Registering interest with BT

[#1]

In the 'good' old days when ADSL was rolling out BT had a webpage where one could express an interest in advance. This and other pages may have been used by BT to decided where to install these products first. Does such a page exist for FTTP?

[#2]

FTTP specifically, or any kind of FTTx?
With the state of things right now, with only 1 more commercial announcement expected from BT, you probably want to register your interest with your local council or authority - whoever is dealing with your area for BDUK bids or the super-connected city bids. They are usually looking for people to confirm their interest & speeds when they are evaluating which areas count as "white".
That'll probably be the way you get FTTC or FTTP - one or the other.
If it ends up FTTC, then once you have it, then you can consider ordering FTTP-on-demand. But that'll be ££££

[#3]

[quote=http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/]My exchange isn't in the rollout plans, but I'd really like superfast broadband.
Don't worry. This map is updated regularly as new exchanges are scheduled to be upgraded. But if you want to register your interest in getting superfast broadband, let us know. If we get enough demand in your area it might mean that we can add it to the rollout plans.

[#4]

I already have FTTC so it's the to the premises I'm interested in. Be nice to get it early via a trial again but I'm probably dreaming there. I remember my neighbours telling they'd just just got Infinity installed as it has recently been made available. I hope they had their heads in the sand as I'd been on the trial here and had had it for a year already. Speeds are pretty good but at over 750M from the cabinet are well down on what's possible.
Thanks for the link jelv. I've filled it in but I suspect I'll just get BT trying to get me to leave PN and join their Infinity offering

[#5]

One possibility is forming a local residents group and split the cost of FTTP (hopefully reducing the cost from thousands to a few hundred). Say 10 people in your street want FTTP, the installation cost is £2,000 for the first person and £150 for the rest - if you split the total bill of £3,350/ 10 = £335 per household. Still not cheap, but well worth it for the product you end up with.
From what the engineers told me, as soon as one person gets FTTP in your street, the installation costs of everyone else are relatively minimal because the bulk work has gone into the first installation.
I hope BT come up with some way that the cost of FTTP on demand can be split over a number of residents. The uptake will be far better than on a stand alone basis. Getting your neighbours etc. involved might be tricky though, but can't help to ask now and see if you can get the wheels in motion. You can email nga.enquiries@openreach.co.uk to see what plans they have for your area.
I would also push PN if you can get a local group of residents together to get FTTP on demand. PN will have more pulling power with BT, and its in their own interest to get more business!

[#6]

With FTTC already there, BT aren't going to choose to roll out FTTP for you - probably for at least another decade or more. That probably leaves FTTP-on-demand, where you pay for the work required from "aggregation node" to your house. The AN location is unknown, but is upstream of the cabinet, and (we're guessing) probably close to the cabinet.
The recent estimations were for a £500 connection charge, plus a distance-based charge where the example given was £1000 for 500 metres.
It would be good to find out if this can be reduced my getting a cluster installed together, but I suspect that the proposed charge already takes this into account (ie BT will spend a lot more on the first connection, and only start to offset this when future installs are done).
I guess we'll find out more in around 6 months time...

[#7]

Quote from: AndyH

From what the engineers told me, as soon as one person gets FTTP in your street, the installation costs of everyone else are relatively minimal because the bulk work has gone into the first installation.

Not quite unfortunately.
In FOD (Fibre on Demand), the current initial estimates are £500 up-front install fee. This will apply for user one onwards and covers the local aspects.
As noted. there is then the £1000 for 500 meters, which is a figure that will go up or down depending on the distance to the Aggregation Node.
Five neighbours in a row are not going to make these costs any cheaper. Infact the one nearest the Aggregation Node is the only person going to see the cheapest price.
The reason is that a Fibre has to be run from the aggregation node to each property taking the service. It isn't a single run with a split taken at the foot of each persons property.

The above gives a pure FTTP diagram for installation and not for FOD. So the Aggregation Node is likely to be slightly nearer to the property in a pure FOD install.
Final prices are not yet in though, but expected to come in bands (rather than in a per meter charge).

[#8]

Quote from: P

The reason is that a Fibre has to be run from the aggregation node to each property taking the service. It isn't a single run with a split taken at the foot of each persons property.

Not quite... but it doesn't change the main point of your answer.
In every previous picture of FTTP, it shows a single (1:32) splitter, 4 of which can be housed in a single housing as a splitter node, and the second point is called a "fibre distribution point". Four shared fibres would run from the aggregation node to that splitter; the single run out to each of the 128 properties happens only between splitter and house, each running via a DP and manifold.
However, this picture is the first I've seen that shows a secondary splitter instead of a distribution point. If true, then the same 1:32 optical split would be spread between the 2 physical splitters (one would do 1:8 and the other 1:4). The run to the consumer's property would then be unique from the secondary splitter.

[#9]

But the work between the nodes is easy as the fibre tubing is already in place - it's just a matter of blowing the fibre between the nodes and splicing it. The blowing shouldn't take more than a few mins and the splicing should take 30 mins or so for each splice.
It's getting all the fibre tubing and nodes in place first that takes time - and then linking the last node with fibre tubing to the customer's property (apparently around 1 in 10 in MK needed external contractors to unblock blocked ducts). Given Milton Keynes is a new city, I am sure the blocked ducts issue can only be worse in other parts of the country.
If my next door neighbour had FTTP on demand and we shared the same manhole cover outside, then it really shouldn't take more than half a morning (without problems) to install everything.