In reply to a post by Bawlk:

or get in touch with your local MSP!

Telecoms are a reserved matter so one for the MP, not MSP.

In reply to a post by Woolwich:

In reply to a post by Bawlk:

or get in touch with your local MSP!

Telecoms are a reserved matter so one for the MP, not MSP.

You better tell Holyrood to stop the R100 programme of you think MSP's have nothing to do with broadband availability.

I still see many examples of MSPs involvement having a fair bit success with Openreach.

In reply to a post by wifigeek:

we did do this and paid for the site survey it is sadly where our 13k+ quote came from and the openreach engineer suggested _not_ using the ducts. I might do it again now that majority of the estate is enabled. the checker originally said could not quote.

Given the nature of the replies above which suggest there is nothing wrong with the duct infrastructure on your part of the estate, and that FTTP has now been enabled in the other parts, it would be worth raising again with Openreach via their availability checker enquiry form

Within the enquiry form reason, use the dropdown selection "I cannot get fibre but my neighbours can". You ought to get a meaningful response within a week to ten days. Failing this you could raise with the executive complaints team via the CEO's office.

awesome! will give that a go - thanks

we did this and got this back -

We don't have any plans to upgrade your area right now and the neighbours who are getting fibre have different routing, but we can keep you up to date when things change. To receive any future updates please go to our fibre checker, input your postcode, chose your address from the drop down, then scroll past the availability information and complete the Gigabit Fibre form and we’ll update you once plans change. www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband.



If you want to bring fibre to your property sooner, you could look at the option of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) on Demand. FTTP on demand is a product which a few select service providers offer, which will give you a full-fibre FTTP broadband, as a bespoke installation direct to your premises. It is available across the UK – even in areas that cannot reliably get FTTC.

I already had a FTTPoD quote from a year or two ago where they wanted to run telegraph poles over wasteland to us at a cost of £13k+ when the ducting exists on the front of the estate. In the same estate 4 or 5 doors down can get FTTP and a manhole exists between them and us.

In reply to a post by wifigeek:

I already had a FTTPoD quote from a year or two ago where they wanted to run telegraph poles over wasteland to us at a cost of £13k+ when the ducting exists on the front of the estate. In the same estate 4 or 5 doors down can get FTTP and a manhole exists between them and us.

Then you are quite likely to be able to get service under the reduced-rate near network trial, which runs until end of May. If you are, the price could come back as £2,620+VAT (example 1, example 2) - or more if a new splitter is required.

However to find out if you're eligible, you'll have to pay the non-refundable £250+VAT survey fee. Desktop quotes are unable to take the near network trial in to account - and desktop quotes are usually way out anyway.

(And if they still decide that they still need to reach you via the poles over the wasteland, then you've wasted the money)

Edited by candlerb (Tue 01-Feb-22 19:44:22)

does the near-network trial cover duct/underground or only overhead?

They don’t discriminate.

Just pointing out that ducted underground cabling is OK but Direct Buried Cables (DIG) is excluded from the trial.

See exclusions in Near Network Trial

Good point (for clarity for other possibly interested readers) but for the OP on a ducted estate built in 2017 then if the other criteria are met, then DIG ought not to be in the equation.

On the other hand, the “civils work” carve-out (in the OPs case telegraph poles) which would be required if they pursued the other route across the wasteland, so could be knocked out on those grounds, even if the other near network criteria are met.