This topic

FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 14:40:11 GMT

Good afternoon, all.

My sister has very poor ADSL and has been looking to upgrade to FTTP for a long time.

I recently checked the property on the BT FTTP checker and noted that FTTP was still unavailable. However, for some reason, this time I checked all of her neighbours properties. Each and every one of them on the road can access FTTP immediately.

I then checked the BT post outside the house and noticed that it serves the 3 neighbouring properties but not my sister's. We then traced her supply back to a different post that is a relatively huge distance away and that appears not to be FTTP-enabled (well, I can't see the usual FTTP CBT on it, at least).

So, here's the question: is there likely to be any reason why the FTTP-enabled post that serves her neighbours' houses couldn't supply my sister's house, given that it is right outside her house? Granted the supply would have to be reconfigured at the local cabinet and a cable added between the post and my sister's house.

I wasn't sure whether new supplies can be added to existing posts but, if they can, it seems more sensible that 1) her having to stay on basic ADSL or 2) the existing supply being upgraded.

Any ideas, anyone (and, if so, how I could persuade BT Openreach who have already blindly emailed me back to confirm that the property can't get FTTP)?

Thanks.

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

imjolly — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 14:46:25 GMT

can you enter sister's phone number and post results including the notes

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:04:00 GMT

Thanks for the reply. These are the results:

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:07:38 GMT

FYI, this is the result for the next door neighbour, where FTTP is confirmed as available:

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

imjolly — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:07:59 GMT

that confirms there is no FTTP available currently however your sister has FTTC with 25mb connection speed

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:10:39 GMT

Both properties serviced by Exchange HILLSIDE is served by Cabinet 10

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

imjolly — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:16:43 GMT

FTTP does not come from a cabinet

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:17:47 GMT

Indeed. The point is that her next door neighbour, served by the same exchange and cabinet, CAN get FTTP, albeit connected to a different post. Could my sister's supply be, in theory, changed to the same post as that serving her neighbour?

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:21:46 GMT

Accepted. But surely it comes from the same exchange? The FTTP must be present at the post that serves the neighbours.

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

imjolly — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 15:23:55 GMT

try contacting openreach saying neighbours can get FTTP but I can't

https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

iniltous — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 16:21:17 GMT

When Openreach survey then provide FTTP into an area , it’s based closely on the existing copper network, and the PON area has a boundary that has to be somewhere…if the neighbour ( served from a different pole ) can get FTTP but your relative cannot , it reasonable to assume the boundary has their pole ( and the distribution point DP ) within it , but your relatives pole is not included in the PON area ,( passive optical network) even if it’s the case where a pair of neighbouring property’s one is able to get FTTP and the other cannot because they are currently served from different copper DP’s ( poles ) , that just unfortunate, the boundary has to be somewhere.

As far as the possibility adjustment to the PON , to include a property, by serving it from a different pole to the one its currently served by , so that it can be within a extremely close by PON area , that may be possible, it depends on if OR will oblige or simply state the property is not currently covered, it may even be that the PON is at capacity so no extra addresses can be added anyway , ( even if they would normally consider adding an extra address to expand the reach of an existing PON )

As stated , try filling out this form that has a section where you can indicate that neighbours can get FTTP .

https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 16:28:34 GMT

Thanks for that.

I completed that form last week and had a reply that wasn’t that useful or that told me anything that I didn’t know already

I'm insisting that they investigate further rather than provide a “computer says no” reply. Not sure if they’re now ignoring me or are investigating further and just haven’t told me that they are.

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 16:30:33 GMT

Have done that and hoping to get a more helpful answer now, compared to the one before that showed the writer didn’t give a monkey’s.

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

Colin_London — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 23:01:57 GMT

You are in a 'computer says no' situation. For some historical reason your relatives house is fed from the further away pole, and the database assumes that will remain the case for FTTP.

You need to be trying to persuade Openreach that they should change their fibre database to associate the relatives house with the nearer fibre pole. I am taking it at face value that you are being honest and the pole with fibre really is much closer than the pole with the existing copper service, and that there are no obstacles like trees that could be the reason their house is currently fed from the non-fibre pole.

However it is unlikely that OR will take your word for it. They will probably say your only option is an FTTP On Demand service (not sold by BT) where you have to pay for a survey and then pay for a special installation which can be £ks.

So maybe offer to pay for the engineer to come out to do a survey on the condition that, if the fibre pole really has no access problems to your relatives house, they will change the database to allow you to place a standard FTTP order via that pole?

Good luck - unfortunately anything that is non-standard with this FTTP rollout is usually pushed into the 'too difficult' bucket, and you have to be perisistent and prepared to escalate to get even straightforward database changes like this agreed.

PS. Posts are equipped with a CBT sized to serve the number of properties it serves. However the smalles CBT has four connections, so if you are saying this post only serves three houses at present then you would have thought there is a spare port.

Re: FTTP - Supplying Pole

richandjomccaig — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 23:26:06 GMT

Thanks very much for your helpful reply.

I am prepared for a battle and won’t be giving up any time soon! I suspect that I will have to escalate matters but I will do what it takes to get an answer based on the reality of the situation rather than the easy option of just accepting what the database states.