New Property - Copper Line Only

[Keith_Beddoe]

The transition was initiated when analogue phone lines were no longer available, I think it may have been Sept 6th 2023. That is why WBC FTTC is no longer available as a product.

I am sure you should be able to place an order, other forum members have posted in a similar situation.

4G may be an option, but you would probably notice very variable performance, depending on how many users are connected to the cell site.

[ccoplestone]

Would definitely make sense if a transition period is ongoing.

Would the transition potentially indicate an expansion of that cabinet to handle more properties that use it to have access to SoGEA, essentially just the data side of things and not a phone line?

I'll give BT another go tomorrow and see if they can explain what's going on. I'd rather not actually order ADSL if it means I'm on a contract getting 6-17Mbps, it would probably be better to have 4G broadband at that point, or even Starlink.

Thanks for your help.

[Keith_Beddoe]

I expect its due to the transition period, and there may be a "stop sell" on ADSL products. This issue has been raised before on this forum.

By all means try ringing BT and see if they can place an order.

If you still have problems, a moderator can be asked to assist.

[ccoplestone]

Correct, I can indeed select my new address from the dropdown list that appears after entering the postcode, so it would seem the postcode and address are recognised. I tried my parents postcode in the same town, same issue.

I've also tried other addresses I've lived at in different areas as a test and those all return product results.

[Keith_Beddoe]

Is your address correct on the Royal Mail Postcode database?

That ordering site should work, but the format of the postcode may be critical.

You should be able to select a list of addresses from a valid postcode.

[ccoplestone]

Really helpful information Keith. Thanks for your time.

I've recently joined an ISP as a software engineer so my networking knowledge is getting a little better, not so much in this scenario though!

I have seen recently though that any postcode I enter on that site brings up the following message:

'Sorry, we can't find results for your address at the moment We're updating our systems and we hope this will be fixed soon.'

[Keith_Beddoe]

Place your order via the BT website, you may find that fibre is available, as the helpdesk may not have up to date info.

If you do not need a phone service, you can order broadband only.

https://www.bt.com/products/broadband/deals

https://www.bt.com/broadband/broadband-without-landline

[ccoplestone]

@Keith_Beddoe 

Oh I see! Thanks for this information. I wasn't told about the ability to place an order for ADSL and keep checking the results on that site. But the rep on the other side of the phone did inform me about the cabinet being full.

Is the ordering for ADSL something I should do on the phone or is it possible to do through BT's website?

[Keith_Beddoe]

@ccoplestone 

Fast fibre (80 Mbs FTTC) is available, its just that the cabinet is full at the moment, but spaces become available all the time, and Openreach often add more capacity. Also a transition is occurring to SOGEA, and that can cause the "waiting list" message, as others have found out.

If you place an order for ADSL, then once that is active, keep checking that website and wait until it says "available". Then quickly place an order to upgrade to fibre.

Have you actually tried to place an order for FTTC, as by the time it gets on the system, there may be capacity?

[ccoplestone]

You know what hurts the most? Rightmove and other comparison sites for a brief period were actually showing fibre speeds (screenshot from Rightmove):