How EXACTLY does conversion from ADSL TO FIBRE (FTTC) happen?

[Slpj]

For ADSL, there is a copper cable from the exchange to the cabinet.
For FIBRE, I understand that there is a fibre optic cable from the exchange to the cabinet (which in my case is 10 metres from my house).

There is a copper cable connection from the cabinet to my house.

At the moment I am still on ADSL.

Can anyone please explain to me exactly how I will be connected to FIBRE?

Am I correct to think, that an engineer must visit the cabinet, and change the copper connection from my house, over from the copper cable from the exchange, and reconnect it in the cabinet in some way, to the FIBRE OPTIC cable from the exchange?

[198kHz]

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@Slpj wrote:
Am I correct to think, that an engineer must visit the cabinet, and change the copper connection from my house, over from the copper cable from the exchange, and reconnect it in the cabinet in some way, to the FIBRE OPTIC cable from the exchange?

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Well, not exactly.

The fibre from the exchange terminates in the broadband equipment in the cabinet. Your copper pair will be connected to a port on that equipment. Therefore the copper pair from cab to exchange will not be used for broadband.

It will, however, still be used for your telephone service.

[bmc]

@Slpj 

Your phone service will continue to be supplied via your existing cabinet back to the Exchange.

When FTTC is enable for a cabinet a new cabinet is installed within 100m of the existing cab. This houses the equipment to supply FTTC to the customer. The internet connection is provided by pure fibre to the new cabinet though it may not come from the Exchange - it'll follow whatever path existing fibre cables use.

When you upgrade to FTTC an engineer visits the FTTC cabinet and "jumps" a connection to your phone line. So your service is over copper from the new cabinet but pure fibre to said cabinet.

This website gives info on FTTC cabinets - https://kitz.co.uk/adsl/fttc-cabinets.htm

Brian

[Slpj]

Thanks very much both. That's just what I wanted to know.

So am I right in thinking, until Plusnet book an engineer to visit the fttc cabinet, I can't be connected to fibre broadband, inspite of Plusnet telling me I am now on Fibre?

[MisterW]

@Slpj when you order an upgrade to Fibre, PlusNet place an order with BT Openreach to connect you to Fibre. Openreach give a provisional date. Sometime later they (Openreach) decide when they can schedule an engineer to do the work at the cabinet and inform PlusNet of a 'committed' date for the upgrade.

Now the Plusnet systems will actually have 2 dates,

1) when your 'product' will change on their systems, that is your monthly billing date,

2)  the date when Openreach will actually connect you to Fibre

Often the email goes out on date 1) and to further introduce confusion , the PlusNet systems are not good at recognising that Openreach changed the 'provisonal' date to a different 'committed' date and still assume that the upgrade will happen on the original date.

Hope that helps explain some of the confusion

[Slpj]

Thanks MisterW.
"when you order an upgrade to Fibre, PlusNet place an order with BT Openreach to connect you to Fibre."

Nice to hear how it should be done. It's a shame that wasnt how it was done for me.

I was told it would take 14 days.

On the 11th NOVEMBER, I phoned Plusnet and signed up to transfer from John Lewis(plusnet), adsl, to the main company plusnet, FIBRE, because my 12 month adsl contract was due to end with JL, on 2nd December, and Plusnet are cheaper for 30mb fibre. PLUSNET took payment of 32 quid.

So far so good.

They (PLUSNET), mucked that up. They arranged to change my phone number, even though I didn't request that. They told John Lewis (JL), that I was moving house. I'm not. They said I applied online, implying that it was ME, that made those mistakes. I didn't. They, Plusnet did.

I only found out on the 20th November, when I received a letter from JL, about my supposed house move. And then an email from PLUSNET, telling me my new telephone number.

I phoned JL, and plusnet, and the order was cancelled, and a NEW CORRECT order put in ( so I thought), to give me fibre, live on on the 2nd December.

BUT, unknown to me, NOBODY informed BT to arange an engineer or did anything else to progress the order.

The new router arrived about 8 days ago, with instructions to wait for an email before connecting it. I waited. My contract expired with JL, on the 2nd December. I received an email from JL advising me of dd collection from my bank account, for the 11th December.

I rang plusnet to find out why, and when I was going to get connected to Fibre. I got an apology. I was told it would be sorted out while I was on the phone, and that I could connect my new router straight away. Plusnet sent me an email to confirm that, and that my fibre service was now "up and running" It wasn't, and it isn't. That was a lie. They must think I'm a fool and wouldn't notice that it wasn't very fast.

After establishing that my router modulation was still adsl, I rang plusnet again today. And a decent chap confirmed that I'd been lied to, and that my NEW account, had been activated on adsl. AND that the engineer had only been booked YESTERDAY, and that I won't get fibre, until the 21st December AT THE EARLIEST.

Yep it's confusing. I'm confused about how useless and dishones PLUSNET have been with me.

Meanwhile, I'm being billed, BOTH by John Lewis for adsl, AND Plusnet for fibre, even though I am still only getting adsl.

So, from the 11th November, to the 21st December, AT THE EARLIEST. That's a whole lot longer than their promised 14 days!

Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter.

[Slpj]

I JUST REPLIED TO YOU MISTERW, BUT A MODERATOR REMOVED MY REPLY, BECAUSE I TOLD THE TRUTH, ABOUT HOW PLUSNET HAVE BEEN DISHONEST WITH ME, AND GIVEN ME SUCH POOR SERVICE.
Thanks for describing how IT SHOULD BE, but that is NOT how plusnet have performed for me. They didn't book the engineer as you describe. BT are not at fault.

It's taken from the 11th of November until TODAY, to find out that a BT engineer was ONLY BOOKED TODAY, and that I won't get fibre until at LEAST the 21st December. 14 days to get the service they told me. Rubbish.

Will this post be removed too?

Can't PLUSNET take honesty and criticism?

[dvorak]

Moderators Note

I can assure you know posts have been removed from this thread or posted by yourself.

[Slpj]

Of course it was. I received a note telling me my post was spam, and removed for that reason.

[Slpj]

How interesting.

"Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter."

[Slpj]

I should add. I'm a long time customer of plusnet. I like plusnet.
At least 7 years as customer. I only moved last year to John Lewis, because PL, wouldn't let me avail of one of their offers, as an existing customer. When my john lewis contract expired I had no reservations about signing up again with the plusnet main company. It is both surprising and disappointing to me, how plusnet have performed.

[dvorak]

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@Slpj wrote:
How interesting.

"Moderator's note by Mike (Mav): Post released from Spam Filter."

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That is an automated spam filter, not a deliberate action taken by the moderator. The post was released as a false positive 

[Slpj]

Thankyou. I'm pleased to hear then that I'm not being censored for being honest and critical.

[MisterW]

We do see some transfers from JL to Plusnet and vice-versa, go wrong big-time. You would think that as its effectively an internal transfer it would be simple. That's not the case I'm afraid, BT Openreach are still involved. I suspect that's what causes the problems, ITS seen by OR as a transfer from Plusnet to Plusnet and I suspect that confuses their system into sometimes thinking its a house move and/ or a phone number change

[Slpj]

Ok, thankyou MisterW.

Well all I can do now is wait and hope that it does get resolved on the 21st December. I am assured and trust that any billing issues will be rectified. But the whole thing is annoying to say the least. Hey ho.