Unable to order Fibre 900 - ECI issue? FTTP

[CornwallGold]

"Were you out of contract at the point that you initiated the cease on your existing connection?"

No, I've recently renewed my contract.

[Dave-Helston]

How did you get on @CornwallGold  as I'm in same boat as you and had no joy via BT complaint.

[CornwallGold]

Hi Dave. 

Apologies for the lack of updates, been a busy time. Also sorry about War and Peace, just want to get the details in. 

So in short, a cease and reprovide did not work, the Openreach system still saw an ECI service in place, so 330mbps was the highest possible to order. 

The BT help team then went back to Openreach with a more detailed request, but that got no useful response. 

With the help team we have formulated a new plan. Another cease and reprovide order was placed, and the cease has happened (I am currently running on 4g "hybrid connect" at about 25mbps)

Once the line had ceased, BT called me and asked me to disconnect my ONT (pull the green plug) before the provide process. As the provide then failed (could not "see" the ONT) an engineer is booked to arrive and complete an install. This engineer will then "find" no spare links on the SASA back to the ECI head end from the splitter, and request a routing change onto another SASA. All other SASAs link back to Huawei head ends, so an ONT swap will also be needed.

Once the routing swap is completed the service will be back up and running at the ordered 330mbps. Then it's just a matter of upgrading, and finally we should be there. 

The BT help team have been absolutely brilliant in their help and understanding on this. Hopefully once this is over we can create a simple process for the everyday customer to upgrade an ECI service. 

[Starwire]

‘Once the line had ceased, BT called me and asked me to disconnect my ONT (pull the green plug) before the provide process. As the provide then failed (could not "see" the ONT) an engineer is booked to arrive and complete an install. This engineer will then "find" no spare links on the SASA back to the ECI head end from the splitter, and request a routing change onto another SASA. All other SASAs link back to Huawei head ends, so an ONT swap will also be needed.’

Did this actually happen yet and has it been agreed between BT and Openreach.

If not here is the big flaw in BT’s plan.

Openreach will see an ONT Associated with the address, it being an ECI one and they will Order/Build your Service off the existing route like they would a ‘Stopped’ Line on a Metallic Path.

Of course when they activate it it’ll not see the ONT as it’s unplugged so they’ll generate an Engineer Visit to investigate.

Said Engineer will just simply plug the ONT back in to get it working. You could of course remove the ONT and play the idiot card but the Engineer will firstly see through you then just go to his/her van to get a replacement ECI ONT.

Also what’s this about there being no spare fibres back to the SASA? You already have a Fibre back to the SASA, they wouldn’t need to go looking for a spare and for all BT know there could be a dozen spares off that SASA.

Also do BT know if the the Fibre back to the Huawei Head End is even on the same PON as the ECI one, because I seriously doubt it is.

[CornwallGold]

Hi Starwire.

You're right of course, an engineer would indeed simply recommission/replace the ONT, however the whole point is that the engineer won't do that, as arranged. 

"Also what’s this about there being no spare fibres back to the SASA? You already have a Fibre back to the SASA, they wouldn’t need to go looking for a spare and for all BT know there could be a dozen spares off that SASA.

Also do BT know if the the Fibre back to the Huawei Head End is even on the same PON as the ECI one, because I seriously doubt it is."

There's obviously my existing fibre BACK to the SASA - that doesn't change. It's the fibres ON the SASA back to the ECI head end that have no spares (maybe my original fibre has been snapped off too short to re-splice, which is why my ONT can't be seen?) so a SASA change will be required.

And yes, in my splitter SASA 1 is ECI, SASAs 2,3 and 4 are Huawei. I did some home work.

If you want to delve deeper into my individual case it's probably better if you PM me.

[Starwire]

You asking me to PM you because you plan on damaging the Fibre, aka Openreach’s Equipment and don’t want to openly say it out loud? Where are you planning on damaging it, the CSP or have you somehow managed to get the Routing for your existing Fibre and plan on damaging it in the possible various Track Joints back to the Splitter or in the Splitter itself?

If you are why would they not simply just fix/replace it?

Also the other SASA’s will be on different Head End Ports so they won’t be able to get a Reroute on the day. It’d need to go back for an entire NAD Key Reset and the an Entire Profile Rebuild. 

If SASA1, which is on the ECI Head End is at capacity why didn’t the genius at BT who keeps Ceasing and Reproviding your Circuit not just Order you a second FTTP Line, which would have to come off one of the other SASA’s if the fist is full and then when it was installed Cease the other?

[CornwallGold]

Wow.

I'm not sure exactly why you're getting upset about this. I (with the help of a great BT help team) am trying to fix an issue with the BT/Openreach ordering system.

I am posting it on here as a courtesy to hopefully help the OP and others in the same situation. 

I resent your suggestion that I would damage the fibre, that is a ridiculous suggestion. 

The visiting engineer will be asked by BT to move me to another SASA, apply for the reroute and fit a new ONT. This will not happen on the same day, I understand that. 

Ordering a second service was tried, but the system would just automatically route that to port 2 of the existing ECI ONT, not helping at all.

I believe if I was a BT business customer, I could stipulate a second line has to be on a separate fibre, but not a home user.

It is the BT/Openreach ordering system that has barriers in it that simply won't allow the order of 900mbps if a property has ECI, we are trying to ascertain a method of working around this until BT and/or Openreach start to care about their (relatively very few) customers on ECI. 

[kernowlogic]

As the OP, I'd just like to thank you for providing such detailed updates.

Please do keep posting your progress, it will be useful to understand the correct procedure to advise BT of the necessary changes if it is successful. It took so long just to get someone from BT to explain to me why I couldn't receive the 900mbps even though they kept contacting me telling me I could upgrade. It was only by chance that I stumbled upon someone who must've had some experience of this before with another customer that they could at least explain why I couldn't receive the higher speeds.

The information in the replies has been very useful and at least provides some hope that I may be able to move to the faster service at some point in the future.

[Starwire]

I didn’t suggest you were going to damage the Fibre, you did.

‘There's obviously my existing fibre BACK to the SASA - that doesn't change. It's the fibres ON the SASA back to the ECI head end that have no spares (maybe my original fibre has been snapped off too short to re-splice, which is why my ONT can't be seen?) so a SASA change will be required.’

Or we’re you just speaking hypothetically, in which case as I said, they can just replace the fibre.

Also as I said before, which I’ve come across before you can’t do a SASA Reroute from one Head End Port to another as your OGEA Service is built off that one, the whole Service would need to be Ceased then for it to go to planning for a complete NAD Key Reset.

[Starwire]

What BT are doing isn’t a Process. It’s merely trial and error. Well more error than anything.