cancel
Showing results for 
Search instead for 
Did you mean: 

FTTC Availability - split off

Hambo
Newbie
Posts: 4
Registered: ‎31-08-2012

FTTC Availability - split off

Someone may know the reason for this...
Got an email from PlusNet saying FTTC was available in my area. Tried to arrange it being installed at my house and was told my exchange is not due for the upgrade until September 30th, 2012.
Had a quick look on the availability checker to see my local exchange (Peterborough Wentworth) is listed as having PlusNet Fibre enabled.
And my brother-in-law, who is with BT, has had it for about 8 months. He lives about 500 metres from me, and is on the same exchange.
Is BT wringing what it can from its branded fibre product before it lets us non-BT customers have our fun, or is there some technical reason I am unaware of I wonder...
15 REPLIES 15
x47c
Grafter
Posts: 881
Thanks: 3
Registered: ‎14-08-2009

Re: FTTC Questions


As well as the exchange being upgraded, each local distribution cabinet in the exchange area needs to be upgraded and its fibre twin installed alongside.
So the most likely explanation is that his house is fed from a different cabinet to yours and his cabinet has been done and your has not.
When it will be sometime/one day.... etc or whether is it not deemed economically viable is anyone's guess.
The second possibility is that you are close to the exchange and your line does not have a cabinet feeding it as it is fed directly from the exchange - an exchange only line.  These properties in the exchange area cannot be supplied with a FTTC service for both technical and practical reasons.
Ronski
Rising Star
Posts: 262
Thanks: 13
Registered: ‎22-02-2012

Re: FTTC Questions

@Hambo
You can find out what cabinet your on by using this website http://www.coolwebhome.co.uk/fibre/checker.php
This information is based on data from last December, so it is well out of date, and more cabinets have been added since (or removed) but it may give you an idea.
Oldjim
Resting Legend
Posts: 38,460
Thanks: 787
Fixes: 63
Registered: ‎15-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Split off to its own thread
chrispurvey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 5,369
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎13-07-2012

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Your exchange is enabled, but it look's like your CAB is not enabled yet and is scheduled to be by the 30th September. I am looking into this to clarify the situation and will update you with my findings.
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Do PN notify people when FTTC is available for their customers.?
I have a 2% probability I'm on cabinet P82 ( FTTC, but not available yet ) and a 98% probability I'm on P84 ( FTTC phase 6bf ) but the ADSL checker makes no mention of FTTC being available:
Quote
Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial test on your line indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 2Mbps.
Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 5.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 4Mbps and 8Mbps.
Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 7Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 4.5Mbps and 11.5Mbps. Our test also indicates that your line could support an estimated ADSL 2+ Annex-M broadband upstream line speed of 1Mbps and downstream line speed of 7Mbps; typically the downstream speed would range between 4.5Mbps and 11.5Mbps.

I've been for a walk and cannot find any cabinets on the estate - we're all fed from poles - with the nearest being about 100 feet from the house. There are BT hatches in our pavement which suggests that the feed for the pole comes up our road, but the nearest box I can find (down the hill and across the main road) is FTTC enabled but absolutely tiny so I suspect the poles are fed from somewhere else.
chrispurvey
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Plusnet Alumni (retired)
Posts: 5,369
Fixes: 1
Registered: ‎13-07-2012

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

We don't notify every customer when FTTC becomes available, although it is something that we have started to do.
Unfortunately the date for your fibre has been reschedule, no date has been put in place yet for this. As soon as it is available it will appear <a href="http://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome">here</a>.
Apologies for your wait with this, the FTTC phase 6bf was a roll-out plan, but this pretty much is of no relevance any more.
You can check the link above at any time to see if it is available, if you need me to look for you or at anything else then I would be more than happy for you.
Chris
prichardson
Grafter
Posts: 1,503
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Hi StevA,
You are on P84 and checking Google Maps versus people on the same road as the cabinet itself shows (next to the postbox).
You note that it is FTTC enabled. Bear in mind that the box will need to be present for service to start being supplied, and will be installed for quite some time before. Power, commissioning and testing all need to take place before it goes live. There are some that have been in for 9 months and are still not live (due to restrictions in other part of the build needed to enable it).
So it's likely to be soonish, but this does not mean it will be the end of the month.
The fact the box is in and the date was the end of the month, may mean it is either due to be sooner than the end of the month or later. End of quarter dates really stay the same.
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Ahh - so that's P84 ... there's a new secondary cabinet near it - but nowhere near as big as the one about 20 feet from my brother's house.
I'll have to keep an eye on it 😉
Thanks for the info.
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

I went past the cab this evening - the other cabinet (the one that isn't there on Google Street View) has a BT Fibre Broadband available now notice on it.
prichardson
Grafter
Posts: 1,503
Thanks: 1
Registered: ‎05-04-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Keep your eyes on the checker Chris provided then, as you can order once that reflects it is live.
Did a little checking this morning which shows the BT Wholesale checker still shows as not planned, but the Openreach checker (which only providers have access to) shows planned still for end of Sept.
What's more important is that until the Openreach one shows active, no providers can place orders anyway, so the concern is only great once they do that but you still cannot order.
grahamt
Rising Star
Posts: 599
Thanks: 37
Registered: ‎05-04-2008

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Steve - there are (at least) two sizes of FTTC cabinets. The bigger ones, with the double doors, are more common, but there are also smaller, single-door ones. Presumably which size gets installed depends on the number of connections served by the old cabinet.
Bigger one: http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2672/050ea.jpg
Smaller one: http://www.ispreview.co.uk/wp-content/gallery/cache/792__275x300_bt_fttc_fttp_fibre_broadband_cabine... (not to scale - the photo is a lot smaller than the other one)
Graham
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

The one that I'm apparently connected to looks like one of the ones in the background of the "smaller" cab picture.... I'll probably be wandering past it on the way to the pub tonight so I'll double check.
Seems a bit odd to stick a poster on it if its not available yet.....
SteveA
Pro
Posts: 1,847
Thanks: 106
Fixes: 3
Registered: ‎17-06-2007

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

At last..:
Quote
Your cabinet is planned to have WBC FTTC by 31st December 2012. Our test also indicates that your line currently supports a fibre technology with an estimated WBC FTTC Broadband where consumers have received downstream line speed of 30.3Mbps and upstream line speed of 5.9Mbps.
The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.
Furthermore your exchange is due to be enabled for multicast services on fibre lines by 31st December 2012, please contact your provider for further details.

Guess I need to book some time off in the new year....
Will PN be supporting multicast on fibre... and what does it give me if you are?
WWWombat
Grafter
Posts: 1,412
Thanks: 4
Registered: ‎29-01-2009

Re: FTTC Availability - split off

Quote from: SteveA
Will PN be supporting multicast on fibre... and what does it give me if you are?

I suspect it is really only for ISPs that offer a TV/Video service - particularly as an alternative to broadcast TV. BT Vision will almost certainly aim to use it, and Sky might. I guess it is plausible that Virgin could offer video services to places where their cable network doesn't extend... but that would take some development on their side, and they don't ever seem to wish to do that.
It is unlikely to offer any benefit to on-demand or catchup TV services, so won't be a help to iPlayer, LoveFilm or Netflix.
It is unlikely Plusnet will use it, unless they change their mind over offering broadcast TV services.
Plusnet Customer
Using FTTC since 2011. Currently on 80/20 Unlimited Fibre Extra.