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.