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[j0hn]

I've posted before about problems I have with the broadband availability checker showing FTTC not available at my address. I only managed to order FTTC as OpenReach records showed me being connected to a nearer cabinet. Since my fibre went live and I'm now showing on the further away cabinet, I show as not being able to receive FTTC, even though I clearly have it.

After months and months of trying to have the availability checker updated, i emailed the CEO Clive Selley and got a personal response from him assuring me it would be fixed. Since then things have moved quite quickly and I've had a number of emails from different departments within OpenReach asking me to clarify some info.

I got a call about half an hour ago from a very helpful chap named Stewart who's coming out to see me tomorrow morning. His email signature states he is "Customer Service Coach, Scotland". He asked what I wanted done to resolve this and I told him I needed either
1) update the availability checker to show I can receive fibre from my current cabinet, or
2) connect to the nearer cabinet that my line runs past as this already shows I can get fibre from it, and that I would MUCH prefer this option if possible, and that he would forever be my hero if he could do this.

Well... providing it's possible, that's exactly what he's going to do for me tomorrow!! the only thing that may stop it is something to do with the DP. If I'm on the same DP as my neighbouring property who's already on the nearer cabinet, it shouldn't be a problem. If I'm on a different DP he needs to check the capacity of the DP. He said it may also mean I lose my fibre for a while as I'm with Talktalk, though I don't quite understand the ins and outs of that and why they couldn't just switch it over as there's capacity in the cabinet.

This would increase my attainable rate from around 52/7 to roughly 70/15 (going by my neighbours speedtest). It would also be a switch from an ECI to a Huawei. Wish me luck!

[burakkucat]

Strange things have happened previously, so . . . Good luck and please keep us updated with developments. 

[Black Sheep]

Hmmm, I fear this may be setting a precedent akin to a can-of-worms, if the CSC moves you to the nearer Cab ??
I can't help but wonder if Clive's involvement was intended to ensure the checker was re-aligned, in that it shows the true Cab you are connected to ??

To expand on a couple of things, a CSC is from the engineering work-force. They carry the next grade up from the rest of the engineers. In my experience, half are good at what they do, half don't deserve the grade. I hope you get the former, obviously.

The DP. If you are on the same DP as your neighbour, you must be going to the same Cab as their circuit is ?? There are only two scenarios that would make this otherwise .............. 1) There are two separate underground feed cables serving the DP, fed from two different Cabs .... 2) Your 'pair' from the DP is connected via an underground 'strap' cable to a totally different feed cable coming from another Cab, to that of your neighbours.
I have never come across either scenarios in my 30yrs at OR, but it doesn't mean it can't happen ??

Should you be relocated to the new Cab, it's more than just a simple 'switch over', the whole virtual build of the circuit would need to be re-done. There is also the downtime involved in erecting and running new cabling from the new DP should the CSC opt for this route, if capacity allows

Good luck with whatever happens.

[NewtronStar]

This would increase my attainable rate from around 52/7 to roughly 70/15 (going by my neighbours speedtest). It would also be a switch from an ECI to a Huawei. Wish me luck!

I always thought the POTS (PCP) cabinet your connected to was set in stone and any change required would come as a large cost to the end-user

[j0hn]

thanks for clarifying that a bit Black Sheep. He said my situation is very odd. My entire street is new, built 4 years ago. The 1st half of the street is connected to the nearer cabinet, and my half of the street, built in a separate phase a few weeks behind, runs right past the nearest cabinet to the next cabinet further up the road. so he said my line runs down the exact same underground duct as my neighbours, but goes straight past the nearer cabinet. both the CSC I spoke to last night, and 2 engineers I've had at the house previously, don't know why they didn't connect us to the nearest PCP, as it isn't full. I don't know how this effects the DP used, I don't quite understand this part. He did tell me he couldn't promise anything till he physically checks the line tomorrow, but if it's at all possible he would do it. The DP being the important part that could prevent a change.

Does this scenario make more sense? The guy I spoke to tonight was brilliant, very straight forward, seemed keen to help. I'll be happy whatever comes out of it.

The job was initially passed to him to confirm I'm on the further cabinet, and he initially said he thinks I'm mistaken. but when I told him I can see from the modem I'm on an ECI cabinet and the other cabinet is Huawei, that was enough to convince him. I was actually on the phone to the guy for about half an hour. He picked up on my limited technical knowledge, and he ran with it, going way over my head talking about the DP etc. he had no intention of changing my cabinet I think. I strongly hinted that would be preferred option of mine, that it would give me retransmittion, put me in range of a cabinet for G-Fast, and most important to me it would give me the speeds I was quoted, as it's lower because I was quoted from the nearer cabinet.

