CF is available here too. But their packages are too inflexible. No option for static IP or VAT invoicing for businesses who don't need full leased line guarantees (and consequent pricing). So won't even consider them let alone give them wayleave as a result of their short-sightedness. Furthermore, if I wanted that level of business offer, ITS Technology would be a better option in this area. So CF is nonstarter, which is a shame because their physical network is great.

Today should be the final day of the install. All the ducts have been unblocked and the internal work at my house is complete. They have to put a box on the telephone pole and bring fibre across to my house. I'm hoping it all gets completed today.

So the first bit of my area is now live, about 5-6 weeks after pole-top boxes first appeared, and 3 months almost to the day from the first microduct on poles.

It's not the area where CF started first, but it is the area Openreach are closest to lighting up. Who knows how long that will take, all that really matters is that CF have beaten them to market.

I wonder if backhaul from the OLT is not yet at full capacity - the 3Gbps option is not offered. Not that anyone really needs it, mind you...

In reply to a post by ft247:

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Is there a reverse PIA charge back to OR for a customer (service provider) to clean up their duct network for them!? 😎

Further to this, Openreach would be wise not to pay it in at least one case...

Community Fibre had several holes in the footpath on my street sorting out collapsed Openreach duct last month. It's a single run of Duct 54 (or some older version of approx. 100mm duct), and that section until this year contained only one or two 50 or 100 pair cables.

After at least two visits Community Fibre got their 7-way tube bundle down it. Last week fibre units were blown to all poles on my street.

Today I found Openreach making more (and bigger) holes in pretty much the same places Community Fibre did...

So either CF unblocked it 'enough' to get their stuff through but no more... or Openreach PIA didn't talk to Openreach FTTP and they sent a team out based on an old survey, who duly dug up the bit they were asked to in order to get paid.

Openreach installed CBTs on poles in my street a few weeks ago. I got the impression they pulled the tails back to the end of the street - but they are scheduled to dig that same bit of footway up again in the next few days.

If they do turn up and dig, it will be the fourth or fifth time between OR and CF that the same patch has been excavated.

There have been delays further downstream so it's still not activated. I should know more later this week. No real urgency on my side as I'm still in contract with my existing provider until next month. There is a lot of work being done in the area at the moment by them . I'm curious what the backhaul will be like.

That's what the Openreach subbies did on my road. The CBT tails were all pulled to a footway box at the end of the road where the splitters are.

In reply to a post by roundrobin:

There have been delays further downstream so it's still not activated. I should know more later this week. No real urgency on my side as I'm still in contract with my existing provider until next month. There is a lot of work being done in the area at the moment by them . I'm curious what the backhaul will be like.

How have you found your leased line service? Did you have to pay any ECCs as its only a 12 month contract you are on?

In reply to a post by ft247:

So the first bit of my area is now live, about 5-6 weeks after pole-top boxes first appeared, and 3 months almost to the day from the first microduct on poles.

It's not the area where CF started first, but it is the area Openreach are closest to lighting up. Who knows how long that will take, all that really matters is that CF have beaten them to market.

I wonder if backhaul from the OLT is not yet at full capacity - the 3Gbps option is not offered. Not that anyone really needs it, mind you...

My area went live on the 1st (daily checking...) and ordered straight away. No BT FTTP but I'll laugh if all of a sudden, the Upton Park exchange is in scope for OR FTTP soon.

I get offered a 3Gbps option round here. £99 is a damn good price if I needed it...

Edited by branflakes (Thu 03-Jun-21 10:33:58)

It's been great except for a couple of days in February when there was a routing issue by SSE. Other than that rock solid at all times. I didn't have to pay any ECCs and I paid the same amount as if I was in a 3 year contract. A win win

In reply to a post by simon194:

That's what the Openreach subbies did on my road. The CBT tails were all pulled to a footway box at the end of the road where the splitters are.

It is a much faster method of deployment which manages to make good use of less skilled labour - I can see why Openreach went for it.

The downsides are: multiple cables down the pole (versus one microduct for CF), an increased number of pole-top items (12 port max? on an Openreach CBT, 24 in the CF equipment), and some reduced future flexibility (there will be spare tubes in the CF underground plant).

The cynic in me says that downsides 1 and 2 happen to attract a PIA charge per item but are of no concern to Openreach - thus encouraging PIA-based competitors to use slower deployment methods.