Openreach and improved Superfast checker

Maybe I've really lost the plot but how can any company (Openreach) say they have an improved Superfast BB checker and all it does is impart the same useless information as the one before.

Things are starting to move forward (I'd like to think so) with getting fibre to the village (ducts being cleared, even Onlincolnshire says a new cabinet is currently being built) so why is it so difficult to get an estimated installation date from Openreach. Currently, if I input my address or phone number on their site I get "Enabled area Your area is enabled for Superfast Fibre but your cabinet is not ready yet so you can't place an order today. It is in our plans to be upgraded and we update this info weekly, so please check back later." Yeah, right on!

You really would think that it was a top secret mission with the military involved. It certainly doesn't impress me as to Openreach's capabilities when they cannot even give an estimated date for installation. Presumably they do everything on an ad hoc basis. Just glad i don't use them for business if that really is the case.

Do I feel fobbed off? Certainly, because that is the way it comes across. And to think I'm paying for this via my taxes. All I'd like is a date please Openreach. Currently, the website checker is as much use as a wet ....!

And you obviously understand very little about the programme and projects behind implementing FTTC/FTTP services. The complexity, the need to change plans as either a task completed early or late because of unforeseen issues or staff availability.

Plus, they have reined back the information because whingers were complaining to the ASA.

Since your update is almost certainly being provided for and paid for by your council and BDUK it is to these bodies that you need to address your complaint. BT isn't authorised to provide the information you require.

sugfgest you start with your BDUK region wedsite for starters that will be the most uptopdate for any BDUk area

assuming you are covered by the BDUK programme please note its not all funded by goverment as you as misinfofmed all public money is matched by operatir ubject to aid intensity rules and other such rlules indicate in this case openteach

Please also be aware that only those cabs that a considered good value of public money will be enabled as part of the BDUK programme

As I often say in similar circumstances

"would you like me to spend my time giving you endless updates on what I'm doing, what I've done and what I'm about to do or would you rather I spend my time actually doing the job instead?"

I was not aware we paid towards broadband rollout via our taxes..

In reply to a post by AAuser27:

I was not aware we paid towards broadband rollout via our taxes..

The Government, through Broadband Delivery UK (BDUK), initially set aside £530 million of public funding to help BDUK reach 90 percent of premises by 2016. Each local authority evaluated bidders (during the procurement stage) before awarding the contracts.

The Superfast Extension Programme (SEP) (which includes a new phase of procurement which is due to conclude early next year) is the next step in the Government�s programme. SEP represents a further £250 million investment with an ambition to extend Superfast Broadband to 95 per cent of the UK by the end of 2017.

Link.

In reply to a post by MHC:

And you obviously understand very little about the programme and projects behind implementing FTTC/FTTP services. The complexity, the need to change plans as either a task completed early or late because of unforeseen issues or staff availability.

Plus, they have reined back the information because whingers were complaining to the ASA.

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced there would be a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That goal was achieved on July 20, 1969. The complexity of that task must have been huge and yet one giant leap happened on time; in fact six months earlier than thought.

By comparison getting FTTC/FFTP to customers by a suggested date must be a walk in the park. So the OP does have a point without being lectured about not understanding the trials and tribulations of large engineering projects.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced there would be a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That goal was achieved on July 20, 1969. The complexity of that task must have been huge and yet one giant leap happened on time; in fact six months earlier than thought.

By comparison getting FTTC/FFTP to customers by a suggested date must be a walk in the park. So the OP does have a point without being lectured about not understanding the trials and tribulations of large engineering projects.

True, I have been told to keep checking the Where and When Page by BTOR via email and BT over the phone and email and the following:

It�s where we publish the very latest fibre coverage information and we update it weekly.

So if this is true then they "could" add some extra info in there apart from just "Under Review", "Enabled Area" and so on, but add something like what the issues may be, where they are for that rollout, it doesn't need to have a completion date on it, just something to show stuff is going on and not those same default messages for a year.

So if its updated on a weekly basis then they could add some extra info instead of the default option in the list.

But having the current BTOR Where and when page is better than having nothing, even though it breaks a lot

Paul

The Openreach Superfast Broadband Checker for our exchange said at Christmas that superfast broadband should be enabled within 6 months (end June), as of 18th May we're told it should be enabled within 6 months???? Talking about moving goal posts. Clearly no proper planning or a complete lack of understanding of the importance of providing consumers with realistic communication.

In reply to a post by Fastman2:

all public money is matched by operatir ubject to aid intensity rules and other such rlules indicate in this case openteach

Not matched necessarily. BT could be putting in a relatively small percentage.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced there would be a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That goal was achieved on July 20, 1969. The complexity of that task must have been huge and yet one giant leap happened on time; in fact six months earlier than thought.

They didn't need to make a profit and had some high funding in order to beat the Russians. These things are possible if the funding and drive are there to do it - I would suggest this is very different to a company that has shareholders.

In reply to a post by trolleybus:

On May 25, 1961, President John F. Kennedy announced there would be a man on the moon by the end of the decade. That goal was achieved on July 20, 1969. The complexity of that task must have been huge and yet one giant leap happened on time; in fact six months earlier than thought.

Fifty years on, the memory might lead you to believe that one giant leap happened. It didn't. There were thousands, millions, of little leaps that all culminated in the big one.

After all, Apollo 8 got within 60 miles of the moon surface, so the bulk of Apollo 11 was really only a copy of what had gone before; the "new stuff" was only in the last few steps. A very memorable bit, though.

However, that wasn't Apollo 8's original mission. Instead of going to, and orbiting, the moon, they should have stayed in earth orbit, and tested docking with a lunar module.

