Vodafone

Hi looking to get broadband in a flat I have had to move into due to health and mobility issues everything seemed to be going ok till I got told open reach would be the installer of the broadband. I was asked if I had any openreach equipment already well there were boxes and bags all against the living room walls but I did manage to see an open reach socket but looked like just a normal phone line socket. So anyways I said I would get back to them about it so off I went and I then received an email saying they did a line check which showed a live connection somewhere so I got the bags and boxes moved and seen what I think is the open reach box. So I said fine then started the process with Vodafone of joining but after a bit I said I would want the box moved because it's away at the furthest point my TV will be he said fine you will need to talk to open reach about that and finished the setup . So I got onto open reach about the broadband being fitted but can I get the box moved as it's furthest away from my TV and all my other boxes and stuff that needs internet fittings ethernet cables etc etc are obviously going to be right next to the TV this is where it got flagged up the guy said they will probably not move the box unless it's extenuating circumstances like being broken or not working and they won't just move it for positional reasons even tho I was not the person that got it put in so that to me was not really what I was wanting and I said I will have to cancel it then which they did but is it just me but how are you meant to be able to order stuff with that sort of attitude towards not moving the equipment to suit the actual customer buying it ?

So has anyone else had this and had to cancel it due to location issues ? Thx in advance

Openreach will do what their customer, in your example, Vodafone, request them to do (within reason) to fulfil the order you have made with a service provider, Vodafone.

Different services/types of provision can be ordered from Openreach on your behalf, by your choice of service provider.

The records for your property suggest that was previously a working Openreach line to that address. So, *in theory* if Vodafone order basic install from Openreach then they can just reconnect, and make live, the existing line. **This is the cheapest option Vodafone can order** from Openreach to give you service.

What you are asking for is installation PLUS shift of NTE. This costs more for Openreach to fulfil. Vodafone are a supplier of ‘basic’ products, so they just want to take the money and run. It might even be, that the line gets installed, you complain about the NTE location, they raise a complaint with Openreach, and then 🤞hope🤞it gets done for free.

The long and the short of it is, it’s all a game. But if you wish for something a little more ‘involved’, you should be looking for service providers who will deviate from the script a little, and order what you, their new customer, actually wants.

Good luck.

You can get the NTE moved, but Openreach makes a fairly substantial charge for this, and your service provider, if they will order this service for you, will almost certainly pass this charge on.

You say your issue is around location of ethernet-connected devices. Almost certainly one of these options will be better:

1. If it's a copper (FTTC) service we're talking about, then locate the router wherever you want it, and run a phone extension cable from the router to the NTE (the "phone socket"). A few tens of meters extra cable will not make a noticeable difference to the line speed.

If it's fibre (FTTP) then run an ethernet extension cable from the router to the ONT. This will have zero impact on the speed.

2. Alternatively, locate the router next to the NTE, buy a cheap ethernet switch, and run an ethernet cable from the switch into one of the LAN ports on the router.

If the existing service is copper and fttp is available, you might have a better chance of having a new ONT installed where you want it, but there are issues round getting fibre installed into flats if the block doesn't already have it.

If this is a part-fibre service in a flat delivered over a copper pair then all that moving the NTE would get you is the wires joined together at the current location and a cable clipped on the surface to a new surface-mounted NTE - they can't pull the wire back into the fabric of the flats and present it somewhere else.

Your best option is probably to have a data extension wired off the NTE to a location of your choosing, anybody competent can perform this task and the usual trades that do it would be smart home companies, TV aerial installers, data cablers, or electricians.