Recently, the telephone cabinet down the road from me was replaced with a shiny new one,
and a new fibre cabinet installed next to it. This is happening all over town. Great!
BUT I don't think that's the cabinet I'm connected to.
Allow me to digress with a little tale...
A few years ago, late one night, the lights started flickering madly, the TV had a fit and then everything went off. Lucky I wasn't watching a late night horror film, or I'd have suspected a poltergeist!
Looking outside, I see much darkness, so went to telephone electric co to report fault. Phone doesn't work. Of course, it's a DECT phone. No power. Plug in corded phone. Get incredibly crackly line, dialling tone getting quieter and quieter. Then dead. Perhaps it is a poltergeist.
I imagine all sorts of chaos at local exchange up the road, so wandered up that way, but there are lights in houses nearby and everything looks fine. Just houses near me without power. Report electric fault and phone fault at nearby phonebox, which is working fine.
That night, most power restored, but not to my house or immediate neighbours.
Next day, BT arrive first, spend several hours trying to find fault. Neigbours phones off too. Then electric turn up, and walk up and down road like BT were doing, waving instruments and sonic screwdrivers about.
Want to guess what had happened?
Much lifting of manholes and digging of tarmac later, all is revealed. electric cable underground had burnt out, utterly melted. Had also taken out nearby phone lines, also all melted!
As I recall it took 3 days to get the electric back, and nearer 5 days to get the phones restored.
So, all this was up the road from me, in the general direction of the local exchange. I was told they'd replaced the phone cable most of the way up.
The shiny new phone and fibre cabinets are
down the road from me. So I assume I'm not connected there.
I thought I'd wander up the road to see if I can find the cabinet that I
am connected to. And I can't find it! I can see no cabinets, old or new, up the road from me, on either side of the road.
Is there always a cabinet? Could my wires go straight to the exchange as it's quite near?
Any hints as to what I might look for?
I'm just curious if my cabinet is fibre enabled, that's all
Ian