21CN v FTTC

Why is BT rolling out FTTC when it hasn't upgraded all exchanges to 21CN?

I guess there is bound to be a few reasons.

TIA

Mac

BT has to compete with Virgin.

What's more if BT supply FTTx to the city folk, the bumpkins will be forced into silence by being in the minority.

There are two aspects to 21CN. The phone (PSTN) side and the broadband side.

Up until a couple of years ago samknows, which is one of the primary sources of information for consumers such as ourselves, distinguished between the implementation dates of these on the exchanges as these could be very different. Now they don't.

It seems they just stopped reporting the PSTN side, as the remaining "title" is "21CN WBC status".

WBC is a BT Wholesale product, whereby they install exchange kit (MSANs) capable of handling ADSL2+ (up to 24mbps) like several LLU suppliers have been providing for years. The backhaul on WBC is entirely IP/TPC based, where the old stuff wasn't, though I believe it was in parts. This new backhaul has far more capacity than the previous.

FTTC is a BT Openreach product, where they put small DSLAMs (similar to MSANs for this discussion), in street cabinets, fed by fibre optics from the exchange, so hugely decreasing the attenuation on the customer's broadband link. On these links they run VDSL2, which over the sort of distances involved is normally far faster than ADSL2+.

So in a way, Openreach are installing the "Next Generation" superfast broadband infrastructure, and Wholesale with 21CN (WBC) are trying to catch up with the LLU suppliers but also make "up to 24Mbps" nearer to a nation-wide facility, and now making the FTTC from Openreach available to resellers in the same way as they do/did ADSL and ADSL2+.

The way that FTTC is being done Openreach connect the exchange end of the fibre connection to any CP's (Communications Provider's) MSANs. So BT Wholesale (21CN WBC) MSANs are an obvious. TalkTalk also now have such connections. The other LLU suppliers do not so far.

Hope that helps. Basically, it's two separate parts of BT doing different jobs.

In reply to a post by camieabz:

BT has to compete with Virgin.

What's more if BT supply FTTx to the city folk, the bumpkins will be forced into silence by being in the minority.

I hope they do a better job than VM , once a city folk with VM never (well once obscure time) once in that year did I achieve ¼ of 20mbps and disconnected all services once month for 5 days every month also the worst online gaming experience to date with any ISP. Now a bumpkin as you so politely put it, with poor old BT ADSL Max its faster more reliable, the grass is far greener in my house in the country.

Edited by NilSatisOptimum (Thu 25-Aug-11 00:01:03)

In reply to a post by NilSatisOptimum:

Now a bumpkin as you so politely put it, with poor old BT ADSL Max its faster more reliable, the grass is far greener in my house in the country.

Pretty much mirrors my own situation. Good 20CN connection here in bumpkinland.

"they just stopped reporting the PSTN side"

The likely reason Samknows has gone quiet about 21CN voice rollout plans is because there are no more 21CN voice rollout plans.

The suspension (more realistically, abandonment) of 21CN voice (PSTN) rollout was announced in April 2010 (see [1]), though it wasn't done with quite the same class of publicity as the original BT announcements trumpeting their glorious plans for 21CN voice and data.

As for what has happened to the 21CN voice plans, and why, and what has/will happen to the 21CN stuff already rolled out, and how the savings promised by 21CN voice will be delivered instead, your guess is as good as mine.

BTwholesale strikes again.


[1] this isn't the official announcement but it does follow on from it:
https://www.btwholesale.com/pages/downloads/21_Centu...

Thanks for your explanation RobertoS it was easy to follow

This new backhaul has far more capacity than the previous.

That will soon be tested as FTTC installations increase, although like 21CN phone/broadband it too will not be available to those in bumpkin land.

"Next Generation Broadband" .... I wonder what percentage of the country (not population) will that cover?

Mac

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

"Next Generation Broadband" .... I wonder what percentage of the country (not population) will that cover?

Surely population is all that matters, unless sheep start getting into twitter and facebook.

Surely population is all that matters

Yes it does, rural as well as urban.

unless sheep start getting into twitter and facebook

There is definitely some wildlife in facebook already

Mac

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

unless sheep start getting into twitter and facebook

There is definitely some wildlife in facebook already

Mac

Shocking those oikes in the city causing mass disorder using various social media.

Anyway, population has its benefit without out doubt, less work for the pound etc, however i'm pretty sure that wealth of the area & potential profit has far greater bearing.