In reply to a post by michaelh:

No poles here - it's all underground

One housing estate here, the copper is direct in ground (no ducts); so the alt-net building FTTP are installing poles for their fibres. So anything is possible!

In reply to a post by burble:

The BDUK installed fibre around here has never been 'advertised' to anyone apart from BT customers, just a couple of months back a woman down road had it installed thinking she was one of first not knowing it has been available for couple of years.
We get leafleted by VM even though nearest is 5+ miles away.

Sound about right to be honest.
I had a leaflet here a couple of years ago about Virgin fibre, and I have no idea where the nearest place that is available is, but it is a lot more than 5+miles.

In reply to a post by witchunt:

Well they can't force their way in and install it without the owner agreeing. If a provider is insisting they must move from Copper to FTTP and the owner hasn't requested change then that is wrong.
Only instance would be in a copper stop/sell area and the owner wanted a new connection or change of service, but I presume that isn't the case here, and probably just a pushy sales incentive.

He said it was the way the email was worded, we will be installing fibre to your premises, Not do you want it, but we are. Then went on to say that there are no extra costs and the speed will stay the same. Then a link to make an appointment.
I don't know what they will do if he doesn't contact them, he said he is not going to and see what happens.

In reply to a post by broadband66:

You will be forced to VOIP. Are you going to refuse that or just use your mobile?

Me or him? I am already using VoIP, so no problem to me. He has an alarm system that his wife uses just in case she falls over, that uses a normal phone line, i don't know if it will work with Voip.

In reply to a post by burble:

I would note that my energy provider has been sending me letters and emails for years telling me I "need to book appointment for fitting smart meter", ain't happened yet.

You are lucky, they are asking you, some people are being told that the appointment have already been made and some have had letters from their energy company charging them for missed appointments they have not made.

So glad i am with Octopus, only once have they asked me about a smart meter, and that is when my gas meter had to be changed due to it's age.
I said nope, don't want one, and they said ok, we will install an older style meter.

The emails they send me to say it is time to read my meter, sometimes have a small bit in, saying if I had a smart meter i would not need to read the meter ever again. But that is it, things could change as they get closer to the date where the government want everyone to have a smart meter.

In reply to a post by Sparx92:

Has the ISP made any actual mention of enforcing a new contract term?

I don't think so, he did not say anything about that, surly they could not do that anyway?

In reply to a post by michaelh:

But doesn't FTTP mean that your drive gets dug up by a cowboy contactor?

some is on poles, the road at the back of my house, they seem to be using poles. Yesterday when i came home from work i noticed a couple of cones around here, my next door neighbour said ZZoomm have put them down, so I presume they are coming today or tomorrow to start work, since they have put cones down, i presume they are going to dig, so it will be underground.
so noise for a couple of days.

They would have to dig here if I want Fibre, not sure how they would route it as I have a drive way and there is a wall holding it up and then a small gap to the house. Steps by the side of it.

In reply to a post by candlerb:

They could - but equally, the provider that wants them to switch them to FTTP shouldn't require the property owner to take out a new contract in this situation (unless they choose to do so).

Note that if they are in a copper stop sell area, but choose to remain on copper, they won't be able to cease and reprovide, nor migrate to another provider, nor regrade to a different speed. In that situation, any new or modified service *must* be provided on FTTP - copper orders will be rejected by Openreach.

FTTP is coming sooner or later, so might as well get on the bandwagon now.

All i know that he had an email saying they are moving him to fibre, same price and that sort of thing. I don't think is Wife is well, so maybe he doesn't want people in unless they have to, and he said his broadband works fine. Get far better speed than I do.

Maybe at some point he won't have a choice, but I think he will stay with what he has as long as he can.



For the low-cost providers, the prices I've seen are typically £1 per month extra for FTTC over ADSL. Of course, "every little counts".

What might happen in the end is that the ADSL service will be withdrawn, i.e. at end of contract the provider will decline to renew, and will then serve notice of termination.


£4 difference with plusnet, £4 is £4 i suppose and if you are living on a fixed budget it could pay for some food.
They are with Talk Talk i think and Talk Talk don't even offer ADSL on their website now.

Well, Zzoomm is starting here now, they put their cones here yesterday, but one of them was moved by a neighbour.

In reply to a post by zyborg47:

In reply to a post by Sparx92:

Has the ISP made any actual mention of enforcing a new contract term?

I don't think so, he did not say anything about that, surly they could not do that anyway?

I'd be very wary about that. This seems like a sales initiative dressed up as a free upgrade. I would expect them to want a new contract term as part of the package.
They can just ignore it and carry on. There is no FTTC widrawal on the horizon.

In reply to a post by witchunt:

I'd be very wary about that. This seems like a sales initiative dressed up as a free upgrade. I would expect them to want a new contract term as part of the package.
They can just ignore it and carry on. There is no FTTC widrawal on the horizon.

That was my first thought, but why keep it at the speed he is on?