FTTP Install Conundrum

Hi everyone,

Around 3 weeks ago FTTP went live on my street under the new USO scheme and I ordered the BT Full Fibre 900 package. We were then given a provisional install date for the 1 stage install around late March (many months away) but with having well below 30mbps and key workers in the household etc., we were told that a request would be put in to move up the date. After 1 week of waiting with for new news (having been told we'd get a text within 24hrs) I called BT again and they said the request never went in. I was then told to wait another 24hrs and I then received a text from Openreach that the install would be in a week (yesterday 23rd March), however after the engineer didn't turn up and another call with BT, I was once again informed that the request never actually went onto Openreach's system.
Then today I received a text saying:
"Please be advised we are unfortunately unable to offer an earlier appointment date for your full fibre installation as there is no availability. Previous amendments to the date have not been successful also for this reason. I apologise for any inconvenience caused."
I'm wondering if this is a common occurrence that others have experienced or what might of caused something like this to happen? The cynic in me thinks that the network isn't actually fully developed yet even though Openreach says it is, as I talked to an engineer who happened to be on my road today, who said he was just finishing up checking the connections for what seemed to be random houses. Perhaps they just needed the network to be live as it is was just 1 year before the initial USO request was put in. I'm probably just paranoid but just thought it was both an interesting and quite annoying situation to go through!

Thanks!

Have you been connected now or offered a new appointment? Are any of your neighbours connected?

The explanation they have given - that there was no appointment available and therefore not recorded with Openreach - makes no sense at all, since they *gave* you a confirmed appointment date and time.

The network in the street will almost certainly be ready. If it's been marked in the database as ready to order, this doesn't happen until all the other stages have been done (including audit).

However, there could be a systems problem - something not recorded in the database properly - or a missing or misconfigured interconnect at the head-end exchange.

(When I got my FTTPoD, the initial setup failed because the SVLAN hadn't been configured properly at the exchange. Actually I think it had been configured originally, but the install had taken so long that it had been deleted!)

Anyway, you need your provider to push this through with Openreach. Despite owning Openreach, BT as a service provider doesn't have a great reputation in dealing with such issues. You might want to try ordering through a more competent service provider.

Make sure to ask for a couple of free WiFi extender disks for your trouble.

Sorry for the late reply.
A few houses on my road (including my neighbour yesterday) have had their fibre installed. Currently waiting for an install on the 19th which is a bit annoying everything considered but it is what it is. Also got a £25 credit due to the missed appointment.
Been calling up every few days after being told by both the lady at BT and the neighbours engineer in case a new appointment become available, but no luck so far.

Edited by deleted (Fri 02-Apr-21 13:44:44)

IF this is a USO build he can only order it through BT as only BT and KCC offer USO services

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

IF this is a USO build he can only order it through BT as only BT and KCC offer USO services

Pretty sure I can order off other ISPs aswell eg. Zen?

In reply to a post by superfire:

In reply to a post by Fastman3:

IF this is a USO build he can only order it through BT as only BT and KCC offer USO services

Pretty sure I can order off other ISPs aswell eg. Zen?

You'll know better than most people here. This is definitely USO, not CFP?

I presume that the person who placed the initial USO order will have placed it with BT. But if the delivery has made FTTP available at other properties in your street, they'll be able to to order from any provider.

I think we'd all be interested to learn about your experience with USO. I didn't understand from your original post where you spoke to an engineer "just 1 year before the initial USO request was put in". Did you mean 1 year *after*?

Yes sorry 1 year after!

I believe I was the first one to put in the USO request (23rd March 2020) however I don't doubt others on my street applied as well.

In terms of the actual install it's been quite interesting. A few months after receiving a generic message from BT saying that the USO application was approved and that an infrastructure upgrade would occur, we were randomly added to a FTTC cabinet (although not that helpful as it instantly filled up and it was over a few km away). I was worried that this would mean BT could justify that they met the requirements of USO, however after a few emails to Openreach they confirmed that there was still a build due to happen in 2021.

For a few months nothing really happened until contractors started pulling fibre through the ducting and putting up CBTs (around Feb I think?), despite Openreach's online checker saying there was no planned works. (Side note: I used Openreach's online fibre availability form to ask for another ETA around 2 months ago, and only just got a reply around a week ago saying that it was now available which I thought was quite funny).

After I was told by some engineers that they were practically finished putting in all the equipment I actually received a random text from BT saying that engineers had started the infrastructure upgrade which I thought just showed how much of a disconnect both within OR itself and between OR, BT and their customers.

After asking a fair few engineers on the road what they reckoned the ETA for delivery was, as well as writing a script to monitor the wholesale checker for any changes, the service became available on the 7th March 2021. Then came the whole fiasco with the install dates etc.

I should probably note that we're in quite an odd position as we are actually a fairly urban road that, to my knowledge, was one of the only roads within a few miles radius without a fibre service, presumably as there are only houses on one side so it wasn't worth laying fibre before, even though the ducting was already in place (for CFP they quoted us around 25k for 21 houses pre-survey).

Anyways that's more or less the timeline of what happened and I've definitely learnt to have some patience throughout, although hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

In reply to a post by superfire:

Yes sorry 1 year after!

I believe I was the first one to put in the USO request (23rd March 2020) however I don't doubt others on my street applied as well.

In terms of the actual install it's been quite interesting. A few months after receiving a generic message from BT saying that the USO application was approved and that an infrastructure upgrade would occur, we were randomly added to a FTTC cabinet (although not that helpful as it instantly filled up and it was over a few km away). I was worried that this would mean BT could justify that they met the requirements of USO, however after a few emails to Openreach they confirmed that there was still a build due to happen in 2021.

For a few months nothing really happened until contractors started pulling fibre through the ducting and putting up CBTs (around Feb I think?), despite Openreach's online checker saying there was no planned works. (Side note: I used Openreach's online fibre availability form to ask for another ETA around 2 months ago, and only just got a reply around a week ago saying that it was now available which I thought was quite funny).

After I was told by some engineers that they were practically finished putting in all the equipment I actually received a random text from BT saying that engineers had started the infrastructure upgrade which I thought just showed how much of a disconnect both within OR itself and between OR, BT and their customers.

After asking a fair few engineers on the road what they reckoned the ETA for delivery was, as well as writing a script to monitor the wholesale checker for any changes, the service became available on the 7th March 2021. Then came the whole fiasco with the install dates etc.

I should probably note that we're in quite an odd position as we are actually a fairly urban road that, to my knowledge, was one of the only roads within a few miles radius without a fibre service, presumably as there are only houses on one side so it wasn't worth laying fibre before, even though the ducting was already in place (for CFP they quoted us around 25k for 21 houses pre-survey).

Anyways that's more or less the timeline of what happened and I've definitely learnt to have some patience throughout, although hopefully it'll all work out in the end.

Unless you've got it in legal contract form that your USO is with BT and that any service from this scheme must be with them, once the Native FTTP system goes live it's my understanding you can order from any service provider who has the upgraded GEA Cable Links at the Headend Exchange.

The whole point of OR being separated to an extent from BT Consumer / Business is to ensure that we have a competitive marketplace and as this service is being delivered through Openreach normal game rules apply