Same here, FTTP was an addition unconnected (either logically, contractually, or physically) to the POTS lines.
(interestingly around here, the fibre they ran from the poles to the premises also included a copper pair - although that was not made off to anything, and I got the impression there was no intention to make use of it in future).
At this point, you can still have analogue voice on the local loop since the cabinet also has analogue back-haul. Once that goes, a FTTC offering will become a SOGEA one with no analogue voice capability.
I'd hope that there would be equipment available to feed the extensions as before. My main worry about this kind of thing is the vulnerability if the power goes off, since at the moment most land lines have a battery back up so they can continue working for some hours without the internet. Not everyone has a mobile after all, and many live in poor signal areas. I did talk to Virgin about this, as they are about to start in this area and they told me that as long as you say no to the email when you get it, they will leave it hard wired until the economics of keeping it connected are too high. Brian
Do you mean the FTTP offering (rather than FTTC) ?
In other words then, initially when you have FTTP installed, your broadband connection is via that, but voice continues on your pre existing copper line ?
I believe that was the initial way they did it. Now the copper is decommissioned when fibre is installed - I understand they're going back and retroactively disabling the copper from the installs they did where it's still active.
One purpose of retaining the copper was it was still possible to order classical ADSL on it. That somewhat made sense for those who didn't want to pay for an FTTP connection, but nowadays they're removing ADSL kit from exchanges and moving towards FTTC+FTTP so keeping a few DSLAMs is an impediment to that process. And I believe there's been more progress towards cheaper FTTP tariffs for those who don't need more bandwidth. (ie FTTP is a delivery mechanism, not a speed upgrade)
Will Openreach install a broadband router with a phone output socket (my ISP isn't BT) or will they give me a VoIP phone (preferably connecting to the router by Wifi), or something/nothing else?
For FTTP, Openreach will install an ONT. This may have a phone socket, but that will probably be unused. Your ISP will provide a router to plug into it via Ethernet. That will provide a phone socket, into which you can plug in your analogue phone (or reinject into your extension wiring).
They could choose to give you a VOIP phone, and maybe they would if you were on a 'premium' package, but the cheap and easy option for them is just an analogue port on their router.
Not necessarily no. FTTC is still available can can be ordered. When they dispense with the analogue voice capability of the network, the FTTC technology will still be used in some circumstances, but supplied as SOGEA (Single Order Generic Ethernet Access). This gives the same (or better) broadband access as FTTC, but no analogue voice, no line rental etc. In some cases can also support higher access speeds than the typical 80/20 limit of FTTC
Yup that is what happened in my cases. I have two analogue lines, that used to have ADSL on both with combined broadband and phone deals on both. When FTTP became available, as one of my existing ISPs supported that, I "ported" my service to that.
In reality that just meant reverting one ADSL line to POTS only and starting a broadband service on the FTTP (although I did get to keep my static IP).
There is a 0.5 Mbps FTTP product that will be used for "voice only" installs. IIUC you will be able to use it for internet access as well - but that will probably not be promoted as a selling point.
This village of 7000 plus seems well behind the curve if TNPs hamlet is connected! For the technologically unaware, does any of this conflict with our Panasonic wifi internal set up?
Your ISP could choose either of those options, or to supply a separate VoIP interface box. I expect most will probably supply VoIP router as standard since it will be cheaper and less complicated to setup for the end user. (many "free" ISP routers come with a BT phone socket on them already)
That's a fairly common pattern. Initially they rolled out FTTP to the places where it was technically not feasible or too expensive to meet the minimum speed service guarantee by other means. So here for example,
19 properties about 5 - 6 km from the exchange and no local street cabinet, FTTP was "easier".
(in reality it seemed to employ one chap working single handed for a couple of weeks or so, climbing each pole in turn, stringing the "cable" and splicing in termination/connection points on any poles close to properties)
Do you mean wifi or do you mean cordless (e.g. DECT) phones? (just that Panasonic are not that well known for wifi equipment)
The answer in either case is no. If you move to VoIP, then you can in general have "something" that will present an analogue voice port that looks like a good ole' POTS phone socket as far as the kit plugged into it is concerned. That it rapidly munged into digits before it even gets out of the house makes little practical difference (although for those with long lines, the voice quality will likely improve)
My son moved into a new build 4 years ago. He had FTTP from the word go, though it was 'Hobson's Choice' back then, and had to use BT Retail for the service (or pay a fortune to a non BT ISP for a business grade service)
His phone service was via a socket on the Openreach ONT. (He never used it, I insisted he left a 5 quid Argos phone plugged in for emergency use) His ONT has a mini UPS built in. The BT Home Hub plugged into the ONT via Ethernet
Last year he migrated to Sky. Now the phone port on the Openreach ONT is dead, and instead a phone Port on Sky's supplied router is used. Amazingly he didn't lose his landline phone number in the process, although he has no idea what it is (I do :-) )
What a waste of a nice piece of fibre* just to provide voice calls between the cabinet and the premises...... :-)
It would make more sense economically to have FTTC then leave the copper wire from cabinet to home in place for the POTS. Only when the householder wants fibre internet, then by all means replace the copper pair with fibre
(Unless its a situation where a home owner moves out having had FTTP installed and the incoming new householder does not want anything but a "phone landline"?)
*I have FTTP and that gives me 1 Gbit/sec *BOTH* ways as well as a ATA POTS port on the broadband modem
I'd say it makes more sense to get rid of all the copper ASAP. All the poles in our village have their junction box covers swinging in the wind, and I bet the manholes are full of water too. I have an overhead copper line, I was rather hoping they will perform a straight swap when my time comes, I really don't want my nice new (2020) bargeboard messed up with more of BT's plant than is absolutely necessary. I am planning to pre-provide a route into my loft space for the 'internal' fibre run, but how that will be accepted on the day can't be predicted.
Currently on FTTC, with an 85 metre run to the cabinet. I think that's about right. My sync maxes out at 80/20, with loads of SNR headroom. Probably because of that, I'm way down the FTTP list ?
I can see this being a nightmare for "normal" people, does anyone move their phone provider independent from their internet provider any more? Or is it all too cheap to worry about nowadays? So much for the unbundling of a few years ago ...
I think they will be "given" a slow (256Mbps ?) broadband and router just for voice, if they really wanted to they could use it for excruciatingly slow internet access AIUI.
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