Hi Ivy, there is work going on along the B4009 at current where a cable contracter is pulling a cable through the ducts, this could be the fibre.

If there is another exchange annoucement list this year, hermitage may well likely appear in it as Thatcham has now gone live on Openreach's list and Hungerford is still set at the 12th of next month.
So if Hermitage doesnt appear this year it will likly appear on the list early next year.

Local Parishes have been informed about the registering on the superfast berkshire website and the openreach website, so this will help alot.

I attended a meeting between various parishe representives and West Berks lead on the Superfast Berkshire program, things are moving forward at current as each CC needs to make their local broadband plan and raise match funding to double the BDUK funds avalible. Then a tender will go out in 2012 with work starting that year. So come 2012 things will move forward and work will begin.

Ivy, Ian Hermitage has a 21CN WBC status:RFS date set : 31/05/2012, so will hopefully see FTTC in 2012.

Which follows the Fibre being blown up the b4009 to the exchange.

Great news!

There were traffic lights on the two mini-roundabouts at the bottom of the hill in Shaw with BT Openreach engineers working this weekend (17th Dec).

Could be good news and seeing a 21CN date is also positive news... fingers crossed.

Thanks ccxo and Ivy! I also registered on superfast.

ATB
Ian

Thanks ccxo for the heads up on the 21CN WBC dates. I see it is now also published elsewhere, e.g. SamKnows. For the uninitiated (i.e. me), is there any experience about how long it typically takes to move from 21CN WBC RFS to FTTC availability?

Good to hear from anonymous about the work this weekend.

Rgds

Ian, the work on the double roundabout's may allow you're neighbours to recieve a FTTC service, will need to check on the BT wholesale checker.
Though they may more likely be connected to cabinet 86 which is up the hill from the double roundabout.

Ive seen at least 3 new cabinets go live in Newbury in the last few weeks so total coverage is increasing.

TT has unbundled the hermitage exchange but the work still needs to be signed off which has taken a week+ so a bit of a wait but hopefully a better service once it goes live via TT resleers.

As for the 21CN date and the time between that and FTTC its unknown as the exchange could just likely be enabled for 21CN. FTTC does not need the fibre to go back to the Hermitage exchange as handover nodes have been used where the fibre goes back to a larger exchange say newbury as its cheaper.
However with the superfast berkshire plan being submitted early next year before the DCMS deadline, we may likely see BT win the tender which would if there plans dont change give a 90% coverage across west berkshire.
Hermitage enablement date could be anytime between mid 2012 to the end of 2012 as a likely date.

Unitl we see the next new Openreach exchange list, which is likely to be late January/Febuary wont know a date till then.

Edited by deleted (Fri 23-Dec-11 12:57:13)

Thanks ccxo!

BT are reporting FTTC is available in your area on their tool for those on Newbury exchange... however not sure if we are too far from the cab for it to work here. I need to find a friendly OpenReach engineer and ask them how the lines are fed to the houses. Perhaps they'd swap the phonebox (Newbury exchange) for my line if I asked nicely

Happy New Year to you all!
Ian

Hi Ian thats good to hear, does look like BT have bypassed cabinet 86. Its unlikely BT will move you to another exchange but it could happen.

Anyone got an update on the Woolhampton exchange. I see we are due for ADSL2+ at the end of the month. Not sure if this will make any difference. There was a major outage on the exchange last week with a number of my neighbours disconnected for about 8 hours.

Theres not really any updates on BT's progression with 21Cn exchanges, have to wait for the date to come and see if you can place a order.

Hungerford is the last known exchange to have gone live, waiting on Mortimer to go live as that had a date of 31/12/2011. hopefully should be live now or soon.

31/01/2012 Woolhampton
29/02/2012 Burghfield Common
31/05/2012 Hermitage

All of the exchanges have been showing as amber though hermitage is currently red, over the last few months for their VP capaicty, hence the upgrades.

The disconnect you had was on the 5th of January, there was a major service failure which mostly effected people on the 21CN platform in the SE of England.

When a exchange is enabled for 21CN, you will see a improvement in upload, download depends on you're line stats and distance from the exchange.

I'd swear blind I have run jumpers in through 21cn ties in Woolhampton exchange a few weeks ago ??