Wait for FTTP or change provider

Got the annual dance going on with Sky where they try to raise the cost of their FTTC provision about 30%, I get 32/8 if I am lucky.

Openreach seem to be going mental round my area, got the egg boxes on the poles and some poles have had extra fibre equipment added, the one right outside my house now have a fibre overhead sticker and an eggbox (Doesn't seem to have a fibre cable on it though)

So the question is if I sign up to Openreach for FTTC while waiting do they just convert that contract to FTTP when ready?, would also look at TalkTalk but their customer service is sooo bad and I WFH, can't rely on that whilst I wait for FTTP

I'd ask for timeframes for FTTP but the answer is probably "How long is your piece of string"

So the question is if I sign up to Openreach for FTTC while waiting do they just convert that contract to FTTP when ready?

No. Your service provider has to request it. Many will allow a mid term upgrade and restart the contract again but that may not apply to all service providers so check 1st.

thanks, looks like I will sit tight in that case and keep doing the check on bt wholesale 10 times a day

Hi,
Not sure if you checked already but have you looked on the openreach Availability checker which may give you some information if not it is possible to get in touch with Openreach and ask them for timescales, I know i was given some however that was by the CEO directly so is a whole other story, I would give them a try if the normal form response team dont help you could try contacting the senior team as they can often help.

Hope that helps in some way, I know myself that being in limbo is expensive. I would tell you though that if there is no fibre optic cable on the poles there's a chance its a long way away as they always but those "egg boxes" so you know called CBT's up there way before they even run fibre.
If i were you i would check what your Mobile phone signal is like on different operators and if you can get a decent speed try a one month contract on a low plan taking a look on USwitch for the best deals and if the speeds are good then you could in theory run of that to lower costs however that's your choice and no one i would take lightly.

I can tell you I have two phone masts 4G near me and I have had to rule that out as 40 Gigs a day over that is going to be a struggle, so you have to consider your usage. It might be worth looking at one month contracts on FTTC then moving however you want to check those costings, I know if i were you i would either move to talktalk, ZEN or BT even if customer service is not good with two of those as I compared the prices and the gigabit option on BT works out at the lowest price however if you want half of that BT and ZEN will cost more than TalkTalk.

My main concern for you is the upgradability as i heard of some talktalk customers being unable or struggling with upgrading as talktalk did not really want to change them over. I cannot comment about recent times as i simply don't know however I would consider your costs as chances are at that stage you have months as usually the installation date is a month away from the date you can order so it really is a long time which can raise the bill.

I know FTTP is coming to me by september 2022 and i don't know if i should renew with virgin media or if i should leave and join FTTC or even a 4G or 5G if available unlimited plan temporally so it really is a decision you should not take lightly as it can cost hundreds extra to keep out of contract but you should know that the possibilities of the fibre arriving could be days to months it really depends.

I just felt like saying that so you knew what you were going to go through, I know I can't wait to leave cable its been the worst experience i have ever had ,my previous FTTP experience was brilliant and was with Orange Fibre networks so the possibilities are there and they are brilliant so don't look back that's one thing i will say.


Let me know if you want any details and i'll be happy to answer.

Sky do mid-contract upgrades but they have been known to be a bit slow at offering FTTP when it does become available through other ISPs. Some reporting several weeks before they can order.

thanks all, Sky is a no as they don't do Gigafibre.

My exchange EADER is actively being rolled out, just not my road yet, can't be too long I hope as I am seeing more and more black circles on the thinkbroadband FTTP map close to me, I am definitely in an area to be upgraded (By March lol) but not sure if it will be days/weeks or months, the wholesale checker just says :

*The premise/line is associated with exchange which is NOT part of current fibre priority programme.

The premise/line is associated with exchange where WLR is not withdrawn.

The premise/line is associated with exchange where SOADSL service is restricted.

FTTP is not available.

*but i know we are

Talktalk would be a risk, I ended up with a lot of compensation from them when they screwed up my FTTC transfer to them, cancelled it in the end, but they do seem to do the best value packages

One thing i would definitely consider would be ZEN they may have higher prices even more than BT but they can do gigabit and they support upgrades and also have the best customer service i am told.
I know if something went wrong i would want to be with them.
Take a look at their prices and give them a call and ask them if they can lower the price for FTTP if you join earlier on VDSL, I know they can its more a matter of what openreach charge them.

But if you want a good deal ring them before the start of next month as the agents usually have lots of "special deals" each month that you might be able to get. I know I didn't get unlimited text, calls, data on SIM with M100 and talk weekend calls on virgin media without some good negotiation down to £29 a month ( and that was mid contract where it was £35 a month before so officially i had no leverage) so it's possible if you know how to get them to give a better deal, I know I have had lots of practice at it so use a variety of different ways.

I know i can get that package above with a quicker speed of gigabit for €30 a month with another provider so i know they can lower the costs if they want.

In reply to a post by RR_The_IT_Guy:

I know i can get that package above with a quicker speed of gigabit for €30 a month with another provider so i know they can lower the costs if they want.

What provider is quoting you in euros?

I believe from another thread that was Orange in France, so not a direct UK comparable.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

I believe from another thread that was Orange in France, so not a direct UK comparable.

Why am I not surprised