"If we do end up having some form of extended and/or rolling blackouts this winter, it will really put whole systems to the test"


That could be a big contribution to the ongoing discussion around the coming changes in Openreach's traditional supply of telephone service - the "voice" part.

Some of the responses in this thread highlight big variations in availability of service in the event of major power cuts.
A difficult winter could provide a whole pile of actual data about the effects of these.
Which would point to some answers to all the questions about vulnerable people being left incommunicado.

If there is the purported 3-hour duration rolling load shedding (“blackouts” to the man on the Clapham omnibus) like this then EO copper will be fine, probably most consuming VoIP over a FTTC/VDSL too if their cabinet batteries are fitted and in decent nic. However as with those folks on FTTP they’ll need a decent premises UPS or DC power solution for the router/voice gateway (and ONT for FTTP).

Mobile comms could be a variable feast.

It's a totally unknown beast this. So much depends on the general weather severity. Maybe also to an extent how much power the UK continues to send to continental Europe.

My gut feeling is that in general UK domestic will not have extended outages, and therefore relatively minimal disruption. Although industry and vulnerable may well have more problems.

I agree that mobile comms will probably be a bigger issue. In the event of 'landline' broadband going down, lots of domestic users will try using mobile tethering and in general more mobile broadband usage.

Personally I can't decide on how much I'm happy spending for backup when the risk factor is so unknown. For sure though, I daren't let wifi for Her Indoors' ipad become unavailable.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Not sure all exchanges (especially some of the smaller ones) will have diesel backup. The bigger handover exchanges serving FTTP ought to have the longest autonomy.

I know when I did work experience with BT in mid 90s, the very small (few hundred lines) located in a very rural part of the highlands had a generator - whether it still works, and is maintained and fueled I've no idea

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

The bulk fuel store at the exchange must be massive if it can run the entire exchange for weeks without needing a filll?

I have experience of running a 62 kVA standby set and that can get through 400 litres of juice in a 24 hour period - admittedly that's at full load - but even at 1/4 load its at least 100 litres a day.

The integrated fuel bunkers that CityFibre put under their FEX gensets wouldn't be more than 1000 to 2000 litres at most. Enough for a week of running I would say.

Pic of warehouse-based FEX with genset

I guess maybe the generator isn't run continuously, just for long enough to top up batteries. I expect with LLU and all the DSL\FTTH kit there may also be load shedding after a certain period of time to eek out the fuel supply

I was quite confused by your opening post .

At the user end FTTC is VDLS2, so xDSL (maybe xDSLx) covers it. That was floating around in my mind when I read the POTS bit. What you should have said was ADSLx.

Now you say you have an EO line that simply can't have anything else. Your are still on PSTN/POTS. Unless you have switched previously to a VOIP service. And given the length of time you've been around ....

I'll let you off this, from February this year:

In reply to a post by clyde123:

Hi,
I've got a Draytek router on an FTTC connection.
....

That might be at another property if your OP was about your own line.

Yes the point of my post was to focus on some broadband service over traditional telephone lines.
My reference to POTS was intended to bring the point down to the very basic lines/service.

I have an EO line here at home with ADSL service on it - ADSL2+ .
Although I'm interested not just in my own situation, but thinking about that whole general group. There must be quite a lot of people with xDSLx as you say, whether on EO or a street cabinet.

I do have some VoIP service as well, but that's not a concern. If the broadband works, those 'lines' will work.


That other post about Draytek and FTTC concerns a different property altogether.

Considering some of the responses about generators at the exchange, is there anywhere to find out about the local exchange?
I'm assuming there is not - confidential info and all that.

It's possible that the National Grid Group (previously Western Power Distribution in my area) may provide some generator backup to exchanges if they are so obliged in certain circumstances?

In my area, a few Sundays ago, it looked like a Western Power Distribution diesel generator was perhaps feeding a FTTC cabinet. If that was the case then it was a heavy piece of kit just for a cabinet!

However the generator which was in a temporarily fenced off position adjacent to the cabinet may have been there for a completely different reason on that Sunday - it would be interesting to know...

UKPN usually wheel the trailered sets about when there’s been a local connection fault into a premises. Usually a failure on the UG joint.