Interesting I saw one of those going in at the junction of Alexandra Parade and Alexandra Park Street in Glasgow this morning.

I was really surprised to see one in Shotley in Suffolk a couple of weeks ago. Martlesham around the Adastral Park aside, Suffolk is rarely the first to get brand-new tech stuff.

Turns out that it was only a standard PCP extension, though I wonder if a full cabinet might need a PCP extension before it can get a G.Fast pod.

However yesterday I spotted that cabinet 46 from the Bridgeton exchange which is further towards the centre of town on Alexandra Parade had a G.Fast pod added. This is it on Google Streetview

Streetview

And this is a photo I took this morning of the cabinet.

Post installation

And here is one of the pod installation in progress.

Installation

Interestingly this is right next to the Fir Park development of flats (they are the newish blocks of flats 10m up the road), which a combination of Hyperoptic/CityFibre seem to have been targeting. At least I have seen workmen sporting hi-vis vests with both those companies logos on iin the vicinity, including handling bundles of cables coming out the buildings.

This is not even close to the advertised trial areas in Glasgow for G.Fast.

The original cabinet I saw is this
one. Which now sports a expansion on the right as looking at from the above link.

I wonder if a cabinet is full, and that one pretty much is judging from what I saw last time, it would require a PCP expansion before it could get a GFast pod?

I would imagine so to house the block terminals for the tie cable pairs to the G.fast pod.

No, the PCP extensions are only required for 2nd VDSL DSLAMs.
G.Fast pods contain all the block terminals within.
https://ibb.co/ibiCFQ
It would be an almighty mess having tie cables go across the entire PCP from left to right between 2 pods.

Where do you think the tie cables between the g.fast pod and the PCP go? If the PCP is already physically full you would need a standard PCP extension to accommodate the additional G.fast ties. If an engineer is enabling a line for G.fast they don�t ever open the actual G.fast pod. It�s exactly the same as VDSL in that sense.

Zarjaz was the person who initially mentioned this point, consider where he works. Ditto for me.

Edited by deleted (Fri 28-Jul-17 18:40:40)

I did think this would be the case. There has to be more blocks and tie pairs for G.fast otherwise how would the signal be introduced onto the copper circuit.

Show me a G.Fast install with a PCP extension, that doesn't have a 2nd fibre twin.
A couple cabinets in the city centre near me have a 384 Huawei DSLAM and a G.Fast pod, with no PCP extension. Small PCP's are more likely to be reshelled than have a PCP extension.
G.Fast pods have far less ports than any VDSL2 DSLAM.

Edited by j0hn83 (Fri 28-Jul-17 19:20:25)

Some PCP's have enough room to house the additional blocks needed without an extension.

As above, regular engineers won't have access to the G.Fast pod, just like they don't have access to the FTTC cabinets.

How do you propose service engineers connect customers copper circuits to the G.fast pods of the block terminals aren't in the PCP?

Who says they aren't in the PCP.
I said it would be an almighty mess having tie cables crossing from left to right, from pod to pod. PCP extensions are added for VDSL2 tie cables, for 2nd fibre twins.

Point stands. Show me a G.Fast pod with a PCP extension that DOESN'T have a 2nd fibre twin.
How big do you think a 100 pair block terminals is? Even with 2 x VDSL2 cabinets, a PCP extension, and a G.Fast pod, the G.Fast tie cables/block are in the PCP, not the extension.