Fibre Broadband - final metres

[CharlieB]

Hi All,

Openreach spent much of last year digging up all the verges round here and we now have a concrete access point in the yard now. I can't for the life of me work out who I need to speak to now to get the final connection done, into the house. Current through-the-air internet provider Lothian Broadband are nice but clueless - I'd much prefer to pay them than one of the big corporates but they don't acknowledge that the fibre hardware is in place.

Has anyone done this before and can advise? Otherwise all the money the government paid to Openreach and their useless contractors will continue to be completely wasted.

Thanks
Charlie

[Caesium]

Seems like Lothian Broadband don't use BT backhaul at all? They look like they have their own FTTP network but won't use BTs.

I think you'll pretty much have to move provider if you want to use the BT FTTP thats now nearby.

[CharlieB]

Hi Caesium. I don't mind moving provider at all really. Please could you explain two terms you used: 'BT Backhaul' and 'FTTP'. So that I can have a sensible conversation with a new supplier I do decide to go with.

[smegal]

Even though Openreach are supposed to be a separate entity to BT, I have found that BT are much quicker to allow fibre connections than other providers.

Try putting your address into the BT website and see if they'll offer you "full fibre" product, also known as Fibre to the premises (FTTP).

[Tinbum]

Even though Openreach are supposed to be a separate entity to BT, I have found that BT are much quicker to allow fibre connections than other providers.

Try putting your address into the BT website and see if they'll offer you "full fibre" product, also known as Fibre to the premises (FTTP).

I wouldn't trust the Openreach web site I've found date is incorrect. I was due to get FTTP and when it didn't happen and I emailed the CEO they then said it had been an error.

Openreach are a total farce of a company, waste loads of money and couldn't organise a P**s up in a brewery.

[Stinsy]

Fibre was laid down our street a year ago. It remains "unlit" however so we haven't been able to benefit. We use 4G for our internet (£20 a month for Vodafone unlimited) we get about 50gb which is a lot better than the 10gb we used to get over the phone line and no line rental to pay.

Lots of places near to us have 5g coverage at 200gb (there is a big Vodafone callcentre not far away and I guess Vodafone wanted the workers to have good service) but that doesn't stretch to my house...

[Countrypaul]

Try asking on https://community.bt.com/

Whils it is a site run by BT the contributors are customers rather than BT employees so you get a much more honest set of answers. You might get an explanation of why after laying fibre near your house it is taking a long time for FTTP to be offered (not uncommon it seems).

[Swwils]

https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL

Is the correct checker.

[Caesium]

Hi Caesium. I don't mind moving provider at all really. Please could you explain two terms you used: 'BT Backhaul' and 'FTTP'. So that I can have a sensible conversation with a new supplier I do decide to go with.

Hi Charlie.

By BT backhaul I meant the physical fibre being laid down is owned by BT. There are lots of different companies laying fibre, but they tend not to play nicely with one another. For example your very own ISP, Lothian Broadband, appear to be laying their own fibre network, so they own the stuff in the ground, but someone going to an ISP that uses BT fibre would not be able to get a service that uses this. Lothian will want to keep the customers using their kit to themselves, quite rightly as they've paid for it to go in the ground.

FTTP = fibre to the premises, really just an abbreviation/clarification of "fibre" (which can mean a couple of different things).

[CharlieB]

Many thanks all.

I hadn't realised there were multiple different fibre networks out there. Seems mad, but a lot of things seem a bit mad these days re natural monopolies. (Not least energy.)

Anyway, I'll get onto BT or one of the others on this list and see if the fibre has been 'lit'. https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadba ... -providers If anyone can whole-heartedly recommend any other supplier do let me know.

Tinbum, I completely agree re Openreach. I dealt with them re wayleaves for the backhaul and they were pretty useless - only their contractors Morrisons managed to be even more useless. (Whereas the local guys brought out for the difficult bits and the making-good were brilliant.)