Exchange full?

Hi, all.

I'm currently with sky broadband and only getting around 4mbps. I got another phone line put in a couple of years ago to lighten the load of our main broadband, which helped out greatly. Kids moved out and I cancelled it last year due to the lesser load on the line.

Anyway, I was planning on getting that other line activated again but have been told by 4 different providers that they are unable to offer me broadband, talk talk said it was due to the exchange being full and said I'm only able to go with them if I migrate from sky. What?

I assumed that sky had its own equipment and other providers wouldn't be able to use it, so where would talk talk connect me if the exchange is full. Either way, I'm confused.

I've been refused broadband by talk talk, post office, plusnet, and sse. All of them offered telephone services, though.

Any help would be appreciated on what's going on here.

Without knowing the exchange hard to say much more, was this all ADSL/ADSL2+/FTTC services they refused to provide?

Sounds like Sky own the phone line. Will Sky give you broadband on it?

Thanks for the reply Mrsaffron.

Sorry, I should have informed you all of that info. Its the WSLON exchange (Lochmaben) and it was for ADSL2 + products. Fibre is not available to me.

I have 2 phone lines in the house, though. 1 occupied by sky and the other is dormant. Was very specific on the phone as well that I wanted it on the dormant line.
Edit*
I should add that they all refused to install a new line also.

Edited by deleted (Thu 30-Jun-16 17:53:54)

When you say dormant, does that mean it's not connected - no number, no dialling tone?
Who did you pay to get it installed originally?

Yes. No number, no dial tone. The only thing the lines connected to is the phone socket, all they would have to do is connect it to the exchange.

BT installed the new line.

I think you need to get BT to reactivate the line

What do you mean exactly? Wouldn't the isp I choose do that?

I don't intend to go back with bt either. The price there asking for is way to high for me.

In reply to a post by woodmass14:

Sorry, I should have informed you all of that info. Its the WSLON exchange (Lochmaben) and it was for ADSL2 + products. Fibre is not available to me.

From the look of SamKnows, this exchange currently has BTW as a supplier of ADSL (not 2+), and Sky as a supplier, likely to be ADSL2+. So you need to talk to either Sky, or retail ISPs that are willing to use BT Wholesale ... so forget TalkTalk.

If Plusnet is refusing to connect you, then it is likely that every port on the BTW DSLAM(s) is occupied, with no way of adding more ports. That curtails that avenue ... until someone cancels their broadband.

That leaves Sky as the only other possibility for you, at present.

Of course, anyone could cancel their BTW broadband, at any time. If you don't want to choose Sky, then you have to keep trying with the likes of Plusnet.

However...

Lochmaben has had 3 cabinets upgraded to fibre, so there is indeed likely to be a migration of users away from the exchange hardware, which *ought* to free up ports.

In addition, 2 more of the exchange's original cabinets are being upgraded and due to go live in the next few months. That too might free up ports.

Finally, an additional 5 cabinets are being added to the exchange to upgrade EO lines. Those are due from the autumn on into next year.

Please will you put your address into this checker, (it must be the address option, not the phone number or postcode one), then copy and paste both the estimate table and the line above it. Don't worry about the table formatting, but make sure you remove your address from that top line, leaving the rest of it there . It might be useful later to leave the postcode in.

Edited by RobertoS (Fri 01-Jul-16 10:07:10)

ADSL Products

Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Upstream Line Rate(Mbps)

Downstream Range(Mbps)

Availability Date


WBC ADSL 2+ Up to 2.5 -- 1 to 4 Available --
WBC ADSL 2+ Annex M Up to 2.5 Up to 0.5 1 to 4 Available --
ADSL Max Up to 2 -- 1 to 3.5 Available --
Fixed Rate 1 -- -- Available --
Other Offerings




Availability Date


VDSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --
ADSL Multicast -- -- -- Available --

I'm quite sure that bt offers adls2+, going by the availability checker anyway. I'm already with sky and have tried in the past to get a 2nd line put in but couldn't do it while on the same account. Might have to get the wife to go for it.

Thanks for the info also.

What cabinet number does that DSL checker say you're connected to?

Cabinet 1

Your cabinet is enabled for fibre but you must be too far away from the cabinet to get a VDSL2 signal

Hopefully long reach VDSL will become available in the not too distant future.

In reply to a post by woodmass14:

Cabinet 1

That's why I wanted the line above the table . It doesn't matter now, but if it hadn't had a cabinet number we would have known it was an EO (Exchange Only) line, and then we would have needed the postcode to find out what was happening .

I hope that as well. Fingers crossed!

Sorry. My bad. :/

Thank you guys for the responses. Going to get the wife to phone up sky to see if she can get phone and broadband on a new line. I see problems with that already but we'll see how it goes.

Good luck .

Providers will be able to see the working line and know that it is Sky and will not provide BB on a Sky line. There systems will NOT be able to see the other line. You will need to get that provided as a new line with Phone services on then add the BB on top.

Either you or your wife can do this but some (BB) providers do not like to provide a 2nd line. You should be able to order a NEW voice line with any provider but you need to be clear that this is a new provide. This may cost you the price of a new line as the 'dormant' one is not working anymore.

Thanks for the advice Kitcat. That's what I'll do, I'll order a voice line and once that's active I'll go ahead and order broadband with the provider I choose. Getting a voice line installed shouldn't be a problem as that's all I was offered.

Thanks!