Alternative full fibre offering?

[chezheck]

Open Infra are in my neighbourhood touting installation of full fibre - 'pay only for installation'....'free internet for up to 36 months. Start paying after your current contract expires'.  Apparently they will do this 'by using ducts/pipes underground and the existing poles'. I don't understand - isn't it only Openreach that can do this? Which ISPs would be providing the service? Is there any intel out there about why I should avoid this offer, eg from BT's marketing team?

[imjolly]

Open Infra are the ISP providing your internet - just google 'open infra' and plenty information available

[chezheck]

Not sure I could conclude that OI would be the ISP if I accepted their offer. No idea who else would be either. I'm all for googling like billy-o, but sometimes there's a lot of 'noise' that makes it hard to conclude anything for sure. Also, can they really just use/add to existing facilities that I thought were Openreach responsibilities? Doesn't that undermine the integrity of what is Openreach's domain?

[imjolly]

did you try google as there are numerous entries including Trustpilot with customer reviews

[chezheck · Accepted solution]

Yes, I did google. No, it did not deliver a clear answer for me. Yes, I read Trustpilot and reviews fell into 2 distinct categories. Either they were minimum stars and warning to avoid mainly because of a hard, persistent sales technique, or they were top marks with people quoting forenames of who it was that gave them good service. Nothing in between, though I did get tired of looking when I'd had a couple of pages on that theme! Don't know about you, but the absence of light and shade in the reviews and a suspicion when the reviewer is on first name terms with the service provider can affect credibility for me. Don't think there were any reviews of the product and the support service.

[imjolly]

sounds like bit of a gamble.

unfortunately you cannot discuss packages from other ISPs on the BT Forum

[steephill]

https://www.openreach.com/broadband-network explains that many ISPs can and do use Openreach infrastructure.

[iniltous]

PIA ( Physical infrastructure access ) , which Openreach are obliged to offer , allows Alternative Networks to use the ducts, jointboxes and poles that belong to Openreach for their own equipment, so often, these Alt Nets could ( for arguments sake ) have their own ‘fibre blocks’ on a telegraph pole and able to offer service before Openreach get their own fibre blocks installed, underground service is similar, but less obvious because the equipment isn’t as visible.

Someone who went with an Alt Net in this overhead situation would have the original Openreach copper dropwire left in place and a new optical dropwire supplied by the Alt Net installed from the pole , along with any other kit the Alt Net needs to install at the property, like the ONT etc.

[chezheck]

Thanks. This is beginning to make some sense to me. Still, buyer beware I guess is the message, as ever, but something to expect more of in the future.

[ptrduffy]

I had a look at their website, and I would definitely beware.  They list 3 ISPs that deliver over their network - Gardio, Infinity Broadband and Optyx.  The link to Gardio doesn't work, and a quick google didn't give me any more info about them.  The links to the other two work, but the packages listed on the ISPs website don't match those listed on the Open Infra website.

The whole thing screams amateur hour to me.