Those sheep need orderly queues...

Proper answer is the pole is by the side of a busy but narrow main road with no pavement or curb but adjacent to a field. The fibre cable has to then cross the road to my house.

The landowner didn�t mind, but Openreach person got stuck in a field already and didn�t want to do it again. So has to be from the main road and apparently they cannot do that without traffic lights to block one carriageway.

On the face of it seems odd just to test the pole. They need access to the base of the pole before they can climb it.

Probably out of test date .... had one today, not been tested since 2003, couldn�t get a hoist to it. Part of the pre climb check innit.

Get it tested, if it passes, then it�s good to climb, if it fails, then asset assurance come replace it ...

Yes, out of date test certificate. Apparently a form A55 has been raised for traffic lights and a hoist.

As I am the first person to order FTTP on the whole run I do question the wisdom of putting fibre nodes on telegraph poles without checking if they are up to scratch. It would be logical to replace / certify at the same time.

Now I just have to wait for the council, OpenReach and then BT Wholesale to do their thing. A few more weeks at least I expect

In reply to a post by boxst:

Yes, out of date test certificate. Apparently a form A55 has been raised for traffic lights and a hoist.

As I am the first person to order FTTP on the whole run I do question the wisdom of putting fibre nodes on telegraph poles without checking if they are up to scratch. It would be logical to replace / certify at the same time.

Now I just have to wait for the council, OpenReach and then BT Wholesale to do their thing. A few more weeks at least I expect

They usually check them first. But i've seen it happen. Don't think the poles have been as good since they banned the good chemicals

Here I am three weeks later and am quite surprised at the disorganisation of Openreach. I have read tales on here, but have always had generally a good experience.

Zen escalated the install within Openreach to get it going again but every phone call I have had from them has been incredibly frustrating, They are fixated on replacing a condemned pole, but do not realise where it is (other side of the road) or that they could also just get a hoist to install the fibre. The last call on Friday was with a subcontractor who wanted to come to my house and replace the pole �on my land�: Was half tempted to tell him to come, but instead patiently explained where the pole was and now they have to go back at talk to the management as that might require traffic lights. So we are back to where we were three weeks ago.

Any suggestions as to what to do?

Just to say the actual Openreach engineer who originally tried to do the install was great and he even appeared last week as he was in the area to see how I was getting on.

Think I would have let him come out, if this subcontractor is going to be the person who actually replaces the pole (across the road) at least he would have first hand knowledge of where the pole actually is.

Well, Openreach replaced the pole opposite after I complained some three weeks after the initial aborted install. And a couple of days later the second install was arranged.

On Monday morning two vans turn up to do the install, discussed where I wanted the ONT and then wandered outside. A few minutes later came back, said it was a busy road and they couldn�t do the install without traffic lights. Unbelievable.

I�m so frustrated. Ordered on January 12th, three visits (engineer, pole people, two engineers) and now have to wait for them to get permission from the council for traffic management. I�m astounded a company can work like this as the road, position of my house and what is needed hasn�t changed from the notes on Bt wholesale (�busy road, needs two engineers�) and the first visit.

Is there and existing dropwire to your property ? Why couldn�t they just cut and draw that with the fibre ??

What�s the speed limit on the road outside ?

Hi

Yes there is a drop wire and I think they were going to do that anyway. The problem is that they didn't want to climb the pole, but use a ladder and (quite reasonably) didn't want to put that on the road. They could have gone to the field, but didn't want to drag the ladders for a couple of hundred meters or go over the hedge.

An exciting photo of the pole in question for your viewing pleasure

http://www.sadandlonely.com/fttppole.JPG