Quick update...

Cerberus report most of the necessary work has been done: Latest update from Openreach indicates that all build work has been completed and light loss readings obtained. We are waiting systems to be updated correctly with these results. Once this has been completed successfully an audit will be requested prior to submitting your order into commissioning. The next Update will be on 26.07.22 , which will be updated by the allocator on the portal.

I'm hopeful I will be able to book the final connection, soon. But I have been stuck at this status for two weeks now.

Ironically, even though I decided not to bother to seek my neighbours input for a group order, I saw an OR contractor blowing fibre outside my house a few of weeks ago and got very excited. Turns out that my immediate neighbour was having their FTTPoD installed and have been waiting a LONG time for it.

Still, if I can go from order to install in about 6-9months total I think that will be a terrific result.

In the meantime, 5G with an external directional antenna (we're located in the countryside outside a small town) has served me very well, even for latency sensitive use cases like FPS gaming, so it took the pressure off my requirement for the fibre to be done quickly.

Turns out that my immediate neighbour was having their FTTPoD installed and have been waiting a LONG time for it.

Too late now, but if you’d known then you could have had native FTTP installed gratis once your immediate neighbours FoD went live. Presuming of course your both fed from the same CBT.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Turns out that my immediate neighbour was having their FTTPoD installed and have been waiting a LONG time for it.

Too late now, but if you’d known then you could have had native FTTP installed gratis once your immediate neighbours FoD went live. Presuming of course your both fed from the same CBT.

I think the OP likely wouldn't of benefited from it by the sound of it if they had left their neighbour to it. If the neighbours project captured the OP's property, surely the OP's order would not of progresed?

Possibly yes, possibly no. As the neighbours FoD connection hasn’t been built / by the sounds of it they were roughly quoted in parallel. So one not dependant on the other. Unlike say a planned commercial deployment - which would flag up to the planning team when the FoD was being quoted.

Almost the last update... I hope.

An engineer attended 11th November 2022 to try and complete final connection from the CBT placed on the pole opposite side of the road from my property and failed because the duct was blocked about 1M from the chamber just outside my property.

He requested Civils Avoidance (gulley sucking) to clear out the chamber of crud and try and unblock the last 1M of the duct.

Finally, 6 vehicles turned up yesterday...

Traffic management truck,
Van with Hoist,
Gulley sucking vehicle,
3 Openreach Vans.

Installation engineer arrived first very surprised that the duct needed clearing and was about to leave when everyone else arrived. The classic lack of communication and coordination was all one expects from Openreach . Everyone who attends the premises has always been pleasant and competent but their overall coordination as an organisation... crikey.

Once the road was closed outside my house they managed to unblock the duct, clean out the chamber and get the fibre up the pole and back to my front door where I now have an ONT with a glowing green PON light and confirmation that the fibre is lit back to the exchange. Hooray.

Just waiting for Cerberus to do their final activation now. All in all, just over 12mo from Survey request to installation (provided the activation all works!).

In reply to a post by psimon63:

Just waiting for Cerberus to do their final activation now. All in all, just over 12mo from Survey request to installation (provided the activation all works!).

Fingers crossed! For me, it was just under 48 hours from ONT installed to PPPoE coming up.

In reply to a post by psimon63:

The classic lack of communication and coordination was all one expects from Openreach . Everyone who attends the premises has always been pleasant and competent but their overall coordination as an organisation... crikey.

There are lots of ex and present BT and Openreach folks that frequent the forums, so I try too be as respectful as possible - but as a customer (personal and business products) - I completely concur!!

In reply to a post by psimon63:

Once the road was closed outside my house they managed to unblock the duct, clean out the chamber and get the fibre up the pole and back to my front door where I now have an ONT with a glowing green PON light and confirmation that the fibre is lit back to the exchange. Hooray.

Just waiting for Cerberus to do their final activation now. All in all, just over 12mo from Survey request to installation (provided the activation all works!).

Oh and welcome to the "I survived FTTP on Demand delivery with my sanity intact club"!

You're very nearly there! Good luck.

Edited by Pheasant (Sat 07-Jan-23 13:55:55)

Absolutely. I've nothing but respect and admiration for all the people I've met from Openreach who were genuinely doing their best to get me connected and all very willing to share info with me when I showed an interest about how it all hooked together and where the aggregation node was etc.

The first engineer was genuinely crestfallen to fail when I told him he wouldn't be able to avoid the duct via his suggested workaround to get me connected via an overhead feed because my property is a listed building.

It's just a giant organisation and you can only be a bit sad when all the well meaning people doing a hard job out in the elements collide with the bureaucracy.

Edited by psimon63 (Sat 07-Jan-23 14:09:24)

My employer recently placed an order for FTTPoD for me through their wholesale agreement. I think I might have broken a few records: -

Final quote came out at over £135,000.

Oh well. FTTP Fibre First checker says "Not yet available". My area IS being built right now, with assurances from Openreach via my councillor that my street is definitely included.

I am in a no duct, no pole street, with abolsutely zero alternatives.