topic Re: Altnets in Tech Help - Software/Hardware etc

Altnets

jab1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 19:28:42 GMT

Nothing to do with Plusnet, but I have seen our local altnet running cables through the BT channels (all our cables are UG until they get to our 'local' CP). From what I saw, they have got as far up the main line as up to my local cab, but I suspect it will be a long, long time before we get invited to apply for the service - I've no idea how many other cabs they have run the cables to, or if any further away from the main run have even been looked at.

To be honest, I did enquire with them about 15 months back and was told 'no plans for you area yet', but obviously things have moved on from there. Looks like they still have a lot more work to do - without thinking too hard, and if they are using the BT channels/cabs, there are probably another 20/30 cabs to connect very locally, and then there are the ones I haven't even thought about - then they have a lot more equipment to instal and check.

No matter for me really, as I am perfectly happy with my 40/10 FTTC connection via Zen -t is more than adequate for me, so I'll happily wait until Q4 2024/Q1 2025, when BT are supposed to have us connected.

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:13:48 GMT

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Full Fibre to Tech Help

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:16:19 GMT

CityFibre have laid fibre in our street and installed a green box.

According to their website they have no plans to come to my area, which is obviously nonsense.

Re: Altnets

jab1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:28:38 GMT

A bit worrying, @dvorak 🤔 I don't know without checking if they have any plans to come to our area, but as Zen already use the BT network in many area's, that doesn't bother me personally - as I said, I'm perfectly happy on FTTC.

EDIT: according to the CF website, they have no plans for us yet, although they are in and around the city centre,

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:27:12 GMT

I'm happy with my Openreach FTTP connection

Though if they roll out the 10Gbps in my street (https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/07/cityfibre-upgrade-uk-network-to-10gbps-full-fibre-broadband.html) I might be tempted..

Re: Altnets

Dan_the_Van — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:29:03 GMT

I'm happy with my Openreach FTTP connection

But do you pay for it ?

Just asking

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:35:14 GMT

No, I rigged up some fibre to the cbt and steal it.

It is a handy business expense.

Re: Altnets

Dan_the_Van — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:39:08 GMT

Don't be flippant, there are customers here who suffer slow broadband connections and can do without others being smug about what they get.

You're a mod and should know better

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:44:02 GMT

You’re the one who brought up paying for it?
Seemed a bizarre and irrelevant question, no?

Re: Altnets

Dan_the_Van — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:50:39 GMT

You could have been transparent but you choose not to be obtuse , some here believe moderators and super users get free or discounted contracts. Do you?

Time to close the thread as it's going nowhere

Re: Altnets

jab1 — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 20:57:35 GMT

@Dan_the_Van From what I know, the mods/SU's are customers - they may get a discount,which I doubt, but if so that is an arrangement between them and PN,

Sorry but if this topic gets closed , I shall complain - through the proper channels.

Re: Altnets

dvorak — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 21:00:34 GMT

@Dan_the_Van wrote:

You could have been transparent but you choose not to be obtuse , some here believe moderators and super users get free or discounted contracts. Do you?

I do not get a free or discounted contract.

even if I did, I’m not sure it would cover CityFibre 10gbs connection.

this topic was about altnets, after all.

Re: Altnets

Dan_the_Van — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 21:11:47 GMT

@dvorak thanks for confirming and hopefully others will no longer think moderators get discounted contracts.

I personally found your attitude rather smug about the service you receive regardless about the topic being discussed.

@jab1 sorry

Re: Altnets

RealAleMadrid — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 22:05:55 GMT

@jab1 Openreach FTTP does not actually go to the FTTC cabinets, it goes back from user's premises to underground aggregation nodes which link back to the fibre head end exchange, these nodes may or may not be near a cabinet. An Altnet may use Openreach ducts but never any of the Openreach equipment, and their fibres will definitely not go to the cabinets.

Re: Altnets

greygit — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 23:51:51 GMT

"No, I rigged up some fibre to the cbt and steal it"

Snigger. Some with low b/w connections do know that others in more technological advantagious areas get better services, So my observation is that it wasn't that flippant. Just mildly amusing.

After a hurricane dumped a lot of water on a remote location (on a different continent to the UK)

(Server support member in a location somewhere away from the hurricane who hadn't read the news).

I can't ping this server. (Assumptions based on outsourcing methodologies and contracts. If it can be a network problem it must be a network problem; and thus the problem ticket gets assigned to another team to manage and target resolution times are met. Contractual targets met. Box ticked.).

(Me - thinking in my head) Have you tried sonar?

(The data centre had been inundated with H2O)

Other international anecdotes available on request. I can be brusque, but I don't bite.

Re: Altnets

greygit — Wed, 03 Aug 2022 23:55:00 GMT

"hopefully others will no longer think moderators get discounted contracts."

Why would others think that? I've never leapt to that assumption.

Re: Altnets

jab1 — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 06:06:43 GMT

@RealAleMadrid wrote:

@jab1 Openreach FTTP does not actually go to the FTTC cabinets, it goes back from user's premises to underground aggregation nodes which link back to the fibre head end exchange, these nodes may or may not be near a cabinet. An Altnet may use Openreach ducts but never any of the Openreach equipment, and their fibres will definitely not go to the cabinets.

@RealAleMadrid Thanks for teaching grandad to suck eggs. 😀 I know that, and probably have missed something - after all, I only saw what was happening for about 10-15 minutes while waiting for a bus. I know what I saw though, and know that Pine Media are only concerned with FTTP. They were definitely laying the cables in the BT ducting, but maybe, because I didn't get close enough to the area round the cabs to see exactly where they terminated - most likely where PM are going to put their equipment - next to the BT cabs.