FTTP rollout in Northern Ireland

I haven't been paying much attention to the plans to switch off analogue telecoms until now.
I have seen a rash of new telephone posts and dangling cables in my area, presumed this was part of the preparations and that my provider (Plusnet) would contact me in due course to explain their plans.
However I have now been visited by a sales person from Fibrus making what seems to be a reasonable offer to provide full FTTP with no installation charge. As I live up a lane that would be quite attractive.
The trouble is, at this stage I can't find a source of information as to who else might be providing a service in my area.
I would appreciate a pointer towards a general explanation of all the possibilities in my location.
Thanks folks

You could look at the broadband map on this website here.

There is an Openreach availability checker here.

The local press might know about plans for broadband.

You could try and find where the local telephone line cabinet is if it exists. You would then need to establish the distance from it to your property.

In reply to a post by Michael_Chare:

You could try and find where the local telephone line cabinet is if it exists. You would then need to establish the distance from it to your property.

Why? Openreach's FTTP doesn't use their cabinets (*), and since it's FTTP, distance makes no difference.

Some altnets use cabinets, but they install their own.

(*) Bar a few examples of subtended headends

I did not suggest that any cabinets would be Openreach FTTP.

What I meant was: how does knowing where the nearest Openreach cabinet is, or the distance to it, help answer the OPs original question about "who else might be providing a service in my area"?

The OP is currently on Plusnet, which means they must already have an Openreach line.

Edited by candlerb (Sun 17-Sep-23 18:17:52)

bidb.uk

Check your address here.

Simplest advice, sign up for Fibrus when it goes live and review your options next time the contract is up, as you could be waiting a long time.

Worth a read - Fibrus Win Contract for N.Ireland Superfast Broadband Project

Edited by PCJM40 (Sun 17-Sep-23 09:52:18)

I recently signed up to Fibrus alongside my brother about three weeks ago, as they were doing a special local (offline) offer of £14.99 pm for 150Mb down & £19.99 pm for 300Mb down on a 24 month contract. I took the 150Mb package, my brother the 300Mb one.

I was previously with Aquiss on their 40/10 FTTP package on Openreach's network, but once the 12 months expired I decided to move on and Fibrus' offer was pretty much the best of the lot.

It only took three days for Fibrus to connect me from my sign up though my install was easy, a fibre line to my home from the nearest telephone pole - the exact same one that my Openreach FTTP line came from, so I've now two such lines running to my home. OTOH my brother is still waiting on an install date for his service as I believe more involved civil works are required for his installation - his home is nearly new (built in 2020) and the only Openreach line to the home was a fibre line via underground ducting, there's no telephone poles around his estate.

As for my install, unlike Openreach the splicing box for Fibrus' line is made inside the building with the ONT point next to it. The installer will then connect an ethernet cable from this to an Eero router/AP - I changed this myself to use my existing Fritzbox 7530 with no issues so far (Fibrus don't seem to use PPPoE usernames or anything similar). Several speed tests using both gigabit ethernet & 5GHZ wifi in the same room as the router easily hitting download speeds of 150Mbps.

So far a cautious recommendation, though the IPv4 address block that Fibrus use appear to have been previously geolocated to an ISP in Israel, so depending on what website is using to sniff out your geolocation, you might either end up with Armagh, Belfast or Jerusalem!

I just wondered if there was a local cabinet which may be could be used for FTTC. If like my cabinet it is several km away that would not be a benefit to the OP.

Thanks for that info. I suspect I'll be in a slower installation category as I don't have ducting and another pole may be required.

I have signed up with them for an initial contract.

Edited by deeor23 (Sun 17-Sep-23 18:09:27)