BT Infinity & FTTx Discussion

[#Chri5#]

Order a new service with whichever ISP you want, on whichever access network is an option for you - in your case this would likely be SOGEA but delivered on a second copper pair. For me it was FTTP with an altnet.

Once your new service is in and working, port your current landline number to a VoIP provider. This will notify your current provider who will give you the "sorry you're leaving" notification and let you know when the service is due to cease. When your number port completes the old phone line will go dead, and billing for line rental and broadband will stop.

Superb, thanks @Caged. I suppose my homework is digging into providers who let you move from SOGEA FTTC to FTTP mid-contract. Though if FTTP is replacing all the copper services, I presume that's a given so most provides would let you move?

 

[SaBBz]

Have just recontracted my FTTP 900mbit connection BT (£75pm(!)) to Sky (£42pm). Been really happy with the BT connection so fingers crossed Sky are as good.

 

[sparkymark75]

Have just recontracted my FTTP 900mbit connection BT (£75pm(!)) to Sky (£42pm). Been really happy with the BT connection so fingers crossed Sky are as good.

My BT contract is up in August so interested to hear how you get on. Can't fault BT to be honest, the connection has been rock solid, just on the more expensive side.

 

[russ9898]

Have just recontracted my FTTP 900mbit connection BT (£75pm(!)) to Sky (£42pm). Been really happy with the BT connection so fingers crossed Sky are as good.

I've never had an issue with Sky, always been a solid connection whether delivered via ADSL, FTTC or FTTP.

I've always found BT offer a marginally better latency than Sky (1ms or so) for some reason, however the Sky connection/latency is stable and you're unlikely to have any issues gaming/streaming etc.

 

[kona786]

I've never had an issue with Sky, always been a solid connection whether delivered via ADSL, FTTC or FTTP.

I've always found BT offer a marginally better latency than Sky (1ms or so) for some reason, however the Sky connection/latency is stable and you're unlikely to have any issues gaming/streaming etc.

Had the same reliability with Plusnet. Been rock solid for the last 10 years on FTTC and now FTTP.

 

[the-evaluator]

My 900Mbps BT FTTP contract is up in a couple of months so it's time to look at moving elsewhere. ISP suggestions please!

What's the FTTP migration process? I'm keen to avoid downtime if possible.

My requirements:

- IPv6. I don't care if IP addressing (v4 and v6) is dynamic or static.
- No landline needed. I have BT Digital Voice but it's never been used and I don't need or want to retain the number.
- I want to use my own router. At present I'm using a UniFi USG but I plan to replace that with something newer.
- DHCP instead of PPPoE would be nice.

Edit - Ignore me, the BT contract ends July 2025. I thought it was 2024.

 

[sparkymark75]

My 900Mbps BT FTTP contract is up in a couple of months so it's time to look at moving elsewhere. ISP suggestions please!

What's the FTTP migration process? I'm keen to avoid downtime if possible.

My requirements:

- IPv6. I don't care if IP addressing (v4 and v6) is dynamic or static.
- No landline needed. I have BT Digital Voice but it's never been used and I don't need or want to retain the number.
- I want to use my own router. At present I'm using a UniFi USG but I plan to replace that with something newer.
- DHCP instead of PPPoE would be nice.

Edit - Ignore me, the BT contract ends July 2025. I thought it was 2024.

I believe Sky and Talk Talk are the only two larger ISPs which do DHCP rather than PPPoE. There may be regional ISPs which use DHCP too.

 

[Simon42]

- DHCP instead of PPPoE would be nice.

I had this as a factor a few years back but in the end just got an appliance that could easily handle the overhead of PPPoE so I didn't have to limit choices for ISP. Almost three years on and it handles PPPoE FTTP 1Gbs/110Mbs with never more than 20% CPU use on the one core handling it.

 

[Marc2180]

Yep, same as mine. House built in the 80s, BT in their infinite wisdom decided to install armoured copper cable - no ducting!

I caught an Openreach auditor checking the work last year after they installed FTTP in my area. The chap reckoned they'd survey direct buried lines on a case-by-case basis, but doesn't see why they wouldn't not install as they kinda 'have to' was his words. Fortunately I didn't have to risk that, as an altnet installed in my area and they were more than happy to dig a narrow trench, install ducting for me and then blow fibre from the main chamber to my home (must be a huge loss as it took them 3 visits and the last 2 visits took two of them). So in the future Openreach now have a useable duct.

