Fibre

In message snipped-for-privacy@marfordfarm.demon.co.uk>, Tim Lamb snipped-for-privacy@marfordfarm.demon.co.uk> writes

If our experience is anything to go by, you'd be advise not to hold your breathe.

Several years ago, the pole outside my house sprouted various bits of kit for fibre connections. However, according to OpenReach, I'm not due to get it until Dec 2026 (with the additional information that they are "rolling out Full Fibre to 25 million people across the UK by 2025"). That said, several of the neighbours have gone full fibre, but they are using ISPs that only use OR's poles.

Adrian.

I think its all optional right now but in your case simply ask your ISP when you can have it.

They *should* organise you a BT style phone socket like the landline with the same number that 'just works'...

I got mine about 6 weeks after the poles went up and they had tested it all.

Keep asking the ISP

Congratulations.

It was about 3-4 months I think before it was available on my street.

Not sure why you would want to worry, but initially the main impact will be that you may find it hard to change supplier and retain a POTS service.

Note the removal of POTS is not directly to FTTP roll out, so the plan is to move EVERYONE to VOIP by the end of next year, so even if you have FTTC or traditional ADSL the plan is to move the phone service to a VOIP service by the end of 2025.

Dave

Have you heard any noises locally about a fibre deployment?

These days Openreach will install fibre if you have a development site of 2 or more properties. That means you may see fibre on a pole route that services a new build site, but doesn't mean they will fit fibre to the houses with existing connections any time soon. If your lane happens to have (had) a building site along it, that might be the reason.

You can also use the BT Checker to see what they say for your property:

Plusnet do not make asking questions easy! The providers advertising on the *speed check* sites offer a range of predicted speeds/costs prior to the service being available!

I'm not in any rush to get FTTP, my current provision is more than enough for my requirements. I was asking out of curiosity, but the point was that just because there appears to be the ability to provide fibre, you might not be able to get it easily.

Adrian

Assuming this is FTTP and they have just replaced my incoming cable, can they use that and the existing outlet?

I didn't pay much attention when VOIP was discussed earlier. I gathered a mains power failure would shut down the service without some UPS backup.

No emergency call arrangements here and we both use mobile phones so not a huge issue but I wondered how our multi handset Panasonic system will fare.

No, but I got a hint from an Openreach engineer last month that something might be in the wind.

We put 4 houses in an agricultural barn a few years back.

Nothing available according to that site.

In our case it was a few months... however they might be getting batter/faster at it now :-)

As they were putting fibre onto the existing poles here, about 3 weeks ago, they guys doing it told me that it should be available in about 6 weeks - so that fits with your experience. The websites show it as being done in our area by Dec 2026, so I assume that if a single date to cover the wider area and each area will be changed over as soon as it is ready.

In our case, we are with Virgin, so OpenReach FTTP is a bargaining chip to bring the price down - or if Virgin won't move enough, we actually could switch over.

Not unless they installed FTTP - if it was a like for like replacement, then it might just have been newer copper.

IIRC, the fibre must be fed to an "ONT" and then a router (or a router with an in-built ONT) and the phone connection will be taken from the back of the router. So positioning of the fibre coming into the premises, the ONT/Router, your netwrok switch, power sockets and the extension wiring all matter.

a summary of much of it here:

Yup. (as households that only have DECT phones have found)

Ultimately you should arrive at the point where you have something that looks like a phone socket, and things you plug into it will think they are connected to a phone line. They will make and receive calls in the same way.

(in addition you will also have the option of using IP phones, soft phones, and cloud based PABX systems as well if you want)

Might be worth seeing if there is a "superfast" web site for your area. Ours is here:

Months, years, .... We've had fibre on the poles outside our house for several years now but no offers to us. Houses at the end of our road have fibre offered to them though.

Hmm. For convenience of internal wiring and best wi-fi position, I pre-fitted a length of standard phone cable through our loft areas and

Ok John. That's clear enough.

Thanks