Monday 14 November 2016

Superfast broadband - more information

BT Openreach

I refer to my last blog on superfast broadband provision for Nocton.

I have since been in touch with the Senior Project Manager at Openreach for more information. This is what he had to say:

"Because we have converted an SCP (Secondary connection point) to a Broadband cabinet off Metheringham 3, we have what is called a live 2 live situation (which is becoming more and more common as we go deeper into the rural areas as we have to piggyback the fibre off the host PCP (Primary connection point) in this case Metheringham 3).

We have to re-configure the exchange and the external network accordingly. If we don’t, it will cause degradation of the network, cause cross–talk  and also it will affect the quality of the broadband. We have to liaise with all the relevant ISP’s to let them know what we need to do (take down the network for a short period of time) and to a fair degree, we are dependent on the ISP’s responding in a timely manner before we can book in what is called a PEW – Planned Engineering Work. The PEW is to take down the network and allow our engineers to attend Metheringham 17 and re-configure the settings in the DSLAM so nobody suffers from cross talk.

The PEW is scheduled for the 21st and should only take a day. We then need all ISP’s to update their records to reflect the new routings of the circuits.
 
I would expect those people fed off Metheringham 17 to be able to order fibre service before Xmas."

Please note: once you have been able to order the fibre upgrade from your ISP, there will be a two/three week wait for BT Openreach to carry out the necessary work. Each customer order will be stacked in order of receipt, so longer delays may be experienced if there is a large demand from the local community.

Openreach urges internet providers to let customers know about faster connections

'BT's infrastructure division has said it has made superfast broadband available to more than 26 million premises across the country. However, it is concerned because only around a quarter of them have actually upgraded.'

Read more here.

UK broadband speed ad rules to be revamped

'The Advertising Standards Authority says current descriptions of speeds "up to" a certain amount are confusing and will be changed in 2017.'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38005327

UK broadband and mobile speeds are officially among the WORST in the world

'BT was found to be the most popular broadband provider across the UK, with 48 per cent of the customer base, followed by Sky Broadband (23 per cent), Virgin Media (19 per cent), TalkTalk (11 per cent) and PlusNet (4 per cent).'

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/science-technology/733122/uk-broadband-download-speeds-worst-europe-world-ookla

2 comments:

  1. This confirms Openreach will not use a dedicated fibre feed directly from Metheringham Exchange to Fibre cabinet 17. Why was this not identified far earlier in the planning stage amazes me considering Cab 12 in Nocton was switched on within weeks of completion with what looks like a dedicated exchange to Cab fibre.

    With further fibre re-configurations both at the Exchange and the main fibre joint outside Cab 3, record updates and further testing on stability etc I would not expect this being released for orders until early next year. In addition because we will be on a "shared fibre" with Dunston you can expect slower fibre speeds on the periphery of Nocton as the take up of customers begins to rise. Once an order is placed it can take weeks before Openreach route via the Fibre Cabinet. I would expect the queue to hopefully lessen around Spring 2017. The Fibre and Cab 3 copper feeding Nocton could well have been renewed enabling direct feeds from Metheringham but at great cost. It would appear to be about saving money for very little betterment of the network or cost returns and so we will remain on copper legacy lines and shared fibre off Cab 3 into Cab 17. Bit of a patch up and poorly planned from start to whenever.............


    Mick Middleton

    ReplyDelete
  2. Astonishing Mick... for once, words fail me.

    ReplyDelete

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