This topic

Opnreach CSP - Why?

Anonymous — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 07:39:54 GMT

Struggling to understand the necessity for a Customer Splice Point with the way Openreach seem to be conducting installations currently. This suggest that the original plan was for a two-visit install. One to take the fibre to the wall of the customer's property & test it, & then a second visit to fit the ONT & splice it to the CSP. This makes sense as once the CSP is installed, the customer can be given a firm date for the final installation without being subject to unexpected delays such as blocked ducts.

But posts in here seem to suggest that installations are still being done in one visit. In which case I can't really see any benefit to installing a CSP. Even less so with an overhead feed where the ONT is desired on an upper floor, but the cable has to first be routed to ground level to install a CSP & then taken back up. Some older posts suggest that fibre used to be fed directly through the wall.

Just curiosity as the chances of FTTP appearing in my village in my lifetime are slim to none.

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

pippincp — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 08:25:08 GMT

Fibre (FTTP) has never been fed directly through the wall. There has always been a CSP.

With the previous 2 stage install, the fibre was blown to the property to the CSP and then second stage was splice and enter property. There was no overhead feeds.

Now the fibre isn't blown.

In both cases the exterior and interior fibre cables are different types so a CSP is still necessary. The interioer fibre cable is EZBend which doesn't need the same bend radius.

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

iniltous — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 10:05:58 GMT

The connectorised cable from a CBT to the CSP is an external grade cable and constructed with regard to the ‘external’ environment it will exist in , as well as the type of stress it will be placed under ( strong enough to be strung between a wall bracket and house wall for example if used overhead , resistant to rodent damage if used underground ) , this cable isn’t designed to be ran ‘internally’ , internal optical cables have a construction that is designed for a different environment (to an external grade cable ) like lower , less toxic smoke should it be set on fire, more malleable , easier to run internally, so it’s necessary to have two different grades of cables , that means there needs to be a point at which these cables are ‘spliced’ together , hence the CSP , and although it’s called a consumer/ customer service point , it can also be regarded as a customer splice point.

In a new build property , the ‘internal’ cable is installed at first fix , so it’s hidden when the internal wall surfaces are completed, this requires the builder being supplied ( by OR who pay the builder for this work ) with internal optical cables that are left coiled at the external wall and the location of the ONT , ready for OR to connect ….having a totally different set of cables for new sites and retro fit sites makes no economic sense , it would cost more to produce and store different types of cables , and require different training etc, much simpler and cheaper to use a common set of materials for both situations, new site and retro fit.

FYI , two stage installs are no more common than single stage , in-fact it’s probably single stage that is most common , but obviously neighbours are likely to have the same type of install….if you live in a quite modern building that has a ducted feed , it’s generally a single stage as would be the majority of your neighbours , because their property would also be ducted….live in an older property that isn’t ducted but underground fed , then it’s two stage as before a contractual date is given , OR need to be sure the new cable can be delivered to the house wall….overhead , generally is single stage , unless the householder has altered the building from when the copper dropwire was installed , making access to the existing wall bracket ‘difficult’ , like building a porch on the building restricting access to the bracket, or large trees now restrict the path of an overhead cable .

Single or two stage install is indicated when the property was surveyed , before the FTTP build was started, it’s never been the case that every install was two stage , then single stage added to the process , it’s always been subject to the location

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

sterrendraad — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 17:23:13 GMT

Openreach used to use FFC, Field Fit Connectors but they had a Failure Rate of over 25%.

A good Splice will last years, decades in fact if it remains untouched.

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

dave44 — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 18:41:30 GMT

@sterrendraad has given the correct answer. There was a time where the fibre was fed through the wall and the connection to the ONT was made in the form of a field fit connector, which was very fiddly to fit.

However this method was discontinued due to the high fault rate.

Now they use a cable with a factory fitted SC/APC connector and this cable it is spliced to the external cable (which has a factory fitted connector that fits the CBT).

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

iniltous — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 19:31:42 GMT

Field fit connectors installations still had CSP’s and internal / external cables ( there are strict rules regarding how much external grade cable can be ran internally ) , even in early deployment of BFT/BFB ( tubing and blown fibre ) you still had a CSP…all a field fit connection connection provided was the option of having internal cable on a drum and using as much or as little as required rather than the current way of having internal cables manufactured with an SC/APC ‘plug’ and issued in standard lengths , obviously ( for example ) a15m cable used for a 5m ‘run’ wastes a lot of cable but as stated bit are way more reliable

Re: Opnreach CSP - Why?

sterrendraad — Sun, 21 Aug 2022 20:19:56 GMT

No, that’s factually wrong and anyone who installed a CSP as well as a FFC was doing their job wrong.

As for the amount of cable that could be run internally. The Outer Sheathing of the Fibre Cable Openreach used could be stripped back to a 5mm Micron Core Layer that was OK to be run internally at any length.

It was only the Copper D/W10, 10b, 11, 12, CAD55 and 15 that could be run 3m internally before it had to be jointed to an Internal Cable.

Also this thing you say about Openreach have a drum of Internal Fibre Cable is not true, they never had such a thing for either BFT or Connectorised.

The old Legacy BFT had the Fibre Pre Built to a Fibre DP, either in a Footway Box or on a Pole Mounted DP. From there a Step 1 Team would would install a Hollow Sub Duct Drop Cable from there to the CSP and Blow a 4 Fibre Bundle in.

After that a SD CSE would install an EZ Bend Fibre Cable, that had a Factory Fitted SC Connector on it, they came in pre cut lengths of 5, 10, 20, 30, 50 and 75m and had to be pushed from the inside out. A FFC was never used and in BFT and they didn’t arrive until Connectorised Fibre came out.

As for Connectorised Fibre same again, the Cable Drums came in pre cut lengths from the Factory with a Connector on that connects to the CBT. This Cable was then taken directly into the house and stripped back to the Micron Core Layer and the FFC put on.

When Openreach binned off FFC’s they brought out the new Inside/Out EZ Bend Cable with the Factory Fitted SD Connector, again this could be stripped back to a Micron Core Layer for the Internal Part and the Outer Sheathing left on for the outside.