Unless they ducted it from a BT box and used the proper BT grey duct, openreach are not allowed to use a competitors duct

 

[Dangerous]

I never got a reply from Openreach about my question, I could chase them but I'm using Starlink now and its fine for my needs. Winter I might need to add another connection as the rain will knock out Starlink but not sure how much.

 

[FishThrower]

can someone clarify when BT Openreach declares the site as "directly buried in the ground" with no telegraph poles.. does that just mean that each individual house hasnt got a duct from the street? or does it mean that the street hasnt got the toby boxes connected each other via a duct?

Reason i ask is that my house has a duct in, with a toby box outside on the path, but all of the houses opposite can get fibre, but none of the houses on my street arent able to get it.

 

[Dangerous]

I can't see my area not getting FTTP as there is a number of streets with the direct in ground. Either side of these streets have FTTP via telegraph poles so there would be large number of complaints, it is likely going to be 2026 though!

I did email Openreach for an idea but this was 12 days ago, I'm hoping that is a good sign and not they have opened/closed the case.

So I thought I'd reply back to OpenReach to check the status and yep they Opened/CLOSED the case because it likely requires a bit of work. Lazy Lazy Lazy Lazy

Good Morning


As your original enquiry has now been closed please complete the following form if you require an update on Fibre availability at your address:


https://www.openreach.com/Forms/fibre-broadband-availability---customer-form


This will then be assigned to a member of the team who will investigate this further and contact you from the new enquiry.


Kind Regards

Chloe Mordaunt
Fibre Availability Customer Service
Openreach

 

[b0rn2sk8]

If it’s direct in ground they’ll want to put poles in to deliver it.

Did you see the people on the news a few weeks ago setting up protests and blocking the installation of poles to deliver FTTP?

Good luck getting your FTTP is all I’ll say.

 

[Caged]

Direct-in-ground is often ducted along the street (or service strip in front of each property) but then direct buried armoured from the quite small chambers to each house. The ducted bits can often be used without issue, and if you've just got a front lawn then they can easily dig when you place the order. Direct buried areas will definitely get upgraded to FTTP but it might happen after everyone else has been done.

 

[the-evaluator]

If it’s direct in ground they’ll want to put poles in to deliver it.

Did you see the people on the news a few weeks ago setting up protests and blocking the installation of poles to deliver FTTP?

Good luck getting your FTTP is all I’ll say.

Not necessarily. There's plenty of direct buried places where I live that have FTTP - my parents included. No poles to be seen.

 

[russ9898]

Not necessarily. There's plenty of direct buried places where I live that have FTTP - my parents included. No poles to be seen.

Ditto, my own property had a direct buried armoured copper cable yet still has Openreach FTTP installed

 

[Sparx]

Not necessarily. There's plenty of direct buried places where I live that have FTTP - my parents included. No poles to be seen.

Ditto, my own property had a direct buried armoured copper cable yet still has Openreach FTTP installed

Out of interest how did Openreach carry out your installations, did they install new poles for your homes?

 

[russ9898]

Out of interest how did Openreach carry out your installations, did they install new poles for your homes?

Nope, they dug the footpaths up, installed ductwork and toby boxes at the boundary of each property.

When a property has an fttp order they survey the property in question to see what civils/groundworks are required and then send the appropriate team to complete a first fix and get fibre to the property. A second engineer will come, usually a few days later to splice the fibre and install the ONT etc.

Not a pole in sight in my street.

 

[the-evaluator]

Out of interest how did Openreach carry out your installations, did they install new poles for your homes?

A bit of digging in the pavement up to the property boundary and then a duct buried around the outskirts of the garden. I don't know how they installed the duct, I wasn't there at the time but I was there the day after and was very surprised at how neat the job was.

No poles anywhere near.

It's worth saying that the installation was a bit of a faff to arrange, my parents were the first house in the town with direct buried copper so initially Openreach assumed there was a pre-existing duct and the first installation failed. Parents were told that someone from Openreach would contact them to make a new appointment but after a few weeks they'd heard nothing so I called BT, explained what was going on and within a few days it was all done. One day they installed the duct, next day the fibre and 2 days later connected everything up.

Since theirs was done I've seen plenty of their neighbours have had it installed and for them it was all done in a single appointment.

 

[BowdonUK]

I think some of the public get confused with poles, either thinking they are 5G or one of those massive IX Wireless masts.

A fibre pole is just like a copper line pole just with fibre lines instead. Fibre isn't even electrified either unlike copper.