Internal wiring degrades at a much lower rate than external anything. Blocks of flats where existing copper wiring runs through flats to adjacent flats which makes running fibre a difficult and complex task, especially historically with the difficulties in getting relevant permissions from landlords and management companies.

At the end of the day all that matters is does the connection work reliably and at speed. CityFibre (I think) do the last drop in flats with Cat5e because a wired ethernet connection is just as good a fibre connection. Mind you using Cat5e is a boneheaded decision if you ask me Cat6a would have been so much more future proofed. Though the introduction of NBaseT does given them a 2.5Gbps upgrade option I guess.

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

CityFibre (I think) do the last drop in flats with Cat5e because a wired ethernet connection is just as good a fibre connection.

Cityfibre don't, but you're probably thinking of Hyperoptic.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

In reply to a post by jabuzzard:

CityFibre (I think) do the last drop in flats with Cat5e because a wired ethernet connection is just as good a fibre connection.

Cityfibre don't, but you're probably thinking of Hyperoptic.

This ^

Though Hyperoptic have switched from using Cat5e to using fibre for most installs now.

In reply to a post by j0hn83:

Though Hyperoptic have switched from using Cat5e to using fibre for most installs now.

I'd say it has reached the point where the costs of switches every floor or two (and the electrical installation to power them, electricity consumed etc.) are higher than an OLT in the basement or indeed further down the road shared between several buildings.

The Cat5e itself isn't going to be a problem for a while yet.

I would agree that it's likely that a wayleave to install a passive network is far easier to arrange than siting of active equipment, arranging for power supplies to be installed, and then paying landlords for that power. Also the changes to the Openreach EAD product pricing probably didn't help.

Edited by jpm (Sun 22-Aug-21 19:14:03)

In reply to a post by jpm:

I would agree that it's likely that a wayleave to install a passive network is far easier to arrange than siting of active equipment, arranging for power supplies to be installed, and then paying landlords for that power. Also the changes to the Openreach EAD product pricing probably didn't help.

Wouldn’t Hyperoptic use their own fibre network, rather than an Openreach EAD circuit?

Probably using PIA now but I don't know for sure. I'm 100% sure they used to deliver EAD to each site and then install a switch, though.

Interesting to know. I guess the ‘surcharge’ OR announced last December for these types of uses of EAD hastened their change.

I've been speaking to Hyperoptic about getting my building done and they said Invisilight is the default for internal installs now.

In my previous building they used Cat5e with one switch on the ground floor serving 42 flats over 6 stories. No need for a switch every floor or two unless it's a huge building.

Given the difficulty I've experienced getting the managing agent and landlord to cooperate, I can see MGfast being a pretty sensible option for many existing blocks. Even in my current block where Hyperoptic are drawing up an install proposal, they can't work out how to connect the last two flats. The Openreach wiring may well run through one to get to the other making it essentially impossible to do an internal install.

Given that would entail Hyperoptic to enter into a type of sub loop unbundling arrangement with Openreach to use their copper lead-in cabling, I think it highly, highly unlikely from a commercial perspective and also given their wider focus is on delivering “full fibre” connections.