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Install due in 6 days but nothing fibre looking on pole yet

uktricky — Sat, 03 Jan 2026 22:27:12 GMT

Hi,

I am due my FTTP install on the 9th but there is nothing obvious on the pole that serves my property for the current copper feed as yet. There are certainly no warning labels of Fibre installed on the poles in my village.

The BT Openreach site suggests:

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream Range (Mbps) Availability Date FTTP Install ProcessWBC FTTP

Up to 1000

Up to 220

Available

1 Stage

Should I prepare myself to be disappointed come Friday or will Openreach magic something up from the cabinet over the next few days? I know my current feed is all underground from the cabinet until it reaches different poles in the village I.e there is no obvious Pole to Pole connectivity.

Re: Install due in 6 days but nothing fibre looking on pole yet

iniltous — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 09:32:54 GMT

The usual process is the infrastructure is in place before the addresses show availability so in the case of overhead provision , the pole that services the address will have had the CBT or multiple CBT’s (fibre distribution) fitted and commissioned, the number of CBT or size of CBT is dependent on the ‘demand’ , the number of addresses the poleis designed to serve , if there is no evidence of this FTTP infrastructure then it may be the address has been incorrectly flagged as having availability when it doesn’t , that can happen .

A warning label about overhead fibre isn’t the most compelling evidence….search for an image of an Openreach CBT , the come in various sizes , and look then to see if there is one or more at the top of the pole , or if your pole has wires to another pole , a CBT or CBTs on that pole .

Openreach FTTP doesn’t use ‘cabinets’ , except in very very rare cases and that would be a new subtended headend in a new cabinet , not the existing ‘copper pair’ cabinet or any linked FTTC ‘cabinet’ , but this is so rare as to be almost certainly not the case with your area .

Re: Install due in 6 days but nothing fibre looking on pole yet

36ULW — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 10:48:00 GMT

Openreach stopped using, ‘Warning Overhead Fibre Cables’ Labels on their own Poles about 4/5 years ago.

They’re only obliged to put them on DNO (Distribution Network Operator) Poles, aka the Electric Company.

As for not having a CBT on the Pole outside your house. Not all Poles will have a CBT. The Pole outside your house could well be a Carrier Pole that’s from another Carrier Pole that itself is fed from a Pole with the CBT on.

Fibre Drop Cable comes in various Lengths ranging from 33m to 350m.

It could also be the CBT is in a Joint Box at the base of the Pole and the Drop Cable run up the Pole and then to your house.

Re: Install due in 6 days but nothing fibre looking on pole yet

uktricky — Sun, 04 Jan 2026 11:13:39 GMT

Randomly out this morning and the CBT's (now I know what they are called) have appeared on the poles in my village. Certainly weren't there last weekend as I'd walked out purposely to try spot them.

Thanks for advice.