You've identified the confusion there. The Huawei 288 I believe supports 288 FTTC connections, so will have 576 copper pair connectivity. Two pairs per PCP connection.

Similarly the Huawei and ECI 128s will have 256 copper pair connectivity, supporting 128 FTTC lines.

Where the 96 reports come from I have no idea. Possibly a new myth.

Hauwei comes in 2 sizes, 96 port or 288 ports. ECI is 128 or 256 ports but they manage to use the same cabinet shell.

In reply to a post by Adsl24:

Err, the big Huawei's are 288 port I am sure

They are 288 ports but Openreach usually commission them with 192 ports using two MA5616 MSANs. It's probably costs a fair bit more than a single 256 port ECI M41 as well, hence the proliferation of ECI hardware on the streets.