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[Excelsior]

Hello all.  I am keeping an eye out for cabinets being upgraded in my area and I've noticed that one has had a fair chunk of the pavement dug up next to it; no sign of anyone working there at the time.  Would that be consistent with preparations to put one of the FTTC cabinets in place or could it be entirely coincidental?  Do the original cabinets tend to remain?  I'm not holding my breath even though the exchange is supposed to be enabled at the end of June, but I remain hopeful...

[HPsauce]

Normally the original cabinets remain as the phone line is exactly as before, looped via the FTTC cabinet to insert the VDSL signal in the final stretch to the property.

[burakkucat]

Would that be consistent with preparations to put one of the FTTC cabinets in place . . . ?

Yes! 

could it be entirely coincidental?

It has a possibility but that possibility will be very small when considered in the light of the fact regarding your exchange's enablement.

Do the original cabinets tend to remain?

Indeed-y. 

[Excelsior]

Spotted a "Telent" sign on the barricades around the excavation last night, which seems to confirm progress as they appear to be Openreach partners as opposed to gas, electricity, water et al.  This is promising as I wasn't at all convinced they'd start upgrading the cabinets in our areas.  What sort of speed improvement might you expect in normal ADSL lines with fibre in place to the exchange?

[burakkucat]

What sort of speed improvement might you expect in normal ADSL lines with fibre in place to the exchange?

   Hmm . . . I'm not too sure what you are really asking. If you are asking will you see any improvement to your ADSL line once your PCP gains its FTTC twin, the answer is no. 

If you are asking what sort of speed increase could you expect to see in going from ADSL to VDSL2, I'll ask the question: do you remember posting the following as reply #13 to the thread FTTC - December 2011 PCP to Postcode documents on April 27, 2012, at 09:01:57 AM?

I was troubled for a moment but when I searched by postcode the right result appeared!  It says "deployed" and I believe our exchange is due to go FTTC end of June - so what does "deployed" mean here?  Is that 100% categoric in terms of coverage in the postcode?  *crosses everything*

Take another look at the record that is relevant for you and note the seventh field. That is the "uplift". A value for marketing purposes, which is supposed to represent the typical average speed increase when going from ADSL2+ to VDSL2 (i.e. FTTx). 

[Excelsior]

Ah.  I just thought the quality of the line generally would improve, but you're saying that there's still a copper line back to the exchange as well which for technical reasons the ADSL would keep using?  So you'd basically have to have the fibre package to get any increase at all?  Curses.  Well, I hope they blow the dust out of the old cabinet or something in the process at least!  It'll be interesting to see the price differential if any as and when it comes on-line, at least with our extension problem resolved ADSL itself is more usable...

[Bald_Eagle1]

As users increasingly move to FTTC connections, the "load" on ADSL connections will reduce (to some extent) & possibly slight speed increases may be seen for those who remin on ADSL connections.

In theory, as FTTC can use much higher frequencies (for users with shortish D-Side line lengths) crosstalk may well be also reduced for remaining ADSL connections, thus "potentially" allowing slight increases in sync speeds?

One or two ADSL users have reported increased speeds & stability within a few weeks of FTTC services being in use from "their" cabinets.

Mistakenly, they have assumed this was due to ADSL also being delivered to the cabinet via fibre.

Apparently VDSL2 is backwardly compatible with ADSL2+, so theoretically it may be possible to combine ADSL2+ & VDSL2 services at some later date, but as far as I am aware it has not yet been implemented (in the UK at any rate).

[burakkucat]

. . . you're saying that there's still a copper line back to the exchange as well which for technical reasons the ADSL would keep using? . . .

Correct. And not only that, those persons on a VDSL2 (i.e. FTTC) service still use the E-side copper pair back to the exchange for their telephony service. Hence the tie-cables, that you may have read about, that link the existing PCP and the new FTTC.

[Excelsior]

Interesting.  Just to mention that there is indeed a new green vented cabinet sat next to the original one (but it isn't ours!)  However others in the area reckon they can get Infinity now so perhaps the exchange has been done but the cabinets are still rolling out at this point. 

[burakkucat]

Yes, that usually is the case. If there is a "fibre feed" available, those cabinets (PCPs) that have acquired their new sibling (FTTC) will then become active, providing Openreach GEA to retailers (or wholesalers).

[Jonny]

those persons on a VDSL2 (i.e. FTTC) service still use the E-side copper pair back to the exchange for their telephony service.

That would be 30 odd year old aluminium cable in my case.

I was trying to get the E side changed for years but couldnt speak to the right people. First OpenReach engineer stated last year there is a copper line with spare capacity but its there for those associated with emergencies and those that must have a decent line.

[Excelsior]

Although I was driving at the time there was a big old truck at what I believe is our cabinet yesterday.  Interestingly they were yanking the housing off it and exposing the wires various, but when I came back the old dusty green cabinet was replaced by a new dark green one, but there was no sign of the taller FTTC cabinet.  Two stage procress to make the old cabinet compatible with the FTTC partner or something?  I'll try and swing by tonight to have another look...

[c6em]

Correct.
There needs to be more space available in the existing cabinet for the tie lines to the FTTC twin nearby.
So some cabinets which are overfull for their physical size need to be re-shelled with a bigger outer container.

[burakkucat]

Although I was driving at the time there was a big old truck at what I believe is our cabinet yesterday.  Interestingly they were yanking the housing off it and exposing the wires various,

Oops! Pikey's thieving for scrap? 

but when I came back the old dusty green cabinet was replaced by a new dark green one,

Ah so you had observed "proper little men" at work, earlier that day. 

[Excelsior]

I can also now report a great big Openreach truck and, down the road from it, a chap with what looks like the world's biggest hosepipe tidier unravelling what I assume is fibre down into the innards of the main road through our little hamlet.  So you have to say, fair enough to them, they look like they're about ready to get started for the end of June...  Ironically we will probably never have Infinity at our current home, and will have to cross fingers that it will arrive simultaneously at the new home a couple of miles away should we make the move!