Unfortunately, the lunar module wasn't ready in time (lots of unexpected faults cropped up), and NASA had to juggle around the various Apollo missions in order to keep to the end-1969 deadline. Apollo 8's mission was a newly-invented one to test a command module without a lunar module, and to test launch of a fully lunar-capable mission by Saturn V. Apollo 9 ended up testing the LM in earth orbit.

Meanwhile, NASA didn't have faith in the Saturn V for the launch of Apollo 8 - which would be its first use in manned flight (Apollo 7 used a different Saturn model for Earth orbit only). Problems shown up in unmanned Apollo 6, severe oscillation and engine shutdowns, were still being figured out and fixed in the couple of months before launch, and were being tested only 3 days beforehand.

NASA agreed to the changes to Apollo 8, but chose not to tell the public at first. At least not until Apollo 7 was complete. I guess keeping the public up-to-date with the latest project shuffles wasn't foremost in their minds. Keeping the end-deadline, within budget, was firmly in that position.

In those regards, Apollo make for a great example of adaptation to cope with individual problems, just like we see in the FTTC programme. When problems are encountered at any one location, the manpower is redirected into something else while the problem gets sorted out at leisure. The glorious end goal, though, doesn't seem to get delayed.

In fact, the commercial deployment hits its targets 2 years ahead of the original schedule. I see hints that the BDUK one may be early too; work will still be going on, but the 90% coverage target looks likely to be hit.

It seems that the Apollo programme provides a perfect example of how the FTTC programme needs to behave.

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

In fact, the commercial deployment hits its targets 2 years ahead of the original schedule.

Not entirely true, some of the commercial deployment got put on hold in mid install, in favour for the BDUK work, well the some of the Commercial FTTP Project down my road a several side roads did back end of 2011.

BT and BTOR confirmed that our "Commercial FTTP Project" is due to be completed soon and was sorry for the delays and that there are a lot of the commercial deployment that was put on hold that they are coming back to complete.

Its only now that they are starting to come back to complete what they started a while back.

But yeah, I have to agree that they are doing very well and have done rather a lot of installs considering what's involved in some areas.

Paul

In reply to a post by PaulKirby:

In reply to a post by WWWombat:

In fact, the commercial deployment hits its targets 2 years ahead of the original schedule.

Not entirely true, some of the commercial deployment got put on hold in mid install, in favour for the BDUK work, well the some of the Commercial FTTP Project down my road a several side roads did back end of 2011.

That's why I was careful with my choice of words.

The commercial rollout continues, even now, and would appear to be continuing into 2017.

However, the stated commercial target was to reach two-thirds of the UK by the end of 2015. They then pulled the timescale back, and then reached two-thirds of the UK (19 million) in March 2014 (so "2 years" was a bit of an over-statement).

But ... the commercial target was indeed reached. That programme also continues, extending coverage beyond the original targets. Its just that there has been no statement from BT about how much more they intend to do - beyond one press release for infill coverage in 30 cities - and I guess any such statement would now get hopelessly confused amongst the BDUK rollout.

Around 6 months ago, when both BT and BDUK were talking about passing 40,000 properties for BDUK projects, the actual run rate was around 60,000 properties per week - suggesting there was (at the time) quite a lot of commercial coverage expansion.

None of this helps those people who end up in problem areas, and whose homes get thrown on the superfast rejection pile. That's the problem with big-picture statistics & targets.

I have and all they have said is they will come back to me with info......... next week, next year who knows.

But currently it's been well over a month since they said that. Like I wrote....sshh don't tell anyone. It's all hush hush!

In reply to a post by miket67m:

The Openreach Superfast Broadband Checker for our exchange said at Christmas that superfast broadband should be enabled within 6 months (end June), as of 18th May we're told it should be enabled within 6 months???? Talking about moving goal posts. Clearly no proper planning or a complete lack of understanding of the importance of providing consumers with realistic communication.

That's the kind of attitude that has persuaded Openreach to rein in more and more information. You're still within the 6 months period anyway, I don't know what you're complaining about. If you're disappointed it's saying within 6 months, the same as at Christmas, you're going to have a disappointing experience when likely expecting up to 40/76Mbps.

With these sorts of companies you have to pay attention to their wording; without could mean right at the end of the period and may not be updated until close to the date if at all.

As for the OP: Contact your BDUK office if you're covered for it; they will be able to tell you information specific to your area. Also check their website - The Somerset and Devon BDUK project had an okayish map which at the time was better than the Openreach when looking to see whether we were being upgraded.

That in addition to the fact that Openreach as well as a lot of IT companies these days like to keep things secret because they have total control of the information and some of it is likely embarrassing - I know my university likes to do this and why they do it as-well.

As for the OP: Contact your BDUK office if you're covered for it; they will be able to tell you information specific to your area. Also check their website - The Somerset and Devon BDUK project had an okayish map which at the time was better than the Openreach when looking to see whether we were being upgraded.

I know we are down to be upgraded. That is fact. The problem seems to be the great mystery of when. It's also become obvious that checking on both websites has become a complete and utter waste of time: No actual details are divulged.

From the Onlincolnshire website way back in December last year.

The postcode you have provided falls within Phase 4 of this project and will be upgraded between now and the end of March 2015.
Realistically, I think it will be early in the New Year and we will have a clearer view in early January re. actual completion dates.

Note the word WILL not if! Even back then, Openreach at least were giving expected dates on their site. Since then further info has hit a complete brick wall.

But yes, you are right. I should be very grateful for what info I get given, even if it is really none at all. Breweries and drink come to mind.

Still if Openreach wait long enough they won't need to bother installing a cabinet. We'll all have gone wireless - something I've noticed of late. Lots and lots of dishes going up all over the place. Well done Quickline on the sales patter. All I need is a relay and I'd be there too!