In reply to a post by MCM:

Our development of 75 homes was built in the late 1980s and formerly a brownfield site, light industrial and lock-up garages, so perhaps BT considered it easier/cheaper to go EO rather than expand one of the local cabs.

Wouldn't that be down to the developer and what they were prepared to pay?

In 1986 or 87 when construction started I expect developers simply took what BT offered unlike today with its demands for faster internet access.

I didn't know suppliers only offered the cheapest option in the 80's.

Do we even know what the arrangements were in the 1980s. I certainly don't, do you? I was involved in the construction of a number of university student residences and never recall having been asked by BT to pay anything other than normal connection charges.

Alright, I've finally received a human response from Openreach after many months of being ignored. This is what their response reads:

We are expecting, all being well, that you should be able to order fibre broadband 24th October 2016 or it might take longer time.

We apologise not able to advise you the actual time because this project is still under the process.

Your date may have slipped because , we often find unforeseen challenges and complexities that we simply couldn�t plan for. These may need either more time to work around or a different solution altogether. Our published dates in most cases are accurate however, because of the above, unfortunately they can move. We strive to share as much information as we possibly can to help you to make your choices as much as possible.
I am sorry there has been a delay but each cabinet will involve different amounts of work to fully enable and make it ready for orders.

Rest assured we are doing everything we can to deliver service as soon as we can
Please check our website nearer the date for further updates.

Bear in mind, however, the last time I received a genuine expected date from them it was also the 24th (albeit of April, 2015), so watch out - that date may just be another incremental "placeholder" date similar to the other ones they publicly announce.


Again, please register your interest for virgin media if you haven't already - I've attempted to get many nearby homes to also do so, so it may be a possibility. Thanks!

I'll keep you updated on any future roadworks or emails I receive regarding out BT cabinet.

Edited by thebigdolphin1 (Wed 24-Aug-16 19:23:08)

Hi there,

Thanks for the info! I've signed up to both the BT and Virgin Media 'register your interest' sites, for what it's worth.

We will see if the latest BT response is accurate!

Thanks

As far as the 24th of October activation date goes, it seems very likely -- This just popped up on roadworks.org:

Date: 4 Oct - 17 Oct
Location: OPPOSITE PITCHFORD LANE TO OUTSIDE HALLAMSHIRE GOLF CLUB, REDMIRES ROAD...
Description: Laying duct in footway and carriageway...

Hmm maybe. I'm taking it with a healthy dose of scepticism this time, given how many times they have scheduled and cancelled these works. It also concerns me slightly that these works (as they currently stand) don't lay the fibre as far as the cabinet.

We will see, hopefully you are correct!

Well it mentions "laying duct in footway", so I presume that means down from Sandygate road (where theres already going to be loads of fibre cables passing) to the cabinet. If not, I'm sure they installed the main local ducts prior to erecting the cabinet.

What isn't good news is that there's around 10 EO cabinets being put up nearby, which the engineers may be busy with (they prioritise BDUK work).

If they are installing ducting on 4-17 October I wouldn't expect activation to be for another month or two at best. 24 October would be pushing it!