Re-cabling to my house

[Lugsto]

Hello,

Where I live currently the BT cabling to the house from the exchange is of very poor quality and dates back to the 70s at best (same is true for the cabling inside). This means that we are unable to use broadband provided by BT (or that rent the line) due to the quality/speed of the connection being too poor. I also work from home so reliability is key.

For this reason we are currently Virgin Media customers, and they have a bit of a monopoly in the area.

I'd like to ask if it is possible to have BT re-cable to the premises to support taking up a contract with BT in preference over Virgin?

If it can get up to a reliable 60-80 Mbps that would be fine, and I'd expect possible if the infrastructure was upgraded with new cable/fittings.

Is that something that BT would be willing to do as a courtesy to us then becoming customers?

Thanks

[Lugsto]

Using the Broadband Availability Checker, the "clean" VDSL rates claim:

Downstream; 40.5-54.5 Mbps
Upstream; 10-16.1 Mbps

That is a lot less than Virgin for sure, but taking into account the potential cost savings it's acceptable.

It seems fair to assume that re-cabling the internal termination point back to the cabinet would allow these speeds, and will be what we'd need.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Lugsto 

Its Openreach not BT that deal with the external cabling, once they have an order from a provider. They will then provide a connection, using the network which is available.

In your case, until you place an order with BT Retail, nothing will happen.

[Lugsto]

Upon making the order with BT Retail, is there any way to guarantee that the required upgrades would be done on installation?

Would I be able to request an inspection and speak to someone about what was needed to be done? I’m concerned that I’d enter into a robotic process that would just carry out a regular customer onboarding process, and with the existing infrastructure the end result wouldn’t be good enough (and I’d be stuck as I’d have ditched Virgin by then).

Thanks

[Keith_Beddoe]

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@Lugsto wrote:

Upon making the order with BT Retail, is there any way to guarantee that the required upgrades would be done on installation?

Would I be able to request an inspection and speak to someone about what was needed to be done? I’m concerned that I’d enter into a robotic process that would just carry out a regular customer onboarding process, and with the existing infrastructure the end result wouldn’t be good enough (and I’d be stuck as I’d have ditched Virgin by then).

Thanks

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If any external remedial work was needed to get your service working, then that would be done by Openreach. If a visit is needed, then you will get the opportunity to discuss it with the Openreach representative.

The only cabling that may be changed, would be the from the DP (distribution point) to your property. It all depends on whether your connection is overhead or underground.

Cabling from the DP to the cabinet, is common to all customers, and could not be changed. The exchange side is not applicable on an FTTC connection.

[imjolly]

Any internal cabling is your responsibility not openreach

[Lugsto]

The cabling here is overhead, so by DP I assume you mean the wooden pylon?

If the cabling inside the property is not an Openreach responsibility, what would be the process I’d need to follow to get all the cabling replaced from the DP to the wall socket termination point?

Thanks

[imjolly]

From pole to home is openreach but will only replace if faulty not just because you want it

[Lugsto]

A fault is open to interpretation, from past experience - that’s why we moved to Virgin a while back. At the time the service would mostly work, it was just slow and very unreliable. That didn’t classify as enough of a fault and no effort was made to address the issue by the provider, so eventually there was no choice. 

I was happy to attempt to have another go, but it seems risky that I’d be left in the same situation, seeing as I need to take out a new contract first before any investigation can be done. It sounds like it’s open to chance then as to whether I’d end up with a service that’s fit for purpose or not.

[Keith_Beddoe]

@Lugsto 

You will be given a guaranteed minimum speed, and if it falls below that, you can report a fault. 

https://www.bt.com/help/broadband/what-is-bt-s-stay-fast-guarantee-