I got the impression a lot of the work is contracted out. So isn't that just down to better, and more flexible, supplier management?

For my set-up OR did the cabinet work and fibre to the cabinet. For the home install it was contracted out

My install was also done by a contractor - really badly! Didn't check the line at all, didn't replace the old faceplate with the VDSL interstitial plate (in fact he didn't even look at the master socket, which is under the desk, he just pulled the RJ11 cable out of the back of the ADSL modem and shoved it into the BTOR modem), and he didn't check that the service was working to the ISP. I don't think he followed a single one of the BTOR guidelines for FTTC installation. So definitely a need for better supplier management

1st reply from OR

In your locality work is ongoing. Currently this is awaiting power and other works, and the estimated date for cabinet ��� enablement is close April 2013 assuming there are no issues. As I�m sure you�ll appreciate any engineering date quoted is at best an estimate and will be subject to change depending on local issues and conditions

Please register your interest on the website as this helps us assess local demand patterns

Many thanks

A month or so later :

In the light of a recent Standards ruling all project dates have been reviewed recently and unfortunately some have been moved further out. When delays are encountered the historic way the systems dealt with this was to automatically slip the date to the end of the next business quarter. In more protracted situations this could result in several such automatic date shifts. In order to avoid repeatedly delaying cabinets we have moved their due dates to the end of the work phase (or in some cases to the end of our commercial programme) to reduce multiple changes to the likely activation date. We will continue to seek solutions for these cabinets and where possible will activate them before the end date given. In relation to cabinet wwbarn24 work is ongoing and expected to run for another couple of months. If all goes to plan we aim to complete within the given end date of December 2013.

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Does April still likely for us in Fremington ? ( Green boxes all in and trenches filled in )

Cheers

Edited by deleted (Wed 20-Mar-13 11:29:57)

Oh god that's terrible. The guy I had was ok, he didn't know anything beyond what he was there to do to fair (I asked about the cabinet set-up), but he did a decent job with the master socket and did all of the tests, finished in about 40mins end to end

A lot of stuff is sub-contracted, which also tends to lead to be only doing precisely what told, rather than developing an ongoing knowledge base.

Pay peanuts get peanuts.

Hi,

could you PM me the NGA email address please?

[email protected]

They will only respond if you are in a planned area- this can be seen on the where and when site

http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

If you are in their commercial rollout area, inculde your phone number and address as they will ask for this, will take up to 10 days for a reply.

In reply to a post by Bright:

I don't know enough about BTOR's FTTC/P roll-out programme to understand why they have so much difficulty planning and sticking to dates

That's the problem, you can't blame anyone for not knowing why the dates move, but you can blame them for complaining without first trying to learn why they move. If they knew why they probably wouldn't complain and there wouldn't now be less info.

Providing accurate dates is possible, but it would slow down the rollout and increase costs. Letting resources sit idle in an area while a problem is resolved is not ideal, it's more efficient to move the resources to where they can be used and return to the problem area once the issue is resolved. You get a faster, cheaper, rollout at the cost of some shifting dates.

In reply to a post by Croftie:

Providing accurate dates is possible, but it would slow down the rollout and increase costs.

Why? What would need to be done to provide accurate dates? Why does that slow down roll-out?

In reply to a post by Croftie:

Letting resources sit idle in an area while a problem is resolved is not ideal, it's more efficient to move the resources to where they can be used and return to the problem area once the issue is resolved. You get a faster, cheaper, rollout at the cost of some shifting dates.

Why would you let them sit idle? Deploying resources to the work which can be moved forward on any given day/week/month would make everything happen quicker and more efficiently. That's just good resource management. Having them sitting idle is what will cause dates to be missed!

I'm still hoping someone can tell me why BTOR seems incapable of forecasting dates accurately and efficiently managing the roll-out programme to, by and large, meet those forecasts. Something tangible, rather than "too many variables", "lack of resources", "outsourcing of skills", "waiting for power" - these are all very vague excuses, not reasons!

I'm "first trying to learn why they move", but so far I haven't. Can someone put me out of my misery?