In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

Ok, just to make you happy

Too late now as the thread list in the forum only shows the title of the opening post. Still looking for that mind-reading add-on utility.

When you find it, let me know

Typically it’s a diamond-tipped toothed blade (for wear resistance). They come in various grades/types for cutting concrete or bituminous surfaces.

The water is a dust suppressant (and possibly slight cooling too) but they can also be used dry - don’t know if you’ve ever had the misfortune of walking past someone using a Stihl-saw to cut up blockwork or paving slabs without a water can / hose attached - the dust can be immense.

Edited by Pheasant (Wed 03-Aug-22 10:12:38)

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

don’t know if you’ve ever had the misfortune of walking past someone using a Stihl-saw to cut up blockwork or paving slabs without a water can / hose attached - the dust can be immense.

Yes, they were digging for traffic lights near a customer and didn't have the water. The public on the pavements scattered as the dust looked like something from the Sahara !

Yep. It’s pretty antisocial if they don’t use water. Can leave a load of mess on peoples parked cars etc.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Typically it’s a diamond-tipped toothed blade (for wear resistance). They come in various grades/types for cutting concrete or bituminous surfaces.

The water is a dust suppressant (and possibly slight cooling too) but they can also be used dry - don’t know if you’ve ever had the misfortune of walking past someone using a Stihl-saw to cut up blockwork or paving slabs without a water can / hose attached - the dust can be immense.

No, I have never walked past one, but I can imaging what it would be like. I know my next door neighbour on the one side complained about the mess her car was in. it got a little dirty, she should have moved it.

Anyway, they have gone now, so it did not take long, the trench is filled in, they must have done that today as when I went out this morning the temp covers were still on it. I presume they have some sort of lining in it and will either blow the fibre in or it is already in place.

We now know about how the fibre is going to get to people's houses, it is going via the poles and not underground. I think that may be due to the fact a lot of houses here are lower than the path, I have to go down steps to my house, but then the other side is the opposite, so I don't know why they are using poles here when in parts of the city they have dug up peoples drives and gardens. I prefer the pole idea to be honest, less hassle.
It also seems that openreach fibre is not coming here as yet, I presume open reach are the only ones that can put the equipment on the poles.
So i am still a little confused, but not so much.

But I must admit , I am surprised how quick they have been., they are still going down the road.

They may have installed bundled microduct - through which they’ll blow the fibre bundles at some later point. It’s very fast to blow fibre once the infrastructure is in place.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

But I must admit , I am surprised how quick they have been., they are still going down the road.

Things have changed a bit since the coax cable days of 1990/91/92…. But those using Openreach PIA will be faster than the likes of CityFibre installing their own ducts. Unless of course Openreach has no duct (D.I.G. Areas)

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

They may have installed bundled microduct - through which they’ll blow the fibre bundles at some later point. It’s very fast to blow fibre once the infrastructure is in place.

Went out this morning as I had to pop into town, so I walked down the street and the trench goes from the pole by me, down the street a bit, then crosses the road, where it looks like it goes into an old G.P.O manhole and then there is another small trench from that to another pole. They have made no other trench in the street.

I presume open reach are the only ones that can put the equipment on the poles.

Any altnet using PIA can put their equipment on Openreach poles.
Openreach also use contractors for much of their fibre build.

Edited by witchunt (Thu 04-Aug-22 18:40:46)

Looks like it will be an aerial drop cable from the Openreach poles then - so not very much trenching required at all.

As said, there’s nothing stopping Openreach from deploying their FTTP in the same way. You would then, in the fullness of time, have an Openreach CBT on the serving pole quite possibly alongside something like a HellermannTyton AFN as the distribution point for Z.

That’s pretty normal where Openreach and one or more AltNets are serving in the same area.