Copper/Aluminium Switch Off

[KnewBee]

I don't currently have any connection; I'm asking about the mechanics of how the switchover from FTTC to FTTP happens and what to expect i.e. is there any chance they'll do 100% of properties in the area or will they continue to leave the difficult properties out of any upgrade plans.

I fear they'll leave the difficult ones out, which means I'll be in the same position as I am today i.e. unable to have a decent FTTC line

[Keith_Beddoe]

If you have an FTTC cabinet nearby, then its very unlikely you will get FTTP.

[KnewBee]

I thought the whole point of the upgrades was to move everyone to FTTP?

The cabinet has been FTTC since 2010 I believe so what are they upgrading now?

Apologies if I've missed the obvious but I thought they were looking to discontinue FTTC and switch everyone onto FTTP

[iniltous]

In time , 99% or more will have FTTP , there may well be some exceptions where it’s not possible even with Government assistance, but for those 4/5G or even satellite broadband may be the only option, but assuming you are not one of these exceptions, a few misconceptions, FTTP doesn’t come from a cabinet, it’s almost certainly not from your local exchange ( so I’ve no idea what you think an  exchange upgrade entails ) however OR still refer to exchange areas when advising of their rollout plans , as that’s a convenient way to indicate the geographic area that’s being upgraded.

If you have access to FTTC and you recon the cabinet in question is around 1 mile away , should result in a 15-20Mb speed , your address will have an estimate, if it’s lower that this , then perhaps you are misinformed about how far that cabinet is ( it’s never an as the crow flies distance ) and whatever you were quoted , if it is not good enough, that’s up to you , 

FTTP is delivered from a headend exchange, that can be upto 40Km away ( obviously some will live within the headend exchange area ) , the headend serves multiple aggregation nodes , they serve splitter nodes , that serve CBT’s that are ( relatively speaking ) in the footpath outside peoples homes , if and when this infrastructure is provided can only be speculated about, obviously ‘fibre’ for your FTTC cab means there is an optical path to a headend ,   hard to reach areas may need local or national funding arrangements as they are unlikely to be commercially viable, but there are hundreds of areas like that , already covered by FTTP , and new ones are allocated funding all the time .

You are asking a question that’s impossible to answer , when will your area get FTTP , something to consider, most of the last significant BDUK funds allocated by Government for areas that will not be covered by commercial schemes were not ‘won’ by Openreach and therefore BT could  not offer service once the subsidised network is in , City Fibre were the network the Government allocated these funds to ,  BT have no influence on when and where Openreach chose to provide FTTP , but Openreach are not the only network builder 

[KnewBee]

Thanks - very informative.

When your reference CBTs, is this usually a new installation or an upgrade of the "boxes" already installed on the streets?

There's currently a "box" / cabinet much closer to my house but I can't be connected to that as I'm already connected to the one a mile away - is it likely that may change with the new infrastructure being installed?

Also, is there any maps available to show the locations of the nodes? (I'm guessing not but wanted to check anyway)

[rbz5416]

Apologies, I missed "cabinet" from your fist post.

As @iniltous has said, if the distance is still the same then even if you can get a connection, it may not be any better that what you currently get from 4G. But it's also possible that another cab has been added that's closer. It would still be worth putting your address in here & see what it says now. Feel free to post an image of the results but remove any personal details first.

As for the original attempt at installation, you may simply have had someone who didn't want to do the work involved & found it easier to fob you off. I would expect there to be a reasonable amount of redundancy built in so you could be switched to another pair if yours was unrepairable.

But again as been said previously, the information you seek regarding when/if you'll get FTTP simply isn't available.

[iniltous]

Connectorised Block Terminals ( CBT ) are fibre distribution points and are ( when provided ) generally at the same location as your copper pair DP ( distribution point ) so at a pole top in overhead areas , in a jointbox in the footpath in underground areas , some underground areas where cables are not ducted but DIG ( direct in ground ) new joint boxes , ducts etc . may be needed before FTTP can be provided , in overhead areas extra poles may be needed , from a consumer point of view, it doesn’t matter , but it is true to say  that excessive construction costs ( so areas that need considerable construction of new infrastructure, duct , poles , boxes ) cost more than areas where there is existing usable infrastructure, in densely populated areas , therefore that area will be harder to justify providing FTTP , basically if a business could spend a million £ and get 2500 customers covered , or spend the same money for 40 customers, where would  you allocated your resources  ? 

OR periodically publish the areas they intend to cover , short of that , why would they let Joe Public and the competition know of their strategic plans etc , you don’t need to know where aggregation nodes or splitter nodes are , why would they provide that information to you .

As stated , I wouldn’t get to invested , you will undoubtedly get FTTP eventually, it’s pointless asking ISP’s unless they are also the network builder , Openreach are not the only network .

OR can offer FTTPod for those who cannot wait and are prepared to pay , they offer CFP ( community funded projects ) where a community willing to collectively club together to pay the difference between what OR can spend and the actual construction costs ( and if Government vouchers are available in that area , the CFP is actually funded by the Government ) otherwise patience is key .

[KnewBee]

Thanks again

My old number isn't recognised on that site unfortunately, and I don't have the other details.

I appreciate no one can say exactly about the FTTP, and I am more curious about the generic process as to what I could potentially expect by the time they've finished working in the area.  For example, if the switchover / stop sell processes involve installing brand new infrastructure then I might be included. However, if it's mostly replacing existing connections then I fear I'll be left much as I am today.

[KnewBee]

You say "generally at the same place as the current copper pair" - would there be any opportunity to change that do you think?

There is another cabinet closer to my house than my existing connection and (obviously) they couldn't switch to that last time but with the new works due to be undertaken in the next 12 months do you think that will provide an opportunity to "switch cabinets"?

[iniltous]

FTTP has nothing to do with copper cabinets and their associated FTTC service , Openreach are not going to ‘waste’ money rearranging copper pair customers from one copper cabinet to another ( closer ) copper cabinet ,even if it’s technically possible, just to to give a marginal increase in FTTC speeds for a few customers for a short time , it’s a nonsensical proposition really .

If you have a copper DP in a jointbox outside your home from a cabinet 1 mile away , and that is served from your local exchange, when you get FTTP , the CBT will almost certainly be in the same jointbox, but that’s probably going to be about the total of any confluence of the two networks, everything else will separate , the fibre from a headend exchange potentially many miles  away , the aggregation node closer , but not necessarily that close , the splitter closer than the aggregation node , the fibre cables from the Agg Node to the splitter may run in some existing ducting , or in newly provided ducts , it may be overhead on existing poles or newly provided poles , but the location of the copper cabinet is totally irrelevant to that FTTP network .