This topic

Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 13:51:57 GMT

Looks like fibre is being installed in my rural road finally and I'm wondering if FTTP will be included in the work that the contractors are doing? Or will it just be fibre to the nearest telephone pole and then I'll have to settle for the existing copper connection to the house?

If the latter, can I arrange a private contractor to extend fibre to the premises?

As you'll see from the diagram, my neighbours have already had communication cables installed on their private access track (teal coloured line), which I'm assuming is fibre cable but I'm unsure if they've installed this privately, having had prior knowledge of the planned fibre installation or if Openreach are doing this work for them.

Annoyingly my neighbours have all had notice of the planned works and have had time to prepare whereas I've not heard anything, despite being the closest property to the road. Unless this is why I have not been notified because the work involved in getting my FTTP is minimal and less hassle?

For FTTP to work, does the street need a junction box/exchange and then houses connect into that, rather than a tee off a fibre cable?

Would Openreach have carried out the work getting fibre up a private access track to a property or will this have been done privately? (Its probably a good 300 yards of access farm track up to that property so I'd kind of surprised if OR did this for them!)

Will the fact that my copper phone cables are overhead and not underground affect how they will replace my copper with fibre?

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

jac_95 — Tue, 09 May 2023 13:56:48 GMT

What does it say for your address https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome ? Post results here but exclude your address

What does Openreach say for your address in terms if your property is included as part of their full fibre rollout plans? https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/ultrafast-full-fibre-broadband

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:13:55 GMT

What does it say for your address https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL/AddressHome ? Post results here but exclude your address

So this is for my address but I also put in the details of the properties who have received notice and getting same results which is a bit odd considering they've already started work on the private side of those!

No availability on the generic broadband availability checker and has never been. Again, when I type in the postcodes of people carrying out the work, still no fibre planned in the area. I even called OR and they had no record of any work going on on this road or area!

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

jac_95 — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:19:57 GMT

Are you sure it was Openreach and not an alternative network infrastructure provider?

FTTP on Demand is available to you but is usually only provided by business grade providers with either an installation fee in the £thousands or a high service fee.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:36:41 GMT

I should clarified in my OP, I went out and spoke to the contractors to find out this very thing, and they said it was definitely public infrastructure on behalf of Openreach. As they werent openreach engineers, I didnt push the topic of why I hadn't heard anything or if they would provide FTTP to my house from the line or CBT.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

imjolly — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:38:31 GMT

@camy

the dslchecker will only show FTTP available when all the work is completed and FTTP is available to order and until then there will be nothing shown

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

jac_95 — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:40:47 GMT

Afraid all you can do is fill in the Openreach form and wait: https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

Also keep an eye out on local roadworks using tools such as https://one.network/

Otherwise you could go the FTTP on Demand route and pay

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:41:46 GMT

the dslchecker will only show FTTP available when all the work is completed and FTTP is available to order and until then there will be nothing shown

This should be directed at the previous poster? But yeah that makes sense. I checked all these resources once they started the work and nothing seemed to show. I'm assuming it could take a few months to complete and show availability anyways. So for now I'm just asking some related questions regarding FTTP from the pole etc.

I'm super paranoid they will miss me out and all my neighbours with sit there with their full fibre and me stuck with 4mbps!

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:43:02 GMT

Thanks @jac_95 but at the moment I just had a few related questions rather than a timescale on when the area would start providing tariffs etc. I appreciate your input though.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

imjolly — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:45:55 GMT

are you an existing BT Retail customer? how does your existing phone line enter the house?

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:47:29 GMT

are you an existing BT Retail customer? how does your existing phone line enter the house?

An existing BT customer but just residential, not retail or commercial.

Copper phone line enters the house from the left side pole on my diagram. Its overhead.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

jac_95 — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:50:19 GMT

@camy

The full fibre network can't just be extended. It all needs to be planned and scoped to cover the number of houses in the area. It will mean they need to have the correct number of fibres, distribution nodes and an appropriate number of splits per fibre between the property (NAD) and the aggregation node (there's a max number of splits too) along with the CBTs which each NAD will be assigned to.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

imjolly — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:54:37 GMT

@camy wrote:

are you an existing BT Retail customer? how does your existing phone line enter the house?

An existing BT customer but just residential, not retail or commercial.

Copper phone line enters the house from the left side pole on my diagram. Its overhead.

Then I would expect the fibre cable to follow the existing copper cable form the pole

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:55:34 GMT

So theres a chance they will not factor in my property at all and stop the install at the right pole (in my diagram)?!

Especially if i havent been notified , they might only install enough nodes at the CBT to serve everyone else?

If it was a busy street I'd understand the restrictive numbers, but i'm very remote here and I'd say theres only 5 houses near that pole and by far the closest one to the road and telephone pole!

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:57:24 GMT

Then I would expect the fibre cable to follow the existing copper cable form the pole

And would this need to directly come from the CBT on the other pole or can they tee off the line to come over to my house? Looks like it will be farside road route.

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

jac_95 — Tue, 09 May 2023 14:59:17 GMT

@camy ,

If you fill in the Openreach contact form they can do some checks and potentially ask the regional project manager (state work is happening just across the road but their checker says you aren't covered): https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

Hooba — Tue, 09 May 2023 16:04:20 GMT

@camy Your situation looks very similar to mine. I live in a semi rural property, telegraph poles up and down the B road that runs outside my house. Telegraph pole directly opposite me has no CBT, the next telegraph pole along does have a CBT. When I had full fibre installed 3 blokes turned up, closed the road, ran a fibre cable from the pole that does have a CBT to the pole outside my house with no CBT, then from there into my property. Took them most of the morning. Cost to me £9.99

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

camy — Tue, 09 May 2023 16:14:53 GMT

@Hooba

Thats positive news buddy thank you.

So did you have to order the FTTP after they'd installed fibre in the B road? Or did they just turn one day and do it?

Only £9.99? Extra a month onto your bill or fixed charge?

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

Hooba — Tue, 09 May 2023 16:31:47 GMT

@camy All the work to install fibre along the road / lane had been done before I moved here. So I moved in, phoned BT about broadband who advised me that FTTP was available. Which I promptly ordered. One off fixed charge of £9.99 - which I thought pretty reasonable !!

Re: Will BT/Openreach install FTTP free of charge?

licquorice — Tue, 09 May 2023 16:34:55 GMT

@camy wrote:

So did you have to order the FTTP after they'd installed fibre in the B road? Or did they just turn one day and do it?

FTTP has to be ordered, it is not provided automatically.