TBB chooser and Wholesale Product, important?

When you do a postcode search in the ThinkBroadband chooser the subsequent list has box [More Info] at right. Click on that brings up more of the ISP's deal info.

This then, below the Costs/Comments has subtitle 'Wholesale Provider Details' with 'Name' 'Product' 'Technology'.

Under 'Product' there can be:
BTW WBC FTTP
SKY FTTP
TALK TALK FTTP

The first I assume is fully an OpenReach thing.

What if one wanted to go with either of the latter 2, does that involve more installation work/hassle ?

I know OR effectively deal with the whole infrastructure but is it important in terms of getting an ISP what the Wholesale Product is?

So if there was already FTTC and the new FTTP comes straight from exchange iwill the changeover affect the involvement of OpenReach ?

Edited by bradlink (Mon 09-Jun-25 10:47:10)

If it is BTW WBC then it is Openreach FTTP. If Openreach FTTP were to become available to you then when you sign up with either of those ISPs (assuming they're Openreach) then an engineer will come and install you an ONT with a Fibre drop cable. This will only be needed to be done once.

However, if the SKY FTTP or TalkTalk FTTP is being supplied for example, by CityFibre or another Wholesale Network then a separate installation is done and you get an ONT for CityFibre that's separate from Openreach ONT. But that's of-course if both services are available for your area.

So, of-course if you have FTTC already and Openreach FTTP comes then naturally you need a separate engineer to come and do the installation for the FTTP Fibre drop cable and then ONT. This will mean also getting a new router when you sign up. You can run the FTTC and FTTP services side by side. But if you migrate from Sky FTTC to Sky FTTP from the same account holder then it will probably disconnect your FTTC service and you then plug your new cable to the Fibre ONT and router for the switch over.

But first Openreach have to install the Fibre within your premise or building before you can sign up. If you then sign up to another ISP on Openreach FTTP you won't have any further works as the ONT is already installed in place bit like how the Master Socket is done once.

After the works are complete and is RFS the fibre infrastructure shall be fully operational and ready to provide high-speed internet services to that specific location. This includes all the necessary physical elements like fibre optic cables, junction boxes, and network equipment being in place near a property.

Then once you order a package from any ISP within that wholesale network only then will an engineer come to install the ONT and Fibre drop cable inside your home.

This same procedure will apply for any Altnet that is available except you'll only have the option to sign up with that Altnet only.
Depending on how many networks are available for your particular postcode only that will determine how much work will be done. If you choose to ignore and not choose those other networks that are available then no works will be done inside your property.

Comprehensive! thanks.

Well certainly the present FTTC is OpenReach through the ISP. I mentioned the SKY and TALKTALK as they showed on that 'Product' entry whereas all the other ISPs apparently available to me had the BTW WBC including the few AltNets.

The middle part of your reply I infer that I somehow could order a new ISP deal - migration effectively - and that could just have an install of the external CSP alone, or do you mean the CSP and ONT but then I could forego that deal leaving the devices in place?

When I did choose a new ISP the stuff is already there and in terms of connection details, that's in the router [mine or ISP supplied], _not_ the ONT, yes?

Yes, under the new One Touch Switching process they can do this for you without you having to separately cancel one contract and go with another. https://www.uswitch.com/broadband/guides/one-touch-s...

How this works is that if you are currently a customer for example, with Sky FTTC on Openreach and you upgrade to either Openreach or CityFibre FTTP. The offerings will be included in the website for you to switch from one over the other. They will know by tracking your account details and will be able to switch you over seamlessly. They will send either a Sky or Openreach engineer with ONT and new router. Some ISPs supply different routers for FTTC and FTTP.

Similarly like certain FTTP packages depending on their tier speeds they give out different model routers. You'll have to basically switch to the new router.

You will know if they canceled the FTTC service when the service ceases to function. You'll be able to test the service when you switch over to FTTP. If they run side by side then that will mean that they need to cancel the FTTC side. They might leave it on temporarily to make sure your migration to FTTP is successful. Once they are sure you are on FTTP they can safely switch off FTTC as you won't be left without a service.

It is unlikely that you'll be charged for 2 services as Sky will know you upgraded to their FTTP service.

However, having just scrolled down in that Uswitch link it addresses only the specific Networks in that list. You can see Openreach, CityFibre, Virgin Media, Nexfibre, Hyperoptic and Netomnia.

It seems to me that One Touch Switching process works for those networks currently. But I do not know if this will work for other Altnets. So, for example, we have only Openreach FTTC and Community Fibre currently. With Nexfibre soon coming here as they went live for the other buildings.
If I switch from Openreach to Nexfibre or Virgin Media then One Touch Switching will work. But if I try to switch from Openreach FTTC to Community Fibre then I'll probably have to cancel my BT service separately when signing up to Community Fibre or I'll end up having to pay for 2 services at the same time! Of-course I'll have to be wary of this and let my ISP know or I'll be billed for 2 services even if I don't use the old service.

There will be a separate ONT and engineer visit where you'll be able to inform them exactly where you want it installed within 10 meters inside your property. It can be installed in a different location from your existing Openreach FTTC Master Socket. But of-course you might want it nearby for your convenience as you'll have your existing router there and possibly your LAN cables so you can connect them to the new router.

If you migrate for example from Openreach FTTP Sky to CityFibre Sky or TalkTalk, since both ISPs are offered on both of these wholesale networks then you'll have to wait for an engineer to install another ONT from CityFibre as well!

But naturally if you are only migrating from Openreach FTTP network Sky to TalkTalk or any other ISP on the same network then you will never need to install another ONT again as this will have been done once for either ISP that you signed up.

The CityFibre packages usually have a mention of CityFibre in the name and particularly in the wholesale provider details eg.

https://www.thinkbroadband.com/isps/talktalk/full-fi... CityFibre TalkTalk FTTP

versus https://www.thinkbroadband.com/isps/talktalk/full-fi... TalkTalk FTTP so those are over the Openreach network.

The reason they aren't all on a single Openreach FTTP is there are differences in some footprints and filtering for what to do if both Openreach and CityFIbre is available, i.e. logic for some retailers is specific to them

Good info, thank you. I'm still in a dither what to do but we'll see.