Fibre install but Openreach engineer not allowed up (D) pole

Obviously, with copper (ADSL, not FTTC) broadband/voice going away in January, I had to bite the bullet and upgrade to fibre with my current ISP. I know I'm leaving it late, but I never needed more speed, etc. I was happy with my connection.

Anyway, an Openreach engineer came late Monday afternoon to do the installation. He installed the ONT and exterior fibre box, which I believe is called a Customer Splice Point or Customer Termination Box. The only thing he could not do was go up the telegraph pole to do the cable work from there to the exterior fibre box, as the pole has a red D.

He said it is inaccessible for a cherry picker, even though I seem to remember that when my neighbour had fibre installed sometime last year, they used one with two engineers in attendance. He said he would request a survey to see how they can do the cable side of the work from the pole to the box. He mentioned using scaffolding as one solution, but also replacing the damaged pole.

How long will either take? Quickly, as in weeks, or longer than January, and I lose the internet altogether? If the latter, I might as well get Starlink instead. Or is there anything I can do to "push things along" with Openreach? Or will Openreach not bother with a solution?

Editing to add: I was not expecting the engineer or any engineer to climb the pole, as one poster commented. I know it is dangerous, and I would never expect them to do so. Maybe I didn't word it correctly, because of how late it was when I typed this. I hope that clears that up for some. (I don't really want to delete my OP, as I still need advice).

Edited by user7423 (Thu 12-Nov-26 11:59:51)

D - DEFECTIVE

Would you expect the technician to take a serious risk by climbing that pole?

In reply to a post by user7423:

Obviously, with copper broadband/voice going away in January, I had to bite the bullet and upgrade to fibre with my current ISP. I know I'm leaving it late, but I never needed more speed, etc. I was happy with my connection.

Anyway, an Openreach engineer came late Monday afternoon to do the installation. He installed the ONT and exterior fibre box, which I believe is called a Customer Splice Point or Customer Termination Box. The only thing he could not do was go up the telegraph pole to do the cable work from there to the exterior fibre box, as the pole has a red D.

He said it is inaccessible for a cherry picker, even though I seem to remember that when my neighbour had fibre installed sometime last year, they used one with two engineers in attendance. He said he would request a survey to see how they can do the cable side of the work from the pole to the box. He mentioned using scaffolding as one solution, but also replacing the damaged pole.

How long will either take? Quickly, as in weeks, or longer than January, and I lose the internet altogether? If the latter, I might as well get Starlink instead. Or is there anything I can do to "push things along" with Openreach? Or will Openreach not bother with a solution?

Are you sure that you are losing FTTC in January? The only significant change for most people who have not yet gone over to VoIP is the cessation of the old style copper telephone connection to the local exchange for landline voice which is being replaced by VoIP services still coming along the existing copper connection to the house. The existing internet services are not affected.

If yours is a typical situation the only change facing you is the need to get a compatible router or ATA and VoIP service so that your existing landline phone(s) can continue to work using a different way of connecting. Your existing ISP should be able to advise on that.

GonePostal has the January part right: the FTTC stays, and the voice line is what changes. The red D means the engineer was right not to climb it. If the survey keeps the pole, a scaffold or a picker is often a couple of weeks. A replacement pole is the slow one. That needs a gang and sometimes a wayleave, and it can run past January. You will not lose the copper internet while you wait. Chase the ISP for the order reference and ask whether it is tagged as a defective pole. Openreach will not take that call from you. Leave the copper in place until the fibre is actually live.

Maybe I worded it incorrectly. I was not expecting the engineer who attended to go up the pole when he explained that the pole was dangerous/defective, etc. I would never expect anyone to put themselves at risk. Maybe I'll remove my post (if I can). I probably shouldn't have posted it so late at night, and things get misconstrued.

I am still on ADSL, not FTTC. My ISP informed me last month that if I do not upgrade to fibre, I will lose my connection. I am not interested in the phone line. The wires for the phone line were removed from the faceplate over a year ago, nearer to two, IIRC. I am only interested in my broadband connection, nothing else.

Edited by user7423 (Thu 12-Nov-26 11:59:21)

According to my ISP, in the email I received last month, I will lose my copper (ADSL) internet when BT switches off copper-based connections. I'll see if I can get some free time today to phone the ISP for an update. Thanks.

In reply to a post by user7423:

My ISP informed me last month that if I do not upgrade to fibre, I will lose my connection.

You are doing your part by accepting FTTP. I suggest that you don't take the pressure of this on yourself - instead tell your ISP that you are ready and waiting for fibre and it is up to the ISP and OR to sort it out.

In reply to a post by user7423:

According to my ISP, in the email I received last month, I will lose my copper (ADSL) internet when BT switches off copper-based connections. I'll see if I can get some free time today to phone the ISP for an update. Thanks.

Be interested to see the wording from that email [redacted for privacy] as Openreach are not blanket switching off copper-based connections. What they are doing is switching off analogue voice/PSTN/WLR3 services over copper - so removal of dial tone and voltage on the copper pairs essentially.

Copper will actually remain in active service for a while yet carrying SoGEA (data only to green cabinet) and SoADSL (data only to exchange) services for example.

There is a heck of a lot of confusion and conflation going on out there about the WLR / PSTN shutoff at the end of January.

Your ISP may have decided to no longer offer copper-based broadband services (SoGEA and SoADSL) or you may be in an FTTP Priority area.

Check the BT Wholesale record for your property) it should say at the bottom of the table, “The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme” and “SOADSL is not restricted at the exchange”

At the house I'm sat in now a Kowboy Communications fitter went up the D labeled pole taking no notice of H&S, not necessarily the brightest thing to do, At a later date the pole was changed in part using a cherry picker even though it was partial obsured by branches from a large ash tree.
At our other property, the OR chap came in the morning, found the CBT 'down the road' in a small orchard, a quick phone call and he came back later that day with the cherry picker driver and agreed a plan with him to get the fibre from the orchard across a road, along the road, then back across the road. Turned up next day and completed the job with a little help from me.