BT Cabinet Location

I live in a rural part of West Wales and the BT Broadband Availability Checker indicates that I am served by Cabinet 3 on the Newcastle Emlyn exchange (this exchange is scheduled to be fibre-enabled under the Superfast Cymru programme with the work scheduled to commence in December 2014).

Unfortunately, there does not seem to be many BT cabinets in my rural locality and they are also quite difficult to find. There is one cabinet about a mile from my property, completely obscured by an overgrown hedge, which I discovered recently because an OpenReach van was parked there. It�s quite old, bears the GPO logo and, as far as I can see, has no cabinet number displayed to identify it.

I assume BT would decline to provide location details of specific cabinets if asked so it looks as if I am in the dark unless someone has any other ideas that may assist?

It would also be useful to know how many cabinets are connected to my exchange if such information is readily available in the public domain � does anyone know?

Cabinet distance is irrelevant as lines on cabinet 3 are slated for FTTP I believe. Cabs 1,2, 4 & 5 are getting FTTC. Cab 6 and EO are missing out in current phasing.

I think this is cabinet 3
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.050016,-4.490838,3...

PCP 3

Thanks Mr Saffron (& Ribble). I have just visited the cab you have portrayed as being No.3; as expected, it has the P.O logo but does not bear a number to identify it. How can we be sure that it is Cab No. 3? Interestingly, this particular cab is about a mile further away from the one I initially located in an overgrown hedge. Here�s a copy of that one taken a couple of months ago before the hedge completely obscured it:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/umx8k4kr46xnd1h/109.JPG

I assume it is a BT cabinet as I�ve seen an OpenReach engineer working there and it�s exactly where my overhead line seems to then go underground. However, it seems to be a different style to the one you have identified even though it also bears a P.O. logo.

I�m quite surprised but delighted that you are able to advise what cabs on my exchange will be upgraded. Are you privy to such information because, as far as I�m aware, the Superfast Cymru team do not give out any details until a cab has been upgraded and ready to accept orders?

In any event, the majority of cab 3 lines are indeed quite long so FTTP would be feasible if things progress as you believe they will. However, I�m not holding my breath and still think the odds are that I will fall within the 5% category that will miss out.

You are doing better than most, the FTTP is not a guess but a part of their plan, but very subject to change at least being on the plan is vastly better than lots of postcodes. Confidence that that is your cabinet 85%.

Cab 2 https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.045035,-4.525245,3...

Where was this other cabinet on Google Maps?

Edited by MrSaffron (Thu 03-Jul-14 18:40:33)

Hi Andrew
Thanks for your perseverance.
The other cab that I found is at:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@52.055655,-4.48872,3a...

It's difficult to spot in the undergrowth (at base of hedge about 10 feet right of tree). It's on the B4333 road that has wide grass verges for a couple of miles on both sides (very easy to dig trenches for fibre optics for FTTP if it ever comes my way).

If what you are showing is Cab 2 outside The White Hart pub in Cenarth (also connected the Newcastle Emlyn exchange) - well that's about 3 miles away from me as the crow flies.

It just goes to show you how few and far apart the cabs are on a small rural market town exchange (approx. 1,700 lines). Other properties not too far away from me, although domiciled in the Newcastle Emlyn postal code area, are connected to other and even smaller rural exchanges. It's a complete mess that understandably has arisen from the legacy of the P.O telephone technology that was deemed sufficient when I was a younger man.