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[Alex Atkin UK]

Seems to me what they're saying is due to energy costs it makes no sense to be installing so many headends all at the same time, serving few customers (relatively speaking).  When instead if they focus on finishing one headend before starting another, they will start covering the cost of running the kit in the exchange much sooner.

What's curious is how this scales for alt-nets where they have active hardware in the street and presumably higher costs as its a more complicated infrastructure than running everything back to a bigger exchange.

I've often wondered just how expensive it must be to have active hardware at the street level rather than aggregated all back in a single location.

[HPsauce]

With OR's roll out - the multiplexing (splitting) of the fibre, is done local to the customers premises .... usually within 350mtrs.
These are called SASA's

Thanks BS.  No FTTP anywhere near me so "cabinets" is all I see. 

My "Googling" suggests that SASA's are not powered.....

[burakkucat]

My "Googling" suggests that SASA's are not powered.....

PON : passive optical network. 

In almost all cases, the cabinets of an area connect back to an aggregation node. The SASA's for the PON will also connect back to the aggregation node. So there is a slight tenuous logical link between FTTC cabinets and PONs . . . the aggregation node. 

[Alex Atkin UK]

PON : passive optical network. 

In almost all cases, the cabinets of an area connect back to an aggregation node. The SASA's for the PON will also connect back to the aggregation node. So there is a slight tenuous logical link between FTTC cabinets and PONs . . . the aggregation node. 

Yeah its somewhat confusing given FTTPoD as I understand it would use a spare fibre at the node, whereas a full rollout may need more fibre to be laid?

[craigski]

The only FTTP programmes that are classed as quick wins are new-sites and retro new sites, where the duct should (for the most part), be intact and easy to cable.

I would also assume many of the public funded projects eg Gigabit Voucher Scheme could be classed as 'quick wins', in terms of financial reward vs effort?

[bogof]

There are a number of factors that will go into deciding where a build will take place ..... there are also multiple FTTP programmes in play, too.

Try telling the rural build teams that they're working in very demanding conditions just to hit a statistic, try telling the high-level escalation teams, the USO teams, the FVR teams, the LFFN teams that same sentiment !!

These guys are pulling in tens of miles of cable, to sometimes feed as little as a couple of premises per PON.

The only FTTP programmes that are classed as quick wins are new-sites and retro new sites, where the duct should (for the most part), be intact and easy to cable.

Then we have Fibre Cities that although they deliver big numbers per PON, come with their own problems. Usually, traffic management and Council demands around it. 
 
But ... it doesn't work like that .... OR don't have the liberty of just picking 'low hanging fruit', as you call it. They have to deliver set targets across ALL the FTTP programmes.

Sorry if I touched a nerve, but clearly what I meant was places like where I am where it just seems to be adding to the numbers en-mass without much demand (evidenced by slow takeup).  Those teams that were here for quite a period between all the various stages could have been on some of the other much more deserving projects you mention.  I shouldn't complain too loud - lest the fibre fairies take mine away!

There obviously is some kind of prioritisation going on to hit some gigabit target, as you say with targets across all the FTTP programmes, they do love putting out press releases with big numbers in them and they can't do that without the urban builds that are so often overbuilding capacity that is for many (most?) sufficient for now.  Of course, things don't stay still, they do need to be building for the future, and Openreach need to try and remain competitive and not lose more market share to altnets and Virgin, so maybe there is no right answer, but the 1% below USO still is something we can't be proud of as a country.

[gt94sss2]

I suspect part of Openreach's thinking is that the more exchanges that reach 75% coverage can also be added to the stop sell list.

[Chrysalis]

I wouldn't be too depressed. The CF stuff may be XGSPON, the VM stuff will be, hopefully by then Openreach will have joined them and either be using XGSPON alone or using combo optics where a single module sends and receives GPON and XGSPON with the co-existence element built into the OLT pluggable.

Its fine, just thought I would post my thoughts, this action actually does make sense, it always seemed odd to me rollouts were been done scattered all over the place partially done etc.

[XGS_Is_On]

Just a thought. Isn't this issue down to Openreach building too fast, and connecting too slow? ie they are passing more properties than they are connecting. The article suggests passing 62k properties per week, going up to 75k. Connecting 20k per week? As a business surely they need the revenue from the connections to fund the build, and the current take up of FTTP products is not enough to fund the build with the increased costs.

EDIT: Following link suggests 20k connections per week (page 20)
https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/new-dam-(not-in-use-yet)/documents/regulatory-compliance/Annual%20Report%202022-DIGITAL-online.pdf

They can only connect people who want to be connected. The take up is actually above expectations. Even if take up were 100% it wouldn't pay for the build for years: they've a longer term approach.

[Black Sheep]

What the man above said ^^^ 

[Black Sheep]

The take up is fierce, far better than expected  ... the problem this initially threw up, was the amount of waiting times on 'Step 1's' (or stage 1's - both the same). So much so, this landed on Mr Selley's lap.

I've mentioned it on other posts here, the immediate response to this was probably one of the more dramatic efforts I've seen in my near 4 decades in the business.

Literally every single bit of available resource has been thrown at this, on a national basis. Usually, it would be left at a local/regional level to resolve. It might be hard to grasp the scale of what I'm talking about, if you're an outsider looking in .... just take my word for it, due to take-up this sea change is huge.

 

[craigski]

I do get it, openreach is building flat out, and getting more efficient. Its massive. I get its a long term investment. I get connections are only made when they are ordered.

You both say take up is better than expected. But, to me, as an ignorant outsider looking in (wearing a pair of 'business/bean counter' sunglasses), it appears that there is more product being made than being sold, and that difference is growing daily.  That's my observation from the outside, but if its better than expected, there must be a plan, so all good.

[Black Sheep]

I do get it, openreach is building flat out, and getting more efficient. Its massive. I get its a long term investment. I get connections are only made when they are ordered.

You both say take up is better than expected. But, to me, as an ignorant outsider looking in (wearing a pair of 'business/bean counter' sunglasses), it appears that there is more product being made than being sold, and that difference is growing daily.  That's my observation from the outside, but if its better than expected, there must be a plan, so all good.

I'm not sure what you expect here ??

The remit is to lay a brand new infrastructure with access for 25 million customers, by the year 2026. Your own 'business/bean counter' analogy appears to operate on providing access, only on confirmed orders.

Of course there is more 'product being made than being sold', that was always going to be the case. What we are both saying is, that forecasted take-up at this point is way better than originally expected. 

[craigski]

Not really expecting anything in particular, just a discussion. I was just reading between the lines on the original link, and rightly or wrongly assumed that openreach was building too fast and connecting too slow:

so it makes sense for us to put more resources into upgrading customers and fulfilling orders as quickly and smoothly as possible

As a result, we’re going to pause starting some new jobs – like surveying work in other locations – for the rest of this year and we’re going to focus on completing work that’s already started.

If the uptake is ahead of plan, then that's good. From the above it seem the build is ahead of plan, also good. It's not in anyway a criticism, just observation for discussion.

[Black Sheep]

Fair do's.