BT should have invested more in better broadband

In reference to www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/02/01/openreach-chairman-says-bt-...:

The chairman of BT�s network division Openreach has admitted that the telecoms giant has underinvested in broadband for several years, in comments that are likely to fuel public anger over slow internet speeds and delayed repairs.

In a significant departure from the company line on how much it spends on upgrades and maintenance, Mike McTighe said BT should have put more money into its network.

Mr McTighe, a telecoms industry veteran appointed as Openreach�s first chairman in November under reforms of the unit by BT, said he would seek to invest more �in the ground� to improve Britain�s connectivity.

He added: �Should that have been done a few years ago? Of course. But we are where we are.�

The admission is likely to add to City speculation that BT will unveil an increase in network spending and the number of homes that will be fitted with a full fibre-optic connection. Such links are capable of ultrafast speeds and more reliable than existing copper telephone lines.

Thanks. The full article proved well worth a read .

Yeah, definitely interesting.

Having read the story, and applied 20:20 hindsight, I guess you'd expect an Openreach chairman to come out and say things the BT Group bosses wouldn't like. How else can he prove some modicum of independence?

I must admit that I thought the idea of more FTTP had surfaced slightly earlier...
BT Hints at a More Widespread FTTP Rollout

On top of the Telegraph story, there's worry about the pension too...
http://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/openreach-stalemat...

And I call for line rental to increase significantly to pay for the upgrades and the pensions problem.
...oh, no...sorry
I think I'm on the wrong forum.
ooops.

As someone still on a 20CN exchange - I'd pay more for a faster connection.

Not sure what you mean here because wholesale line rental costs (i.e. what Openreach charge) have fallen year by year.

In 2010, the wholesale cost was £10.37 (inc VAT) per month and in 2017 it's £8.67 (inc VAT) per month.

Which exchange are you on out of interest?

Yep, 20CN Only and Market1 exchanges are way behind.

https://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/SMBEN

In reply to a post by huwwatkins:

As someone still on a 20CN exchange - I'd pay more for a faster connection.

Three FTTC cabinets due this year.

Well - probably 2. Codelook seems to have confused the transition from E_1 to P2.

Either way - it looks like i'm going to be 2km from the nearest cab so probably not much help to me.

It's a coin toss as to whether ADSL2+ from the exchange or VDSL2 from a cab right outside it would be better.

Edited by deleted (Thu 02-Feb-17 09:48:07)

You probably already know this, but it will jump from 20CN to FTTC - two cabinets, one due for completion next month and the other later this year. Not sure about EO lines though there.

All the lines are EO except Cabinet P1.

P2 doesn't currently exist (and only recently showed up on codelook). It's also looks like its going to be installed right outside the exchange building - so I guess this is what they are doing with the EO lines. It's not an ideal solution considering there are many outlying areas 2KM+ from the cab. Maybe infill cabinets will appear later as part of Herts efforts to hit 100% superfast coverage.

Or perhaps FTTP.

I am in a location with an exchange similar size to your, yours is bigger than mine!

Similar things happened here, two cabinets added, one cabinet reduced some lines by 3km in length and the other did not help much because it was located outside the exchange. Anybody on that cabinet who is +1km from it, are now starting a CFP. You should do the same.

remove the leechers aka CPs from the equation so consumers become customers of openreach and everyone is happy (except the CPS of course).

So increase openreach line rental to £12 a month, regulate that it increases with consumer inflation annually. No higher, no lower.
CPs no longer have a finger in the line rental pie, so consumers get on average a £7 drop in line rental per month and openreach get a 50% increase in revenue.

Whats not to like?

You haven't got a broadband supplier in there .

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

remove the leechers aka CPs from the equation so consumers become customers of openreach and everyone is happy (except the CPS of course).

So increase openreach line rental to £12 a month, regulate that it increases with consumer inflation annually. No higher, no lower.
CPs no longer have a finger in the line rental pie, so consumers get on average a £7 drop in line rental per month and openreach get a 50% increase in revenue.

Whats not to like?

The amount of whining and moaning that we would have to put up with from the likes of TT and Sky about them not having a cash cow!

They get the profit and do **** all to earn it!

When OLOs came about I said something similar - all they are doing is selling on a service at a mark up and doing almost nothing to enhance it.

There doesnt need to be one.

The broadband would be purchased independent of the line itself.

Edited by Chrysalis (Sat 04-Feb-17 14:47:34)

ofcom need to grow a set of balls and tell any unhappy CPs if they dont like it they free to rollout their own local loop.

In reply to a post by Chrysalis:

ofcom need to grow a set of balls and tell any unhappy CPs if they dont like it they free to rollout their own local loop.

And the chance of that ...

depends on what the government wants. As long as a government thinks all we need is retail level competition and nothing else matters then very remote.

Government and/or Ofcom?

Too different bodies, and Ofcom is not at the total control of Government

Having done part of my early learning in the electronics industry, with the "telephone boys" of the period in the mid-1950s, I have always felt a connection with the POT/ BT/OR over the years since.

Regarding Investment in Broadband, I was disappointed from the early days of Dial-Up and continuing since, that POT/BT-OR always appeared to be dragging behind, instead of at the forefront of such developments, particularly their application and availability to the general public.

A Lost Opportunity.

Edited by deleted (Mon 06-Feb-17 12:15:13)

The science teams have been at the cutting edge, its the dis-joint between that investment and the rolling out to the public.

The same could be said about so many areas of technology, and will repeat with 5G I suspect

government.

In light of what has happened in the intervening 6 weeks, I wonder what we now think of this story...

What did Mr McTighe know, and when?

In reply to a post by BatBoy:

In reference to www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2017/02/01/openreach-chairman-says-bt-...:

The chairman of BT�s network division Openreach has admitted that the telecoms giant has underinvested in broadband for several years, in comments that are likely to fuel public anger over slow internet speeds and delayed repairs.

In a significant departure from the company line on how much it spends on upgrades and maintenance, Mike McTighe said BT should have put more money into its network.

Mr McTighe, a telecoms industry veteran appointed as Openreach�s first chairman in November under reforms of the unit by BT, said he would seek to invest more �in the ground� to improve Britain�s connectivity.

He added: �Should that have been done a few years ago? Of course. But we are where we are.�

The admission is likely to add to City speculation that BT will unveil an increase in network spending and the number of homes that will be fitted with a full fibre-optic connection. Such links are capable of ultrafast speeds and more reliable than existing copper telephone lines.