House Refurb, FTTP and Ducting

[c_bailiss]

Hello

We are refurbing our house, including rewiring.  Currently we have FTTC broadband but FTTP is being rolled out in our area in the next year - so I want to ensure the new wiring works for FTTP.

The phone line for our house (built in the early 70s) comes in underground (not over a telegraph pole).  My understanding is the FTTP will use the existing ducting.  The main phone socket is in our hallway and is in an inconvenient place, so ideally I'd like to have the FTTP box elsewhere. 

Also, I am not sure whether the existing cable routing could be used for FTTP - so am hoping others here may be able to advise on what the options might be.  The main phone socket is not on an external wall - it is on an internal wall in the hallway about 2-3m away from two external walls (two sides of the house).  There are no obvious cables leading from that socket to an external wall, which makes it hard to see where the ducting comes into the house.  I can see no obvious cable emerging on the outside of the house so have no idea how the cable gets from the road to the socket in the house.

Is it likely that the FTTP install would use this route/ducting?  Given the socket is on the wall, I assume the cable will go down the wall first then take a sharpish turn - so I assume route/ducting will not be straight - does that make it less likely that a FTTP install would use it?

If I open up the existing socket, would this give some indication?  e.g. I read that ducting can have a pull cable in it - where would that normally terminate?

If not using this socket, would they try to use the existing ducting (where ever it is) up to the outside wall of the house?  Or would they dig a new trench?  And if so, do they do this simply to the wall nearest the road?

Appreciate it is hard to advise on specific cases - but any general advice would be helpful.

Thanks

Chris

[imjolly]

the fibre cable would normally follow existing wiring using the duct unless there was a problem with a blocked duct.  the master socket is immaterial as that is no longer used for FTTP.  if duct enters your home in cupboard then that is more than likely when the ONT will be fixed and then your router/hub connect by ethernet to ONT  you would need power sockets to power hub and ONT  try reading the FAQ especially if you use your landline and will be moved to digital voice

https://community.bt.com/t5/Home-phone-including-Digital/Digital-Voice-FAQs/td-p/2207485

ONT is small

[licquorice]

If the duct appears in the wrong place internally, Openreach will simply intercept it at the point it enters the property and run the fibre to the external CSP and then the internal cable from the CSP to the ONT on inside of the external wall.

[iniltous]

The chances are that with a house built in the 1970’s , the existing copper cable is not in a duct , but an armoured DIG cable  ( direct in ground ) another clue is the there is no ‘evidence’ of the ‘line’ on any external wall , it simply appears inside the property at the rear of the master socket, because it was put in early in the house construction, effectively through the foundation.
Openreach solution to these areas ( with regard to providing FTTP ) is similar to the way the cable industry provide their service, at some point OR will excavate the footpath and leave a toby box on the footpath outside each property, ( or at the boundary of two properties  ) these are sympathetically placed to give an easy (ish) install , so ( for example) the toby box placed on the boundary opposite the lawn rather than a driveway , so a ‘soft dig’ across the lawn to the house wall can be done  , where an external CSP block will be fitted , then an ‘internal’ optical cable taken into the house and an ONT fitted inside, so a long winded way of saying you cannot really future proof now ready for FTTP .

The work in the footpath is done in advance, the excavation across someone’s lawn is only done once the address has ordered FTTP , if they never order , that last step is never done , same as the cable industry 

[c_bailiss]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

@iniltous  - what you've said looks to be the case.  I've removed an old fixed radiator cover that was blocking the phone socket.  This has uncovered the bodge job done by the previous occupants of the house to extend the phone cable to a different room.  Removing the socket has revealed what looks to me like armoured cable - see the red rectangle in the attached photo.

If a future FTTP installation involves a dig across the lawn, do they bury the optical cable in ducting/protection of some kind under the lawn? 

When this type of installation is done, do they discuss with the homeowner whereabouts on the exterior of the house the dig/cable should terminate?  i.e. outside which room at the front of the house?

Thanks again.

 

[licquorice]

Difficult to see from the photo, but it looks probable that it is an armoured cable. It should have 4 conductors, orange, white, green and black. Orange and white in use and green and black spare.

The fibre cable will be ducted to the house, not directly buried and location can be agreed within reason.

[iniltous · Accepted solution]

I believe that the optical cable across the ‘lawn’ is inside a small conduit to give it some  protection  , and the path across the customers  property is discussed with them by the ‘installer’ , these are two stage installs , first stage to get the cable to the CSP location on the outside house wall from the footpath , second stage from the CSP on the external wall to the internal location chosen for the ONT, the first stage isn’t the contractual ‘date’ , as obviously at that point it wouldn’t be known how much ‘work’ to cross the ‘garden’ is required, in some circumstances it may not be possible to agree , like for example someone had a no soft surfaces like grass, the area to cross were some type of decorative driveway, and crossing it would leave an unacceptable scar, in these cases presumably the order would be cancelled by the customer 

[c_bailiss]

Thank you all for the information.