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Message 1 of 12

2 full fiber lines at the same property

I recently phoned BT and asked if I could have a second full fiber line installed to an outbuilding at my house they said yes openreach came and fitted it and all was working as should. One day the internet just stopped and they cancelled it and bt said that it’s impossible to do that you can only have 1 line to each address even though they are the ones that said it was possible and came and fit it and it was all working. Apparently I now have to register the outbuildings with Royal Mail and possible pay business rates on the building. I wasn’t very happy with their response and that they even done the job in the first place if it isn’t aloud but would are my options from here? 

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Message 2 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

Order from a different supplier, but ensure they understand it is a second line not a takeover of your original line.

No idea why BT said you couldn't have a second line if you are willing to pay for it. Possibly Openreach may have intervened if the there are insufficient ports on the CBT to service demand from discrete customers if multiple lines to one customer is allowed. If so, it will probably fail with a different supplier.

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Message 3 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

I believe there's a Openreach policy to have only one fibre cable per UPRN (address).

If additional service is needed on a separate account/different provider then a multi port ONT is used.

You would then run a ethernet cable from the main property to the outbuilding from the ONT.

If you do need a separate fibre cable and own ONT to the outbuilding it would need to have its own registered address (UPRN)

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Message 4 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

I actually have a friend that works for openreach and he has been out and looked and there’s plenty of ports left and there is only 4 houses surrounding my property so there is no else to take the ports and I have tried that and the person on the other end of the phone assured me that they was activating the unused line I think I’ve tried it 3 times and every time they try and cancel my other internet it’s such a nightmare I just need a solution

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Message 5 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

Presumably when you ordered your second service,  you must have ordered it using the address that already had a FTTP service, ( given that the outbuilding doesn’t have a separate address ) it’s  probably was nothing more than good fortune that the OR tech or contractor at the time could actually get the fibre from the CBT to the outbuilding without any extra work ( like feeder poles or installing duct ) or without noticing ( or caring ) that you wanted service in a different location to where the existing service was located , it presumably was also good fortune that the tech didn’t turn up with a multi port ONT , expecting to swap the existing single port ONT for the multi port one , and providing your new service over the 2nd port of the multi port ONT and arranging for your existing service to be moved onto port 1 , presumably would have refused this and had the  2nd service cancelled .

Its a mystery why,  after the service were installed, given that as far as everyone knew it was in the same location as the first service , that it’s been ‘cancelled’ .

If you explained that it was never going to be in the main residence, but some outbuilding, and the BT representative took the order using the main residence, strictly speaking that’s where the mistake was made , OR have no obligation to provide service into anything other than the a properly registered addresses , arguably the original BT sales representative shouldn’t have took your order if you made it clear that an outbuilding was the intended location, and subsequent representatives have actually offered the correct information.

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Message 6 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

The outbuilding is at the property though and the same address just a small building on my property and yes I did let them know the whole time that it was as an outbuilding on my property. What would my options from here be? Thanks 

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Message 7 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

If Openreach have vetoed the installation on the grounds of only one service per UPRN, then I suspect your options are very limited if any. Seems very harsh in the circumstances

You could try calling the FTTP team and see if there is anything they can do 0800 587 4787

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Message 8 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

I have two  and need to keep them.

We had SIX BT telephone lines/numbers  to the house originally  from the 1990s -   work and home landlines (still have those), fax line number (no longer have that), burglar alarm line (no longer have that) and a line into my older son's top floor room as he was the first to move from dial up to normal internet back in the day so that line is one of our broadband lines.

Today I have 3 numbers./ lines - (i) a work landline, given all the home working these days due to covid 19 ( used all the time for work calls - a nice static landline, corded, no digital display - perfect) which has full "fibre" (i.e. overhead copper wires from the Openreach box a distance away) broadband which is about £92 a month including the landline number (ii) the son's line mentioned above - doesn't do telephone calls but has the second broadband to house/ modem on it and (iii) the home telephone line - just used for telephone calls  (i and ii are another 92 a month).

Mobile signal is not very good in this bit of outer London by the way (not even outer Hebrides but outer London). My son and I also organised raising about £12k about over a decade ago from neighbours to get the right kind of power to the nearest BT box thing and Openreach paid the other 2/3rds so that we could get internet fast enough to watch TV on.

I have two BT accounts using my 2 separate email addresses and two separate monthly bills with a broadband account on each (and a working landline telephone number on each).   One reason I like to keep them is homeworking - two of my sons who live here work from home 2 days a week now due to covid rule changes  and sometimes even more people are working from home, a son's friend who might be staying the night, my daughter, and we have a big house (2 boilers etc).

The only way ( even after trying boosters of many kinds)  we can get the internet signal right over the other side of the house has been having one modem in my home office downstairs and the other 2 flights up at the other side. So it is because of obtaining signal  in more rooms  (even with that one son moved upstairs to work last week because of one downstairs room right the other side still with poor signal despite my paying BT about £92 x 2 a month.

The other reason is so we have one line if the other goes down. I am prepared to pay 92 to have the backup.

My sons did very important university and then post grad exams online all from here for 2.5 years until last year. The rules about observed/proctored (webcam) examinations done from home were thorough and very strict about if the line cuts out and what to do (our line was cutting out at least once a day at that point - both broadband lines but thankfully only briefly once cut out in an exam) . I just cannot risk having no internet and paying an extra 92 a month to have the second line  is worth it for peace of mind (particularly with loss of landlines in power cuts with digital voice on the horizon in a poor mobile area).

The lines do often cut out for a short time once a day, sometimes more, TV pauses, bosses at work get cross.  In fact one of my adult daugthers who had been "working from home" from my house (larger than her flat which also has a baby in it.....) twice a week decided not to do so any more due to her constant Teams calls here cutting out in that particular downstairs spare  room (dining room with huge lovely to work at table)  (the worst room for signal here).

At least my landlines always work and never stop (until  Digital Voice will force the poorer service there on to us once it ceases to be "paused").

Anyway, short answer is with different email addresses and having had the two broadband lines/accounts since the 1990s I think it is I DO have two lines at the same property. It would be disastrous if BT were ever to remove them from me. If I ever get this house to myself and all the adult children go then I might well feel I can risk going down just to the one account.

 

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Message 9 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

Are the lines toy have all full fibre lines then? Originally I did try doing over a separate account and email and I’ve also tried with the same account and email. The worst thing is is that I have had it on and working and it was all done that’s what I don’t understand how can they say I can’t do it if they are the ones that set it up and got it working in the first place 

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Message 10 of 12

Re: 2 full fiber lines at the same property

The bills say Broadband   Fibre with Halo 1. I don't know if that is "full fibre". The internet comes via copper wires up a few streets to the homes as there is no underground fibre optic cable to the homes up here.

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