tubing fitted in boxes making it impossible to lift copper joints out to work on.

Pole tops are indeed a big problem. So rammed with CBT’s that it becomes impossible to safely and comfortably work on once climbed. (No way to get the work position belt into a reasonable space.
As mentioned, no thought being given to pole loading … a really sharp cold snap with freezing temperatures and damp and rain before, and they’ll failing under excessive weight.

Progress.

Because we moved some of the equipment from the exchange then to the cab, and now with the cbt's to the poles, we have lost the elegance of just having one line regardless of wholesale supplier. Long term i do think the industry needs to come together and work out a better solution to the high density areas.

I think we looked at the wrong reason for why poles can be a problem and not the real problem, safety.

Towards the end of my days locating pressure and electrical faults on the esides, I would quite often have to get a box demolished and go in from the side in order to get to a large cable joint. An Altnet kicking off a valve or standing on things can be a very expensive business.

Boxes used to have planning rules on the number of duct entries permitted to keep structural integrity. I don't think anyone is looking at that any more either.

I think we looked at the wrong reason for why poles can be a problem and not the real problem, safety.

Lots of money spent on equipment to ascend the ladder safely …. Naff all for working when you reach the top.

Many moons ago I dared to suggest that just one company should provide full fibre to all, and the various service providers would then just need cable links to the various head ends … made sense to me.

But venture capitalists saw a way to pile it high, flog it cheap, then sell their network back to the highest bidder … welcome to the wild, wild west . Ye ha !

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Many moons ago I dared to suggest that just one company should provide full fibre to all

Imagine for a second that wasn't Openreach, would you change your mind if that affected your long term employment?? those sort of companies normally want cheap hirers not the best people!!

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Many moons ago I dared to suggest that just one company should provide full fibre to all, and the various service providers would then just need cable links to the various head ends … made sense to me.

But venture capitalists saw a way to pile it high, flog it cheap, then sell their network back to the highest bidder … welcome to the wild, wild west . Ye ha !

+1 and assisted by a Government with a fetish for competition, however unrealistic that may be in terms of the actual provision of a service.

If telecoms are a basic utility like electricity or gas why can the public not be served in the same way with a single electric connection, gas pipe and also a single telecom connection?

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Many moons ago I dared to suggest that just one company should provide full fibre to all, and the various service providers would then just need cable links to the various head ends … made sense to me.

in theory you could do that upto the pole, chamber with multiple cbts in there, and you just grab the end user user fibre cable. Or just switch at the olt (in theory).

Given what i've heard here, on tbb, i understand some places have gone pole crazy, and its not needed. ofcom is like "can you not do it, please ladies and gents"

In reply to a post by Taras:

In reply to a post by Zarjaz:

Many moons ago I dared to suggest that just one company should provide full fibre to all, and the various service providers would then just need cable links to the various head ends … made sense to me.

in theory you could do that upto the pole, chamber with multiple cbts in there, and you just grab the end user user fibre cable. Or just switch at the olt (in theory).

It's still going to the same OLT. The multiple CBTs doesn't reduce congestion on poles or in chambers and still same OLT and port making it pointless.