This topic

Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:06:23 GMT

OK, I admit defeat and cannot put off the upgrade to Full Fibre BB and DV. For months now after many emails from BT/Openreach telling me that I am being upgraded, at no extra cost to this service and have received installation dates etc. Each time I have cancelled but it does not go away and so at last have relented and have now accepted that I have no option but to go ahead.
I now have an installation date of pm on July 14th.

When I look online at MyBT I see that the upgrade is to Fibre Essential (what speeds is this?)* and Digital Voice of course and for this my 700mins free calls disappears and temporarily I revert to Pay as you Go at 3p/Min! Obviously that will have to be rectified when the order is complete and DV is operational. The only package now seems to be Anytime Calls at about £15/month.
Also, I see in the open order, thus created nothing about sending me a Smart Hub 2. Of course, some people might know that I bought one of these a while back from Amazon but should I ask BT to send me one as they have only ever sent one Hub in over 12 years when I first switched from dial up to ADSL BB?

* I have of course researched Fibre Essential online whereupon it indicates speeds from roughly double what I currently have (18Mbps download)
Some advice and answers would be gratefully received by this anxious old git.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

chrisjp — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:26:04 GMT

I don't think Fibre Essential is actually "full fibre". It's actually fibre to the (street) cabinet (FTTC) and, from there to your house, it uses your existing copper phone line.
Full fibre is fibre all the way to your premises (FTTP) and would offer much higher speeds than the 36Mbps download you are being offered with FTTC.
So this upgrade will be a hassle free affair, and doesn't require a visit from an Openreach engineer. You should be sent a SmartHub 2 and, when the changeover takes place, you just unplug your phone from the wall socket and plug it into the green socket on the back of the SH2. You'll then get an "interrupted" dial tone and this is because BT has helpfully (but potentially confusingly) left you a voicemail message on its system to "welcome you to BT digital voice". Key 1571 on your phone to listen to this message and delete it. You dial tone will then revert to normal.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:38:23 GMT

Thanks but this is what the Openreach email says though.

"Hi, it's Openreach.

We've been instructed by BT/EE to move your broadband service to Full Fibre as part of the move to your Digital Voice home phone service.

Don't worry there will be no changes to your existing contract, terms or conditions, including pricing.

We've reserved you an appointment to complete the installation. Here are the details for our earliest available appointment:"

Also the BT Comms email says

" Hello,

Openreach is upgrading your service to Full Fibre Broadband at no extra cost. You'll also move to a Digital Voice home phone service.

This is part of a wider digital broadband switchover happening across the UK.

You'll find all the details about your appointment below.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 16:40:36 GMT

And again email says
"What is Full Fibre?
Full Fibre, also known as FTTP (fibre to the premises), is built on the UK's most reliable broadband technology. It goes up to 25x faster than our standard fibre. There's no copper cable, it's fibre all the way to your home.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

licquorice — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:00:58 GMT

Fibre essential is just a broadband package and can be delivered by any medium.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

gg30340 — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:23:44 GMT

With FTTP you can get exactly the same packages as you get with FTTC for the same prices.

Obviously you can also get far faster packages if you are prepared to pay for them.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

WSH — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:32:16 GMT

You say you bought an SH2 from Amazon. I wonder if it might be an idea to disconnect that and go back to your old router for the time being. I have a suspicion that if they can see an SH2 in use on the connection they won't send you one but they will, at some point, expect you to send one back!

Anyone know if this is likely to be the case?

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:42:12 GMT

My HH3 is defunct and that's why I replaced it.

I'm not removing my SH2. In earlier attempts to persuade me to upgrade in March, I think, a SH2 was ordered for me my cancelling this upgrade meant I did not get it.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

garybs29 — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:46:46 GMT

Fibre essential will be 36mb.

