Hmm you're probably right. Even though they were working in both cabs (Fibre and PCP), I haven't seen them working in the road that leads to the exchange, pulling any cable through.

I'm just being impatient I guess

It would be very dangerous if there wasn't a breaker in the cabinet. After all, there will be times when the power supply will have to be maintained which would require isolation of the mains. Also, I think not having an isolator would breach electrical installation regulations.

Certainly Virgin Media power cabinets have got breakers in them, as you can see by the photo I took of the inside of my local one when some vandals took the door off. (The approach seems to be somewhat "agricultural", with components screwed to a plywood backplane).

https://www.imageshack.us/i/exeWtvoOj


(VM failed to respond to my fault report, so when it started raining I went out and put the door back on and wrapped duct tape round it. It's now been like that for over three weeks).

No guarantee that the fibre will actually arrive from the direction the exchange is located, it's often linked from a more convenient location in network terms.

And I have discovered today that it seems that at least one of the cabinets on the Wilstead (SMWLS) exchange does have a problem with a blocked duct somewhere. It's likely to delay the RFS date although that isn't certain.

Anyone here know how to find out more, or can find out for me?

I'm on cabinet 5 but cabinets 1, 2 and 3 were also installed in October and have all been wired in as far as I know.

Actually it's cabinets 1, 2, 5, 6 and 13 that are part of the BDUK project.

Anyone here able to give more information on possible fibre/duct blockage work in the area?

If Ribble is about, any chance you are partial to any info about SWTB Cab 3 accepting orders soon? It's been finished for about a month now and I spoke to an Openreach Engineer 2 weeks ago who said it would be within 10 days but still nothing.

I think there are 8 or 9 cabs due to be done on that exchange

I reckon you were given incorrect info and its not complete and there is still a lot of work to complete the fibre

Thanks for that Ribble - thought that was the case. Spoke to another engineer outside my house yesterday (seem to be a lot of problems on my Estate at the moment!) and he said the fibre is coming from Haverfordwest (20 miles away).

So I guess that's probably what's happening now? All the cabs have been in for over a month now and I've seen no other activity around town.

I don't know exactly how many cabs it has, except that one near Shortstown (just south east of Bedford) is labelled 8 so I presume it's at least that many. The higher numbers, such as 13, are part of the Wixams development south of Bedford, I don't know where the original cabs are located but so far I think there is only one on Wixams.

My contact on Bedford Borough Council tells me it's a duct blockage that affects all of the cabs currently installed, where it might be and how long these things take to get fixed, I have no idea.

Edited by rippedcotton (Wed 10-Dec-14 17:25:44)