My postcode only comprises a couple of addresses so I'd feel iffy sharing it on the thread.

If any such kind soul is inclined to invite me to PM them then I would be extremely grateful.

Thanks for your replies, Pheasant.

In reply to a post by sjmonday:

I feel like I'm in limbo at the moment

So what have you been doing regards broadband up to this point? I am sure like many others you want to know exactly when its coming but don't get yourself into a position where you start believing you're in limbo as the solution is to carry on with your existing plans and if FTTP comes along then happy days.

I have a Huawei B535 4G router and an unlimited data sim. I don't have an active ADSL connection as 4G is marginally faster (7-14Mbps), although the 4G speed can plummet when my town is busy at the weekends.

I hear what you're saying. Getting an external 4G antenna installed to squeeze the most out of my cellular data connection is my plan if FTTP isn't coming, but it would be a shame to make that investment only to have FTTP go live in the coming months.

In reply to a post by sjmonday:

It's a house accessed by a short public footpath that branches off the main street. The existing copper line is ducted all the way from my house, under the footpath and back to the street. Many properties on the street are served by wall-mounted CBTs (my house isn't the only exception - I'm part of a small cluster without FTTP at the moment).

I don't think there would be a wayleave issue if the fibre takes the same route as my existing copper line. However, if OR want to run the fibre up the footpath along the adjacent property's exterior wall then I imagine they would need permission for that? Or maybe it's a matter of getting permission to install another CBT on someone's wall.

Just on nomenclature and how these matters are generally done. You may be confusing wall mounted customer service point (CSP) which are typically grey in colour with their black coloured CBTs (connectorised block terminal) counterparts - the latter are typically not mounted walls of houses (they are in a few limited circumstances) but mostly installed either inside footway chambers or on top of poles.

The CSP is the external connection point for a single dwelling. A CBT is effectively the fibre equivalent of a copper Distribution Point. It serves anywhere from 4 to 12 properties. A drop cable is installed from a CBT to the CSP to serve a single property. This can either be aerial or underground feed. If your copper comes in at either means then generally fibre will follow.

This what a footway mounted CBTs look like (not that you would see them typically). This is what pole mounted CBTs look like.

A CSP on the wall of a house typically looks like this. As the CSP is placed on private property (that of the customer) in a retrofit scenario Openreach will only install the CSP and the drop cable from the street once an order for an FTTP service has been placed by the customer. New build estates these days quite often already have fibre installed so the CSP is present before the occupants move in.

CBTs on the other hand are installed (generally speaking) on Openreach property - that is their poles or chambers. They don’t need anyone’s permission to do this. Wayleaves are required if they are required to mount their infrastructure on private property.

I've checked the reference pics you kindly shared and it is the case here that Openreach have mounted CBTs on property walls.

The 'main street' I referred is the town's High Street. There is a mixture of shops, flats and the odd house (incl. mine). The CBTs are generally installed above shop fronts and next to existing distribution points. Dropwires are routed along walls. There isn't a visible CBT covering the premises in my immediate vicinity, yet. Properties about 50m from me on either side have live FTTP and I can deduce the CBTs to which they're connected.

I obviously couldn't tell you why the CBTs have been installed on walls rather than in the plentiful footway boxes, but that is the approach OR seem to have taken.

Edited by sjmonday (Tue 01-Mar-22 08:59:37)

Interesting. You're not in Salisbury by any chance?

No, St Albans. I think our FTTP rollout is supposed to complete this year.

It seems CBTs mounted on property walls is not unusual, particularly on terraced streets and large subdivided houses.
See this thread with picture of one on a grade II listed building, tangled up with existing copper equipment. I bet Openreach didn't get Listed Building consent for that.

CBT on Wall

Yes I recall that post from Clive with the CBT on the old public records office in his home town. There have been some other folks unhappy with CBTs mounted on the walls of low rise MDUs, also recently posted at ISP review (link below). So yes mounting in this way is not exceptional.

I was aware Openreach had done something similar in Salisbury, but there they’d used different CBTs - a lower profile Corning unit rather than the standard type…

https://www.ispreview.co.uk/talk/threads/massive-cbt...

In reply to a post by Realalemadrid:

CBT on Wall

Yep, that's exactly what they look like in my part of town.

I'll send another enquiry to the Openreach fibre team now that their new go-live date of February has passed. I'll update this thread if I learn anything interesting.

Thanks for your replies, everyone!