Also you will be staying on 700 mins they won't be changing the 700 mins until you renew not them making a change

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

WSH — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:48:44 GMT

@HHGTTG Fair enough. Just thought a bit of fore-warning might be useful.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

gg30340 — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 17:58:09 GMT

Are there not two Home Essential packages replicating the "old" Fibre 1 and Fibre 2 packages. ie 38Mbps and 80Mbps and they are priced accordingly.

https://www.bt.com/broadband/home-essentials

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:14:11 GMT

Again that's not what my uograded package says. It says for. BB Fibre Essential and for Phone, PAYG. Sorry.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

iniltous — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:35:42 GMT

Confusingly, BT offer ‘BT Home Essentials’ which is their social tariff and is available in several guises , (speeds) they also have a regular speed tier below F1 for ‘regular’ customers which is called Fibre Essential…this is 40 Mb download speed , and if delivered via FTTP there will be no distance related reduction in this speed , for completeness the other two profiles on FTTC are F1 which is 55Mb and F2 which is 80Mb .

As there is no reason to change the speed profile of customers moving to FTTP from FTTC so if the OP wa on FTTC , the speed profile on FTTP should be the same as what the OP is already on, there is no compulsion to take a higher speed just because they are moving to FTTP from FTTC .

If the OP is currently on ADSL , marketed as 17Mb average , then the ADSL speed profile isn’t available on FTTP so the lowest FTTP available speed is provided, namely Fibre Essential, given the apparent confusion around this from the OP , presumably the OP is currently on ADSL .

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

COMPANY-PENSIONER — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:48:48 GMT

FWIW

My change to DV/SH2 came with a strange order, completely off-piste. I came to the conclusion that it's a generic order for a change-over. One size fits all ? It all rationalised itself, when the change-over was complete. My account displayed the correct products & services.
Good-2-Go !

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 18:56:25 GMT

Yes, I'm on ADSL @iniltous so what do you think I'll get on installation day. Will I just get a different Master Socket and some switchover in the Green cabinet outside my neighbour's house OR the full works with CBT and ONT boxes with a new Fibre to my house from the pole on the other side of the road?

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:00:38 GMT

@COMPANY-PENSIONER

What did you get then FTTP or FTTC?

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

iniltous — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:29:50 GMT

A change to FTTP doesn’t need your existing master socket , and there is no advantage for BT or OR in ‘pushing’ you to accepting a change to FTTC from ADSL , as you would still need a change to FTTP at some point in the future , so it’s almost certainly FTTP you are getting .

Your existing sockets become redundant, but if you want the ONT (optical network termination ) near where the master socket is , provided there is a power outlet or two then that’s usually doable .

If there is a better position for the ONT , you can discuss this with the installer…..the copper network elements , ( cabinets etc ) are irrelevant FTTP doesn’t come from a cabinet ….a small block on the wall is provided where the external grade optical cable is attached to the wall (called a CSP ) , this normally mirrors the existing copper delivery , so from a pole or underground, from there another internal grade optical cable is ran to the location if the ONT , obviously at some point a hole is needed through a wall to get the cable inside , the two optical cables are spliced together inside the CSP .

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3XDl0-KkPy8

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

chrisjp — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:38:08 GMT

"We've been instructed by BT/EE to move your broadband service to Full Fibre as part of the move to your Digital Voice home phone service."

If you are indeed being moved to full FTTP, then the 36Mbps that you say BT is guaranteeing you is woefully, even unbelievably, slow.
That's why I suggested that actually you are being moved to FTTC.
The lowest speed that FTTP provides is typically around 150Mbps

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:46:56 GMT

@chrisjp

Well BT don't actually say that it's what a Google search and AI come up with.

Re: Fibre Broadband and DV again and acceptance.

HHGTTG — Wed, 18 Jun 2025 19:54:20 GMT

Yes if FTTP, I understand all that. I don't have power where the ONT will easily be sited so I'll have to run a discreet extension lead and socket down our long hallway to the front window overlooking the road and where the old master socket is. It's too hot there to stand the SH2 on the table so I've got a 5m ethernet cable to run from there to further back down the hall to a table where there is a power socket for the SH2 and for the DECT phone temporarily until I pair a DV adapter with the hub.