Switching from FTTC to FTTP - Fixed IP

[#1]

Many thanks for your help, John.

[#2]

@Boz 

Same deal as before. PN will upgrade you at any time at the cost of a new contract plus you lose your copper landline. If you go VOIP do not transfer your number until after FTTP is up and running.

As stated, ONT is an Optical Network Terminator which goes inside your house and needs a power supply.

https://support.aa.net.uk/Openreach_FTTP_ONT 

You also get a CSP (Customer Splice Point) box on an external wall - usually the other side of where the ONT is.

Are you currently served by an underground copper connection or overhead. If the latter a Connectorized Box Terminal (CBT) will have been placed at the top of the telephone pole.

Brian

[#3]

Hi Brian

Thanks for coming back to me.

The current line is an overhead cable from a pole about 50 metres away.  It crosses two other properties before reaching mine, so I’m assuming that wayleaves will be required (who pays for these?).  Would I also be correct in thinking that the fibre cable, running from the CBT,  will be attached in some way to the existing copper one.

I still haven’t decided how to deal with the loss of my analogue telephone connection.  Plusnet seem adamant about not providing a digital option; and, although I’m reluctant to move away from a provider that I have been with for many years, I may have no choice in the end.

Boz

[#4]

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@Boz wrote:

The current line is an overhead cable from a pole about 50 metres away.  It crosses two other properties before reaching mine, so I’m assuming that wayleaves will be required (who pays for these?).  Would I also be correct in thinking that the fibre cable, running from the CBT,  will be attached in some way to the existing copper one.

Boz

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I may be wrong here, but I would have thought that seeing as the current copper cable already exists, OpenReach will have wayleave in place - they would need it in case of a cable break, for instance.

The fibre cable would be run in place of the copper, which the installer may or may not remove - depends on the installer and the complexity of removing it.

[#5]

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@Boz wrote:

I still haven’t decided how to deal with the loss of my analogue telephone connection.  Plusnet seem adamant about not providing a digital option; and, although I’m reluctant to move away from a provider that I have been with for many years, I may have no choice in the end.

But you don't have to move away from Plusnet for ongoing provision of your broadband (whether FTTC of FTTP) !

If you want to continue having a house phone after 2025, then you will have to migrate your landline phone number to a third party VoIP provider (such as A&A), and either buy a new VoIP phone handset, or an ATA adaptor to convert your existing telephone handset so that it can be connected via your broadband router (instead of the Openreach Master Socket).

Whether you stay with Plusnet or move to another ISP, either way you will lose your analogue phone by the end of 2025, unless you proactively convert it to VoIP to work over whatever broadband connection you decide to go with.

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[#6]

@Boz 

OR have used connectorized fibre cables where one end has a plug attached for a good while now. The external one plugs into the CBT on the pole, the fibre is run to your house to the CSP. The internal one plugs into the ONT and is run out to the CSP where the two cables are joined (spliced / fused).

As stated, the installer may or may not removed the existing copper wire. If you want it gone, you could always ask.

As to the phone you could move to an ISP who offers both internet and a VOIP phone service. Ths is the simpliest way of getting your phone to work. Or you could stay with PN and move your phone to an independant VOIP supplier like A&A. There are many to choose from. As stated, you may have to buy an ATA or you could look to buy a router on eBay like a FritzBox which has a built in ATA.

Do you use PN email? This goes if you leave.

Brian

[#7]

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@bmc wrote:

... or you could look to buy a router on eBay like a FritzBox which has a built in ATA.

Before buying a Fritz!Box to do that, you might want to double check whether the built in "Digital Voice" phone socket (for that exact model) can be configured with non-ISP VoIP settings.  If you're using the ISP's "Digital Voice" service then you might as well use the ISP supplied router.

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[#8]

@Boz 

Sorry, I should have said that the Hub2 phone port doesn't work with PN but does with BT / EE Digital Voice (VOIP).

Have you already renewed your PN contract (original posting was in September)? If you have your options for changing ISP are limited. PN will move you to BT / EE foc if organised throught them. Any other move would occur early termination charges.

