BT broadband Monopoly?

[-Richie-]

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@LondonResident808wrote:

I don’t understand why it’s the case that I cannot switch to another ADSL provider?

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Most likely a business decision by other ISP's, a while back the rules were changed where providers have to give average speeds of the product, customers in slow areas will bring that average down and they don't want them.
The other reason for being on an EO line is you live in central London, the costs for road closures and highways work is ridiculous, which is why Openreach will not do any work, they're a business and it's too costly.
If you read BT's terms they state:

Average speeds based on speed available to at least 50% of customers at peak time (8-10pm).  Your actual speed will depend on your location, phone line, home wiring, Wi-Fi connection and time of day.

[Keith_Beddoe]

I may be wrong but as far as I am aware EO lines are a legacy of the time when the Post Office then British Telecom provided all phone lines in the UK. 

@gg30340 

Its always been the case. I started work with the GPO in 1968, and there was always a mixture of EO and cabinet, and pillars after the cabinets.

Most "subscribers" were fed from a cabinet/pillar combination, however businesses and large blocks of flats were connected via a large direct cable which was usually terminated in the basement.

A large company in Liverpool  called United Biscuits, had loads of direct cables from the exchange, spent a lot of time as an apprentice in that building. Fresh scones every day 🙂

Locally the old Eastleigh Pirelli factory which was redeveloped for housing, had multiple EO cables from Eastleigh Exchange. People who moved into those houses only had EO cables until last year, when Openreach ran fibre from the exchange alongside the old EO cable routes.

[LondonResident808]

Hello,

Thanks for all the comments. Sounds like I’ll get access to a choice of ISPs and be able to shop around for the best price once Openreach get around to installing Fibre …sometime in 2030. 

[licquorice]

Just to correct a few things.

EO lines are simply lines that are sufficiently close to the exchange that cables are fed directly to the distribution points rather than via PCPs (cabinets) primary connection points that are a mini distribution frame connecting large cables from the exchange to smaller distribution cables giving flexibility of connection.

EO lines are not a monopoly and are no different to any other lines as far as ADSL is concerned.

However, VDSL equipment is not allowed to be sited in exchanges due to causing crosstalk problems hence EO lines are only capable of supplying ADSL. In some locations, a cabinet has been provided in the exchange grounds to provide VDSL capability, this is not universal practice and may not be physically possible in built up areas.