The Big Switch Off

[#1]

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@mystreet1 wrote:

SOGEA is provided over the copper (aluminium) network from the cabinet which will still be in place for many years after 2026/7

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Which does raise the option that on small exchanges without FTTC or FTTP those could have a set of 'cabinet' equipment fitted in the exchange building, so making a 'single cabinet-exchange' leaving all the physical copper untouched. 

Instant SOGEA 'FTTC', no infrastructure changes, no customer actions needed, low cost and a seamless migration out of ADSL on the data side while analogue landlines would simply go dead.

Is that even already the plan  ?

[#2]

@mwwagain 

I believe this has been happening for years.

However, it only works if the line is (distance wise) within acceptable limits.

In my location there was a new housing estate that was on ADSL only due to "Exchange Only" lines (for historical reasons). I could only get "up to 8" on my estate. Full FTTC was not available as the phone cabinets themselves were provisioned with a "glass fibre" link to the Exchange. We only got the "up to 8" service due to test equipment being installed. There were 4 cabinets here and 4 in Exgland using this equipment. To cap it all we were all way beyond the 3.5km limit.

We were in no mans land until OpenReach announced the expansion of their Full Fibre program in 2017. Within a week OR were working in the area. So sudden was the increase in work they were short of supplies so we got about 6 visits to install the network.

The ironic thing was the estate that was on ADSL was also in progress of getting a new phone (and FTTC) cabinet installed so they ended up with both FTTC and FTTP.

Brian

[#3]

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@bmc wrote:

@mwwagain 

I believe this has been happening for years.

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I don't believe installing FTTC in exchanges is common at all - the reason the green FTTC cabinets exist is that the FTTC electronics produced cross-talk which impacted the exchange equipment, and the speed advantages of FTTC only exist over shorter distances, so there was effectively a ban on installing FTTC in exchanges.

Now, that may change since the PSTN and ADSL equipment in exchanges will be retired (Jan 2027 and by ~2030 respectively), so there may be no technical reason not to install FTTC in exchanges then. However, FTTC itself is being phased out so isn't being installed any more, and many exchanges will be closed - particularly the smaller ones in areas where ADSL is the only OR technology. Only the larger exchanges which aggregate the FTTP connections will remain, so there wouldn't be anywhere to install FTTC in many cases.

[#4]

@corringham 

As I understood things cabinets were installed just outside the Exchange and the phone lines re-routed. My grey matter tells me the cabinets may have been "onesies" - both PSTN and FTTC.

In my locality they had to install a new phone cabinet in the estate and run new copper lines all the way from the Exchange. It was done due to the relatively high number of properties involved.

Brian

[#5]

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@bmc wrote:

@corringham 

As I understood things cabinets were installed just outside the Exchange and the phone lines re-routed. My grey matter tells me the cabinets may have been "onesies" - both PSTN and FTTC.

Brian

  That would explain FTTC cabinets immediately adjacent to exchanges - thanks

https://maps.app.goo.gl/6whLismesDuzjTpV6

Maybe that is how small ADSL only exchanges can be 'shut' - replaced by one (big) FTTC cab and wire it in to the typical 100 lines or so. Of course the longer or weaker lines would just get their existing ADSL speed minus the analogue voice.

Are all exchanges are now fed by fibre -  'FTTE' ?

[#6]

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@bmc wrote:

As I understood things cabinets were installed just outside the Exchange and the phone lines re-routed.

Yes, that has happened. Particularly in inner-city locations where all the lines were exchange-only. I'm not sure that is still happening at all, as FTTC is rarely if ever commissioned these days.

[#7]

@corringham  @corringham 

If you scroll down the page on the following site you'll see details on the All in One cabinet. It appears to start with they were only used when BDUK funded the work. It may be they were also used away from the Exchange. I suspect it would be the number of EO lines in the area that determines whether a "onesie" was used.

https://kitz.co.uk/adsl/fttc-cabinets.htm

Brian

[#8]

I'd forgotten that the all-in-ones were Huawei - they won't be used going forwards due to the security concerns around Huawei equipment. 

[#9]

As a FTTC user with my contract up for renewal in August, I'm sure we'd all like a definitive answer relating to the 31st Dec 2025 openreach statement re WLR contracts and if  this is the end of PN landlines at that point.
Knowing this would help me decide to either extend what I have or go FTTP.

Getting a straight answer is proving difficult as they go into marketing mode as soon as you ask rather than giving you the answer you want to make an informed decision in the here and now rather than what you will have to do at some point before end 2027.

[#10]

For the time being you can renew your service as is.

[#11]

I think the concern is renewing for 18 or 24 months now, and then losing the land line in 6 months, but being locked into a broadband contract for another year or so.

Personally in the absence of a clear statement I would take control and jump ship now and get the future proof solution I prefer - and I suspect Plusnet will lose others who think similarly if they don't soon make a clear statement of what will happen and when.