topic Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out? in Everything else

FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:13:26 GMT

My Fibre Extra + phone contract ends on Xmas day.
BT Full Fibre 100 + line rental is on offer for - first three months free, then £34.99 a month for a 24 month contract.

(Will need to check out the phone call costs on BT versus plusnet).

Initial renewal offer from Plusnet is £30 for fibre extra + line rental, 24 months. Though I get another £2.50 off that from referrals. Can try again and see if they will do better, considerng their new customer offer seems to be £23.95.

Have been happy with plusnet for a long time so not really wanting to jump ship but......
Don't really want to get tied to a 24 month contract if things are going change....
But then, asking plusnet about FTTP, they just say they have no plans for FTTP..

Then again, the plusnet slower option is £7.50 cheaper than the BT faster offer..........money versus speed...!
If I jump ship and come back, I lose the £2.50 discount (yeah not a huge amount but sometimes pennies count).

Any ideas, if I stayed with plusnet and then they did bring in FTTP, if you could upgrade mid-contract without penalties?

What are your thought, jump ship or wait it out?

(Sorry, kind of needing a sounding board as I don't have anyone here to bounce this off. I know any replies are opinions and I will weigh them all up before making a decision).

Thank you.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

jab1 — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:23:26 GMT

First questions - is you area FTTP enabled yet? If not, when will it be?

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:24:07 GMT

As far as I can tell it is.
Using my postcode on the BT site, it gives me the Full Fibre options.
Someone else in my village has the BT Full Fibre (yes, I know that doesn't necessary mean my house would have access to it)
And a local??? company Fibrus has been round months ago doing work and put a leaftlet in through our door then (though i wouldn't be going with them as hugely expensive and alot of 'teething' issues from what I hear on all aspects of service).

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

jab1 — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:25:58 GMT

OK - try using your phone number in that search - much more reliable.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:28:05 GMT

It only seems to have postcode option not telephone, but it then lets me select my actual address.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

Baldrick1 — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 13:49:12 GMT

@DrVictoria

Plusnet allow you to upgrade part way through a contract from ADSL to FTTC fibre so in the future I can only imagine that they will allow this with FTTP. You may need to start a new contract but I would assume that would be all.

I am assuming that the current Plusnet price is a Black Friday deal and this price will soon go back up. If you want to stay with Plusnet why not give their Customer Options Team a ring now on 0800 013 2632 and see what you can negotiate?

I think that I have read that BT now charge extra for the landline phone element as well as charging for calls, so do check this out.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:20:03 GMT

@DrVictoria

I assume you're using the following to check

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

If your phone number doesn't work, use the address version, enter your post code only and select your address from the drop down list. You're looking for WBC FTTP in the left hand column.

PlusNet FTTP is coming - it's just a question of when. Last semi official word was by end of January (though it should be pointed out they didn't say which January!!!).

I would image you would be able to upgrade mid contract. Note also that a new PlusNet HubTwo is inbound and will almost certainly be offered to FTTP customers.

Brian

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:39:21 GMT

I have checked that link.

In the notes at the bottom it says:

FTTP is not available.

But on the general BT site it gives me the full fibre options for my address, as does the Fibrus website. And I know Fibrus was working in our village months (last year) and were at the box outside our drive and did post us a leaflet when they had finished. Fibrus only does FTTP. There has been a scheme here to bring (full) fibre to villages/towns in N.Ireland that would have been 'last on the list' to get exciting stuff.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:44:35 GMT

@DrVictoria

Something doesn't seem right here. I can't see how BT are offering "Full Fibre" at your address when the Checker states FTTP is not available. Most ISP's use this checker to confirm what's available (well, PlusNet certainly do).

Fibrus is a different matter - I assume it's laid it's own network so doesn't depend on OpenReach.

Brian

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 14:47:49 GMT

@DrVictoria

Just checked my own address. Can you confirm BT are offering Full Fibre 100, 500 or 900.

Brian

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

Baldrick1 — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 15:11:31 GMT

@DrVictoria

There are two flavours of FTTP. What you want is WBC FTTP. FTTP On Demand is for businesses and costs eye watering installation and subscription amounts.

On the bottom of the info page ignore ant mention of FTTP priority area.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 20:03:37 GMT

Ok, I went as far as I could through the BT offers pages, on the Full 100 option, just to be told at the last minute that it isn't available for me.

