FTTP installations - who's engineers?

My flat will soon have FTTP available to it, so I'm looking at what will be involved to get that installed. I'm currently on FTTC with Plusnet, and am in the habit of switching ISPs at the end of the contract to avoid price big price increases.

There have only been two occasions when an engineer has only done work on the copper line at my flat, and both times they didn't carry out the work correctly. Both times the engineer worked for Kelly, not Openreach themselves. My question is: do Openreach generally send their own engineers to do the fibre install, or do they tend to send contractors from another company? I'm obviously keen to avoid any problems with the FTTP install.

In reply to a post by andrum99:

do Openreach generally send their own engineers to do the fibre install, or do they tend to send contractors from another company?

Its a Russian roulette, I had an Openreach guy but I could have equally had a Kelly's engineer. If you order Sky I would say you're more likely to get an Openreach guy first to do the external work followed by a Sky guy to do the internals. I can't guarantee this but its my opinion.

Edited by PCJM40 (Thu 29-May-25 09:26:57)

Had CIrcet here in Ireland

I see. I've no intention of going with Sky, so it looks like I will just have to take my chances.

Thanks for the replies folks.

I have had good third party installers, and seen the bad. OpenReach tend to be OK/Good but there is still the occasional one where rough work is normal for them - I have again seen all levels.

My own FTTP was third party (cannot remember if it was Kelly or Quinn) - on the day, everything was done as I wanted, and looking back, just one very small niggle.

In reply to a post by andrum99:

My flat will soon have FTTP available to it, so I'm looking at what will be involved to get that installed. I'm currently on FTTC with Plusnet, and am in the habit of switching ISPs at the end of the contract to avoid price big price increases.

There have only been two occasions when an engineer has only done work on the copper line at my flat, and both times they didn't carry out the work correctly. Both times the engineer worked for Kelly, not Openreach themselves. My question is: do Openreach generally send their own engineers to do the fibre install, or do they tend to send contractors from another company? I'm obviously keen to avoid any problems with the FTTP install.

I have the same concern and I'm actually thinking of doing the cabling myself. Once Openreach installs the POE outside your flat's door, you'll know roughly where the entry point will be. You can just run the SC APC to SC APC fibre from that point to where you want the ONT to be installed. When the engineer comes round, just tell them to drill a hole from the PoE into your flat and plug your SC APC male into the receptacle. Show them the other end of the cable and tell them that's where you want the ONT to be installed.

Wait for them to string the flats with InvisiLight 12 and the PoEs first and then things will become much clearer to you.

Feel free to ask if anything I've said doesn't make sense.

Edited by squarecrumpets (Thu 29-May-25 13:19:47)

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

I have the same concern and I'm actually thinking of doing the cabling myself. Once Openreach installs the POE outside your flat's door, you'll know roughly where the entry point will be. You can just run the SC APC to SC APC fibre from that point to where you want the ONT to be installed. When the engineer comes round, just tell them to drill a hole from the PoE into your flat and plug your SC APC male into the receptacle. Show them the other end of the cable and tell them that's where you want the ONT to be installed.

Let me know how you get on with trying this as I will be amazed if you get a successful outcome from doing it. Lots of people put conduit and a pull string in place to make life easier but never seen anyone suggest this before.

Hmmm. Afraid not. They will happily use a customer supplied draw wire all day long, to pull in their own fibre, but they'll (officially at least) baulk at using a customer supplied bit of fibre cabling.

If it's an MDU that's been cabled using POEs and internal InvisiLight cabling, then that's what the installing engineer will run inside your flat. It will be them that supply it.

Remember it's "their" network until and including the actual ONT.

Just tell them where and how you want it run and chill out.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Hmmm. Afraid not. They will happily use a customer supplied draw wire all day long, to pull in their own fibre, but they'll (officially at least) baulk at using a customer supplied bit of fibre cabling.

If it's an MDU that's been cabled using POEs and internal InvisiLight cabling, then that's what the installing engineer will run inside your flat. It will be them that supply it.

Remember it's "their" network until and including the actual ONT.

Just tell them where and how you want it run and chill out.

I was going to use InvisiLight internally. The problem is it'll take at least half a day to route it behind all the furniture, secure to skirting board etc. It's not that easy. In that case I'd rather tell them to install the ONT near the entry point and move it myself afterwards.

The InvisiLight PoE should just provide a female SC connector so it'll be easy to swap out.

In reply to a post by squarecrumpets:

In that case I'd rather tell them to install the ONT near the entry point and move it myself afterwards.

Maybe you should have put a disclaimer on your post making it clear your recommendation wasn't strictly above board.