Yawn!. (Just woken from a quick cat-nap.)
My understanding is that it is a trial of
FTTP being made available in areas currently designated as
FTTC (remember it was originally stated, at the launch of the fibre optic based services, that an area would be either FTTC
or FTTP but not both) by extending the fibre from the cabinet to the premises. This new option has been given the descriptor of
FTTPoD ( . . . on demand).
There is some logic to the trial and that is the feasibility, some years hence, in converting the current fibre cabinets (newly installed for
FTTC) to being just fibre splitter nodes . . .
Cost? Who really knows? Perhaps
Beatie will be feeling generous?
At a personal level, I would be interested in trialling the pole-top mini-MSAN. This is where a full fibre optic feed (i.e. no copper cabling from the exchange to the pole) runs to the pole-top, at which a mains-powered 12-premises mini-MSAN then sends the telephony and VDSL2 signals down quality screened drop-cables to the premises. That would be nice. (If anyone from
Grimbledon Down is reading this, please take note -- it's
DP1032 at
EABSE.)