*sigh*

Why couldn't they tell you that on the first page!
So I guess it would be Fibrus only, so no FTTP for me right now 😞

Decision made.

Sorry for wasting your time!
But thank you for your replies.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

Mustrum — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 21:19:03 GMT

I suspect if you had shared the results of the BTW DSL checker link in post 7 we may have been able to let you know what was available.

Perhaps it was GFast, but no ports available?

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Fri, 19 Nov 2021 21:32:15 GMT

I now understand more about the terminology and providers. It has been a learning day.

So, as someone else suggested, I think openreach has not made it to me though they have made it to other places in the village. (Yeah, village!) They just didn't go up the hill! But Fibrus supposedly has. So my option would only be Fibrus (who also provide the actual package as well as the 'line')

I think N.Ireland is being provided with full fibre from Openreach N.Ireland, Fibrus and Virgin Media. They are all competing for grants to get us connected. Seemingly N.Ireland is at 74% full fibre availability compared to around 25-30% in Scotland/Wales/England. But that doesn't mean we actually have of choice of providers.

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 13:42:15 GMT

@DrVictoria

If you move tp Fibrus they'll install their own line so you'll likely have an overlap of services. Plus you have have any cancellation charges which might apply from your current ISP.

OpenReach "wholesale" their lines to ISP's (including BT Retail) to provide inernet connections.

Fibrus is an "alternative provider" (I believe sometimes referred to alt-nets). Most of these do not wholesale their lines so you're stuck with them. CityFibre is one of the few who do.

Are you sure OpenReach is providing FTTP elsewhere in the village?

Brian

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 14:16:22 GMT

Thanks Brian.

I haven't heard great things about fibrus so won't jump ship to them. Maybe they just got too many customers too quickly but too many people were not particularly happy with them.

I do know of someone else in the village literally down the hill from us (it isn't a big hill) who has BT full fibre. I asked for friend's recommendations on ISPs/Packages and he said he is happy with the BT full 100. He is very surprised I can't get it. He's a techie so he isn't going to mistake what package he is on. I vaguely remember that he might have tried fibrus early on but...!

Aw well. We are kind of used to waiting on choices. And this kind of makes my decision easier!

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Sat, 20 Nov 2021 14:35:47 GMT

@DrVictoria

If you post a screen image of the results from the Checker mentioned in post #7 (remembering to obscure your phone number or address) then we can advise exactly what's available in terms of OpenReach products.

Using the checker you can also be a bit nosey and have a look round the village to see if there is any OR FTTP available. Use the address version, select post code only and then have a look at various addresses (down the hill as you say). You would need to see "WBC FTTP" in the left hand column.

Brian

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 16:30:05 GMT

Sorry for not replying before.

I have today just been trying to check out deals with other providers to see what is out there (any deals). Have been unsuccessful online as must of the provider webpages say 'can't find anything' and actually even plusnet when it 'checks my details says 'oops you need to ring us'.

Finally on the EE page, it said 'your address (postcode and house number) don't match the phone number you've given us'

I have tried searching for us on directory enquiries using my surname and town or postcode and we dont appear..... as far as I know we are not ex-directory.

I'm ringing plusnet right now, but I'm not sure if I am explaining my query well enough! As my account shows my address and phone number to be correct.....and the poor guy can't give me any answers.

Seemingly, this is a weird thing and so far I am none the wiser!

(I did get a flyer from BT addressed to our specific house address about full fibre.....so now I'm thinking this weirdness with my phone number and address not being associated may be throwing up issues....... maybe I can get full fibre after all????!!! *sigh*)

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

DrVictoria — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 17:06:58 GMT

Ah ha.

Really nice guy at BT has seen this problem before. It doesn't happen often!

Our house has a house name.

The house number is associated with the house name.
The phone number is associated with the house name.

Somewhen the house name has got forgotten about and our house number is now not directly associated with our phone number.

BT man is sure we can get FTTP - associated with the house name not phone number.
Our phone number will only give us FTTC.

So we can either get a new phone number (not an option as we have had this number forever and would be very very messy for the elderly parents)

Or, I have to convince plusnet to talk to openreach and get them to update their databases correctly.....

*fingers crossed*

Re: FTTP - Jump ship to BT or wait it out?

bmc — Sat, 27 Nov 2021 17:10:16 GMT

@DrVictoria

There is a procedure whereby an ISP can request OpenReach to check and amend records. Hopefully someone like @Gandalf will pick up on this and do the necessary for you.

Brian