Landline conversion to digital

[Theo]

Some people are in properties (mainly new builds) where there is *only* FTTP. And so the lower tiers exist to cater to those who can't afford the higher speeds - I think the 40/10 tier was £25pm from BT. If you're in one of those I think the checker will offer the lower tiers in the spot where it would offer FTTC if that was available. Or it may be you have to ring them up to ask for them.

OR's tiers were previously 40/80/160/330, now they're 55/110/220/550, and BT have been rebranding their versions of them. I'm not sure why - possibly to align with FTTC at the lower end, or because they were more conservative to begin with?

I'm not sure what happens if you have both FTTP and FTTC. But I expect that's relatively rare (somebody did a FTTP on demand, perhaps)

Theo

[SH]

That is expensive on a unit price per mbit basis

Gigafast is £50 a month for 900 Mbit both ways or £40 for 500 mbit both ways.

If you're in one

[Tim Streater]

Meaning that during a power cut I get no phone service? How is UK Power networks going to call me?

[Theo]

Mobile. Or a battery backup unit powering your router/etc.

Theo

[Andy Burns]

Meaning that after the analogue part is turned off, you'll never get

*any* phone service on the copper ... just broadband, your phone will be a digital service over the broadband.

[Mark Carver]

There were three steel catenary wires inside, when I <cough> repositioned my drop wire, and moved the junction box etc.

[Mark Carver]

More significantly it'll be harder to determine what are unused pairs when BT/Kelly/Quinn are looking to nick a spare pair ?

[Tim Streater]

Already got the battery backup.

[Mark Carver]

My son with his green field FTTP install, was offered exactly the same packages, speeds, and pricing as their FTTC packages.

In fact, at the time (Dec 2017) he couldn't buy anything above 80/20 anyway, (without getting into  business  packages)

[SH]

I have an APC UPS connected to both the ONT and the vodafone router so that I still have a working "POTS" telephones throughout the house.

These phones are connected back to the RJ11 ATA port at the back of the router.

[Andy Burns]

And since my parents died, there's only one neighbour who regularly calls the landline plus a few other sporadic callers, everything else is mobile ...

[Steve Walker]

Except that the network cabinets have no battery back-up in most cases, so they will go down and many mobile masts have little or no battery backup and, even if they do, they use the landline system to connect to!

[John Walliker]

Once everyone is on fibre to the premises the network street cabinets will be redundant so no problem. Mobile masts generally have optical fibre connections, so they should carry on working while their batteries last (for those that have batteries). John

[Andrew]

ROFL. There are millions of houses, mine being one, where the copper phone lines are underground and definately not in ducts. There will never be a time when 'everyone is on fibre'.

[bert]

On the other hand just walk into the fax room and pick them up :-)

[John Rumm]

If it matters to you, then either: have a mobile handy, or power your comms equipment via a UPS so that it will keep running during a power cut.

[John Rumm]

You will have to do it with slightly more sophisticated testing than using a voltmeter!

(this was a problem that used to bite people on ISDN, when less clued up linesmen were looking to "lift and shift" a line to a new pair, and found one with no line voltage, and just assumed that meant "unused")

[Roland Perry]

In message [e-mail], at

09:34:39 >> >> >> >> >>

Won't they be needed to splice the fibre between the subscriber and the exchange, or is FTTP always a single unbroken fibre from end to end (seems a bit ambitious). In fact, I've have expected the cabinets to have an industrial strength fibre back to the exchange, then some sort of splitter to the individual premises.

ps Not all the 'cabinets' are surface-mounted green cabinets. Quite a few are in holes in the ground with BT manhole covers above.

[Mark Carver]

There will be, you're likely to find a telegraph pole erected in your street in the next few years.

That's what they've done in an area near me with no ducts.

[Andy Burns]

There are a few places after the head-end kit where the fibre is jointed before it reaches the final passive optical splitter which will be near a cluster of customers, either up a pole or underground.

A bit slow-paced, but ...