Openreach not fixing my fault? What can I do?

[Steeden]

I placed an order for FTTP back in early September.  BT engineer has installed everything on my side, but I have been waiting for Openreach to "fix a fault in their distribution network" for one month now - with no end in sight!!

I call multiple times per week to get an update on the order, and each time Openreach's update is just "Check again in a few days"??  I feel like I am going in circles and all I want is a straightforward answer!

I need an internet connection to WFH, and at this point I am considering moving out as I cannot see an end in sight, and judging by other posts with my problem (PON light flashing and Openreach being ambiguous on repair), I could have to wait many more months!

What can I do at this point?  There is no way to contact Openreach, and when I contact the full fibre team at BT, its just the same old "Openreach are trying to fix it, wait another week and check back".  BT Openreach are the only provider in my area so I guess they dont need to care about me as I have no competition to turn to!

If anyone has any workarounds or solutions,  please help!!   I am getting desperate!

PS:  What does a "fault in our distribution network" even mean, how can it take so long to repair and why am I the only one affected by it when everyone in my neighborhood uses BT?

[iniltous]

Is your property a new build or is it a property that has had a fibre network overlaid on top of an existing copper network ?

Generally, the PON light flashing means that the light from the OLT ( the headend ) is present, but the ONT isn’t being authenticated, this could be various things but if you are being told it’s a network distribution, that implies that faulty equipment has been eliminated as the cause of the issue, if it were a light level issue the LOS light would be lit.

If somehow , you were connected to the wrong CBT , and that CBT happened to be off a the wrong splitter ) then the PON light would flash as the OLT would not be expecting your ONT on that ‘splitter’ so wouldn’t accept it into the PON ( but this should be fixable in software once the issue is recognised  ) 

If you are a new build, it’s highly likely that your immediate neighbours are routed in exactly the same way as yourself , same CBT, same splitter , same PON , so if they are working it would be odd that only your circuit isn’t.

You say that ‘BT’ have fitted everything, but it’s Openreach  that are responsible for FTTP, so what exactly did the ‘BT’ engineers fit ( presumably the router and any connected to it ) , if it’s new sites , OR would authenticate the ONT when it’s installed, if it fails to authenticate, they pass to a specialist team to resolve remotely.

Has the ONT at any time been changed and the ‘new) serial number of the replacement ONT been  entered it’s the ‘system’ so that this replacement ONT is recognised on the PON ?, there was a post on this forum ( or a similar one ) where a contractor had fitted a Nokia ONT when the system was expecting a Huawei one , swapping to the correct manufacturer solved the issue…the symptoms were similar to what you are experiencing 

[Steeden]

Hey iniltous, thanks for the reply!

So just to clarify (not sure if it was a bt engineer or openreach who fitted stuff to start):

An Engineer visited my newly referbed flat, and installed a modem (ONT) and connected it to a CBT on the street.  He then told me that he measured high light levels and that this needed to be fixed by another engineer.

At this point, my LOS light was flashing.  

Fast forward a few days, and the LOS light is now off and the PON light is permanently flashing.

Now this is the case 1 month later, with the PON light still flashing.

I really get absolutely no info from BT when I call the fibre team for help/updates.  Just that Openreach are "working on it".  

I may be remembering incorrectly but at some point I think someone told me that the CBT is faulty and needs replacement (but this was 3 weeks ago now).

Most of my frustration is that nobody will tell me what is going on, and I am slightly worried that it could be a simple error like the ONT hasnt been authenticated etc.  How could I diagnose this?

Thanks!

[iniltous]

Unfortunately the way the regulator has set up the industry, it’s not usually possible for OR to update you directly , OR update the ISP, the ISP updates you , with the potential for mixed up messages or technical info not being translated into non technical language very well.
If the CBT was broken that could well explain the LOS light, but now it’s a flashing PON light, that suggests the CBT is fixed , or if it was a faulty port ( not the entire CBT ) perhaps you were moved onto a different port on the same CBT.

I think the original engineer probably meant high loss rather than high light levels , ( low light = high loss ) …you cannot really have high light levels , and if you did all users on the PON would be affected….high loss could affect just 1/32 of the splitter ( a faulty splice for example ) but that’s what the LOS light indicates.

The thing that’s difficult to explain, is if other customers on the same CBT as you are working OK, the way the system works is that they and your connections are effectively identical, the same info (data) goes down all 32 legs on the splitter ( some will be via through other CBTs as well as yours ) , your ONT only uses the ‘data packets’ for you, the others are ignored…your neighbours are identical , just their ONT ignores all other packets apart from theirs , that would include your data packets ignored by them, so if others on the same PON are working , that proves the network as OK, really the only problem could be the headend isn’t accepting your ONT , so no data is ever sent with your ONT’s ‘address’, or your ONT is for whatever reason not working correctly, that’s why I would think the very first thing to try would be a different ONT

[Steeden]

Thank you so much for all the info, this makes a lot of sense.

What would my next steps be?  Do I need to somehow get an Openreach engineer to come to my flat?  How do I effectively tell this information to customer service so a potential solution can be found?  I feel like I am always talking to non-technical people who just read out the updates made on my order on my account!

Thanks again!

Edit: I see I have a Nokia ONT installed.  I also know the serial number etc.  Who would I tell this info to?

[licquorice · Accepted solution]

You can't contact Openreach directly. All you can do is speak to the BT FTTP team 0800 587 4787

[Steeden]

Well I will give this a go tomorrow and see if a member of the FTTP team could chase this up for me.

Thanks everyone for the help

[iniltous]

Although Nokia ONT’s should now work with any headend manufacturer ( it wasn’t always the case , originally  the headend and customer end had to be the same vendor )  , if the headend is a Huawei , I would be asking for the ONT to be swapped out for one from the same vendor.
You still haven’t said if the ONT was ever swapped out ( to eliminate it as possible issue ) even if a Nokia manufactured ONT is absolutely fine, it could still be faulty.