This topic

Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

pg1981 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:28:28 GMT

I am stuck in the frustrating situation where I cannot get fibre whereas my immediate neighbours can so looking for advice on how to proceed. I am sure I should be able to get it and I am just stuck in a "computer says no" limbo stage.

The Openreach CBT is in a box in the ground that is directly on the boundary of my property next to my drive. I can see the existing pipes / ducting carrying the existing copper cable to my house. Most houses near my are connected by poles and these are all able to order fibre.

I have done the following so far:

Contacted Openreach via the link widely published on this forum. I received a response that confirmed the following:

I have a "gold" address and a NAD
I know my CBT number which has a technical RFS date but not a commercial RFS date
My house is classified as being in a DIG area and there are no concrete plans as to when fibre may be come available

I originally made an enquiry checking the box "when will fibre be available". I have submitted another query checking the box "my neighbours can get fibre but i cannot" and explained that the CBT is right next to my house and there is an existing duct, no digging required, and asked if they can please send out an engineer to look. I have not had a response to this yet

I have asked Cerberus for a desktop quote for FTTPoD

HeyBroadband (altnet) is in my area but after trying to place an order through them they are saying they cannot connect my house to one of their poles due to minimum height clearances. There are a couple of poles near my property. They do not have their equipment in the CBT manhole in the road so that is not an option apparently.

It is so frustrating. Is there anything else I can or should do at this stage!?

Many thanks

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:46:44 GMT

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

Put your address in here and post the return , it’s the survey network note to look at , it looks like this ( this from a fully ducted modern house )

Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Feed with no anticipated issues.

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

pg1981 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 17:58:48 GMT

Hi - i get the following output

WBC FTTC Availability is set to unavailable

WBC SOGEA Availability is set to available

FTTP is not available.

The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme

As a WLR withdrawal exchange, product restrictions apply

SOADSL is not restricted at the exchange

For all ADSL and WBC Fibre to the Cabinet (VDSL or G.fast) services, the stable line rate will be determined during the first 10 days of service usage.

For all SOADSL services,the stable line rate will be determined during the first 10 days of service usage.

Actual speeds experienced by end users and quoted by CPs will be lower due to a number of factors within and external to BT's network, Communication Providers' networks and within customer premises.

In order to be eligible for handback, downstream speed should be less than Downstream Handback Threshold values.

If you decide to place an order for a WBC fibre product, an appointment may be required for an engineer to visit the end user's premises to supply the service

ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL availability: If shown at FTTP or SOGEA premises,ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL are not available to order due to WLR Withdrawal stop sell rules. CPs should order FTTP or SOGEA. Copper products are only available by exception.

Thank you for your interest

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:49:15 GMT

Going on that return if the local CBT is fitted it’s either not ready for service or your address is excluded from showing availability when others potentially designated to the same CBT do show availability.
Look at you nearest neighbours (preferably next door either side ) on the DSL checker, this may indicate if the CBT just isn’t commissioned if they show no availability , or if the neighbours do show availability your address is excluded for some reason (usually on cost ) ,

if your neighbours do show FTTP availability, provide the proximity (detached 10 meters away that type of thing ) and any pertinent info , like if you are a bungalow and served underground and the neighbour is a two story house served overhead.

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

pg1981 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:54:30 GMT

Neighbours to either side show full availability. They are connected to poles though...

My property is one of 3 that are currently connected via underground ducting all to this CBT (the houses were all built at the same time about 25 years ago an a large plot that was subdivided). The plots to either side of our houses and opposite side of the road have FTTP available

The properties are all detached houses. Houses are 10m apart on average - fairly standard suburban street

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

pg1981 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 18:55:38 GMT

I should add that i got an initial response from Openreach that I was in a DIG area but i believe that is just wrong as we have existing ducts.

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:19:20 GMT

Houses built 25 years ago should be ducted as that was the standard method from mid 1990’s , and if a CBT exists in a footway jointbox these houses are served from then it’s weird that they don’t show availablity.
Reasons why they don’t could be a blocked duct somewhere from the jointbox with what you suspect is ‘your’ CBT to the splitter location , or worse a missing duct section, unfortunately the current rollout ethos is pretty much ‘ only do the cheap and easy stuff’ ( like poles and existing serviceable duct ) and defer anything that needs expenditure over and above the ‘per tenancy’ budget , the reason why you can’t get FTTP could be a deliberate omission rather than a mistake .

I suspect you have already completed this formwize, if you haven’t fill it in , the ‘my neighbours can get FTTP but I can’t’ section the part that needs to be completed.
https://www.openreach.com/forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form

Unfortunately I suspect they don’t provide the reasons why availability isn’t shown , just confirming it is or isn’t , however if it is just an oversight they should correct the records that allow ISP to raise an order .

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

pg1981 — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 19:20:18 GMT

Yes I did complete that form, although i have done it again this time using the "my neighbours can get fibre but i cannot" as the first time i just asked about availability and i got a very generic response. Hopefully this time it might go to a different person

I asked the same question on reddit and a poster there said my CBT is commissioned and live, our 3 houses 9, 9A and 9B are all associated with it and are down as fed by duct (presume they have access to checking tools that I do not). They thought it odd that it didnt show as available

Re: Neighbours can get fibre but i cannot

iniltous — Thu, 18 Jun 2026 21:05:55 GMT

Presumably whoever posted on Reddit has access to Openreach planning tools like Orion as there is no public site that can provide that level of information, so possibly a current Openreach employee posted that information.
It would be odd to be in the position you are apparently in if the info from Reddit is accurate , the survey information from the BTw site (that shows no availability in your case ) is entered at survey but not immediately available publicly on the BTw site , as there is no guarantee that the survey will be used as the basis for an actual PON build (some surveys will site around for years if there is no allocated budget to build it ) , the survey designates addresses to a CBT ( that’s yet to be installed) indicating the location for the CBT (based primarily on the way the existing copper network is delivered) and the type of final installation and any potential issues are noted ….should the build phase takes place , and the CBT is provided and commissioned ready for service the addresses and survey information are effectively already linked and the address (and associated survey info ) becomes available …if the CBT is ready it should really follow automatically the addresses can order showing the type of installation required, you seem to have been told both the CBT and addresses are RFS , but that has not flowed through to any portal that ISP’s indirectly use for establishing availability, so it’s very odd , even if it’s likely to be a problematic installation (like DIG) the availability is still shown .
TBH , apart from this second attempt at the Openreach formwize , there isn’t really anywhere to turn , short of contacting the executive level complaints team should your second enquiry not be successful.