Openreach FTTP repairs

A rather dispiriting Openreach experience today raises a few questions. An FTTP connection to a rural site failed 4am about a week ago. After the usual to and fro between CP and their suppliers it was decided that Openreach needed access to the site. That involves a 160 mile drive for me, but there it is. Appointment is between 1pm and 6pm, so I arrive and wait and wait. At 4.30 pm the Openreach man (not a contractor) rings and says he's at XX farm and can't find the site. I ask him whether he has a software tool to enable him to find the site from the circuit number. He says no.
Is this true?
I painstakingly establish where he is and talk him through to arrival. By this time it is dark. He confirms that the LOS light on the ONT is on and that there is no received power. I point him to the location of the CBT, which is in a street box covered in leaves just outside the site fence, so requires a spade to clear before opening. He looks perplexed, walks back onto site and opens the splice box, hauls over his splicer and decides to remake the splice. It is dark and has started to rain. I suggest he might need a shelter over his splicer or things may not turn out well. He says Openreach don't provide any form of shelter.
Is this true?
He has no form of light other than his mobile phone.
Is this normal?
I hold my umbrella over the splicer and hold his phone to put what light I can on his work. He re-checks the ONT- still red light.
He says, "I'll need to come back tomorrow, I have to go home at 5". I say, It's a 1pm to 6pm appointment and I've driven 160 miles to provide site access, so could you just check the power at the CBT, so that we know whether site access is actually required?" He says, "It's another team that deals with that" and drives off.

So my overall question is does Openreach really provide no way for their man to find an FTTP site and really provide no lighting or rain protection for outdoor splicing work?
And can the people they send really not open a street box and check power at the CBT?
And is it sensible for Openreach to have a man attend an LOS, when he's going home for the day, less than 15 minutes after he arrives?

If so, that seems a remarkably inefficient way of organising repair work.

Yes
Yes
No

The remote testing struggles to give an accurate POI for testing.

Sadly many do nothing other than Bob basic testing. No UG skills either. No OTDR for many staff.

Unfortunately a lot of these companies that seemed to be the standard bearer are in a slow decline. We're into week three of trying to engage Openreach on a project in our car park that we're having resurfaced - had all the stuff located but it never picked up that the ducts were 100mm down. There seems to be no process within the organisation for "can you come and tell us what we need to do while we have the machines here, and can you arrange the ducting to be dropped off so we can get on with the job". We've had three people attend who aren't ever sure why they're there, the last one said that the only stuff that gets planners now are new site developments, and he's having to try and sneak ducting off another job to drop off with us.

CityFibre are even worse, they aren't interested in doing anything proactive so there's no option to have them proactively move their fibre from an old duct to a new, the only way to get someone to site is take your service offline and call in the fault.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Unfortunately a lot of these companies that seemed to be the standard bearer are in a slow decline. We're into week three of trying to engage Openreach on a project in our car park that we're having resurfaced - had all the stuff located but it never picked up that the ducts were 100mm down. There seems to be no process within the organisation for "can you come and tell us what we need to do while we have the machines here, and can you arrange the ducting to be dropped off so we can get on with the job". We've had three people attend who aren't ever sure why they're there, the last one said that the only stuff that gets planners now are new site developments, and he's having to try and sneak ducting off another job to drop off with us.

CityFibre are even worse, they aren't interested in doing anything proactive so there's no option to have them proactively move their fibre from an old duct to a new, the only way to get someone to site is take your service offline and call in the fault.

There used to be ‘Plant Protection Officers’ and, if required tasks could be furthered for a PPO to come take a look, and arrange what was required. They would go to sites and track out and mark underground services, give advice etc.
Whether the PPO roles still exist, I don’t know.

The OR team that did the splicing for our villiage's fttp build did thave little clear one man tents. So it does look sadly that the OR bod in question wasn't supplied with one..

hopefully this wont go into a tent thread 😂

The build teams carry more ‘task specific’ kit.

The solo engineers have to carry a vast array of varied kit, in what is often a much smaller van.

The tents issued when we were doing the early blown fibre installs were ridiculous. Gazebo would be a better term. Too large to erect out on a footpath for instance, without having to divert pedestrians to the other side (more signs and stands required, kerb ramps etc) Also with no side panels, they were all but useless if there was a breath of wind. Box guards with sand bags, a cable tied golf umbrella, and a tarpaulin… are what most used.

hopefully this wont go into a tent thread 😂

I went there …..

Well since there's no progress on repairing the fault, why not a bit of tent history, while we wait to see what happens next.

I'm old enough to remember the arched wooden frame tents used over any pavement box jointing works, when the weather looked dodgy, but those were a Post Office standard. Seemed reasonably practical.

We did have an excellent protection of plant chap help us with a site, but that was about 10 years ago. Whether such still exist, I do not know.

Whether such still exist, I do not know.

Seemingly they do still exist, but how one might summon one has passed into the realms of folklore.

So that’s a no then from Witchunt .. I’ll take it as gospel

Edited by Zarjaz (Wed 03-Dec-25 10:28:04)

No, all the PPOs were 'encouraged' to leave
I suspect this fellow has been drafted in from elsewhere in the business, given minimal training and kit , and left to get on with it.
A head torch is invaluable for this kind of work when it's dark or limited light. Hand Torches and rechargeable work lights are readily available and provide ample light for small work areas.

Edited by witchunt (Wed 03-Dec-25 10:19:59)

Out of interest, are we at a point where engineers are trained to splice at the CSP but not test light at the CBT?