With regards to your phone now would be the time to think - do I actually need it nowadays. If you get good mobile coverage then that pretty much negates the need for a landline unless you have house or care alarms which use the phone.

Brian

[#9]

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@bmc wrote:

@Boz 

Sorry, I should have said that the Hub2 phone port doesn't work with PN but does with BT / EE Digital Voice (VOIP).

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Brain,

I think you might have meant that the phone port on the router supplied with BT / EE does work with Digital Voice.

The phone port on the PN router is non-functional - IIRC it is not just a firmware difference, there is a chip or two missing.

The phone port on BT / EE routers only works with BT's Digital Voice service, not other ISP's VoIP services.

[#10]

@outcast

I agree I don’t have to move from Plusnet for broadband, and my preferred option is to stay with them. But, in a recent thread on Thinkbroadband, I saw some disturbing things reported about the company, including quibbles over a termination fee, and the suggestion that you can only raise a ticket now by using Twitter.  I think in some ways Plusnet has changed, and I’m not sure that it’s for the better.

BTW, what is a Fritz!Box used for? And what does ATA stand for?

Boz

[#11]

@bmc

I’ve been looking at EE as a provider of both broadband and digital voice, but I’m not sure about their customer/ community service; however, they do have high street shops, so that may be an advantage but I’m not sure whether they would help with broadband queries.

Yes, losing Plusnet would also mean losing my email address.  I did renew my contract for broadband and phone in September, but they did warn me that this would be the last time.

Boz

[#12]

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@Boz wrote:

I think in some ways Plusnet has changed, and I’m not sure that it’s for the better.

I agree, I was with them since 1999, but my confidence in the service reached rock bottom and I left two years ago.

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@Boz wrote:

what is a Fritz!Box used for?

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Fritz!Box is a German model of broadband router, and was mentioned in this topic because some ISPs such as Zen supply them to customers and they happen to have a working phone socket to plug your existing handset in to.

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@Boz wrote:

what does ATA stand for?

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Analogue Telephone Adaptor

[#13]

@Boz I have a look at the odd topic on TBB, and although there are some very knowledgable contributors on there - some of what they say goes way over my fairly well informed head - some of the comments make me want to  cry.

Termination fee queries are best dealt with direct with the company, and the ticket system has been defunct (from a user-issuing angle for quite a long time. Depending on the issue, there is an autobot for checking if you have phone/broadband issues, and always this forum.

A Fritz!box is a German-produced (very good) router, and an ATA is an Analogue Telephone Adapter - needed if you want to use a traditional phone on VOIP.

[#14]

@Boz 

You can move FOC to BT / EE if organized through PN. Moving anywhere else will incur early termination charges.

A FritzBox is a router. Some have a built in ATA for phone services. They are Highly rated and are used by Zen Internet (model 7530 I think).

An ATA is an Analogue Telephone Adapter. One is required if you stay with PN and use the Hub2. It connects via ethernet cable to the Hub2 and then you plug the phone in as normal. It also requires power.

I still come back to the question - do you need a landline, especially if you can use a mobile for outgoing calls.

Brian

[#15]

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@Boz wrote:

@outcast

I saw some disturbing things reported about the company, including quibbles over a termination fee, and the suggestion that you can only raise a ticket now by using Twitter.

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I suggest that there a modicum of mud stirring therein:

• Anyone who finds that they will need to pay ETCs will quibble over why they think they should not have to pay - if for a number of specific reasons you need to move to BT/EE AND you arrange that via Plusnet there is every probability that ETCs will be waived - but MUST be via Plusnet COTS not direct to BT/EE
• The ticket system closed many, many years ago - so that is something of a red herring - support can be obtained direct by phone; many faults can now be dealt with automatically using the faults bot; this place offers a good deal of support (a far better forum than most other ISPs) and if you must wash dirty linen in the gaze of the public, yes you can use twitface

When someone has an axe to grind, invariably they only tell part of the story - do you have a link to the TBB thread?