[Ronski]

Good luck John,  you never know they might fix all the properties affected in your street.

[Black Sheep]

I always thought the POTS (PCP) cabinet your connected to was set in stone and any change required would come as a large cost to the end-user

A good point from NS. IF the CSC rehashes the circuit to be fed from the Huwaei Cab, not only will you probably have days/week to wait for the new FTTC port to be made active, he/she will also have to move your dial-tone to the new Cab.

For info purposes, this isn't costly at all, just the engineers time involved which would be approximately 1hr or so.

I'm actually looking forward to the outcome of this. I hope the CSC explains the happenings in a manner such as a layman would understand. so you can re-report back here, J0hn ??. If you wouldn't mind that is ??     

[ktz392837]

Good luck John,  you never know they might fix all the properties.

Yes please I am on an ECI cab and would prefer a Huawei. 

Not annoyed at all that after watching the ECI cab be installed then waiting over 3 years for it to be given power I am stuck with it.

[j0hn]

A good point from NS. IF the CSC rehashes the circuit to be fed from the Huwaei Cab, not only will you probably have days/week to wait for the new FTTC port to be made active, he/she will also have to move your dial-tone to the new Cab.

For info purposes, this isn't costly at all, just the engineers time involved which would be approximately 1hr or so.

I'm actually looking forward to the outcome of this. I hope the CSC explains the happenings in a manner such as a layman would understand. so you can re-report back here, J0hn ??. If you wouldn't mind that is ?? 

He spent from about 8am here, and finished about noon. He just spent about half an hour trying to explain it all to me. He had mentioned if he was able to change my cabinet I would have NO internet for a while, possibly no phone. I'd already said I was happy with that. Worth it in my opinion.

Well, seems you were right Black Sheep, to a point. My new street is a dead straight line, with 73 homes on my side. The ducting runs right up to 73, but as I said earlier it was kind of staggered in a couple of phases. Well OpenReach apparently weren't told that, or whoever put the lines in (according to Stewart the CSC) was having a very blonde day and didn't put in anywhere near enough lines. When Openreach came back to do the last few properties, they fed us down the same ducting in the opposite direction. They have fed our lines up the new ducting to the end of the street, then back down the other side. Standing at my door he explained "You and your neighbours line goes that way (away from both cabinets), everyone else on the nearer cab goes that way. It's madness." Apparently we're on a different DLI, whatever that is. So there's not a single E-side cable spare from the nearer cabinet, or he would have hooked me up to it and had the database updated for my neighbours. He left me my circuit ID as he says that will be updated on the checker before the address checker is updated. He ran some tests on my line for the purposes of giving estimates on the checker, as I'm the only person in my street on that cabinet.

The cabinet I've been connected to is the most populated cabinet on the entire exchange, serving over 900 properties. The nearer cabinet only server around 300. He said they might be back to do some network rearranging, as there's a new development being built nearby. I'm not to hold my breath though. He then went on to talk about boundaries, and rules that exist at the moment that prohibit certain changes. He went on to mention that there's something going through the scottish parliament to try have this changed, again over my head. The guy couldn't have been any nicer really. He spent half the day opening manhole covers in the street trying to follow my line. Said in over 25 years he's never seen such a mess on a new build. He's traced it all the way back to the cabinet, and updated the routing. oh well, still mission accomplished. As I started this I could never switch ISP, and my poor neighbours had 2mb ADSL while I have an attainable of 52mb. They'll be happy when I fill them in.... not. My cabinet is full again, and that's all the line cards filled.

[Ronski]

At least things shoukd be updated for all involved and hopefully they'll be back to rearrange the network when it suits them, at least you've got a reasonable speed.

[j0hn]

the checker is already updated for the entire street, my current attainable being the high clean quotes. probably shot myself in the foot with crosstalk lol

[Black Sheep]

Thanks for the update, J0hn, appreciate it ....... although not the outcome you possibly wanted.

Again, just to clarify a couple of points ....... DLI = Direct Line In ...... nothing special, it just our way of saying the circuit is underground fed as opposed to overhead.

Regarding the 'boundaries on making changes to network infrastructure' (or words to that effect). As you will have read in my original reply to you, right at the very beginning I mentioned about 'setting a precedent', and sounding nervous about it ??.
We engineers are told in no uncertain terms, we ARE NOT to re-arrange the external network to try and give EU 'A' an improved service, as we are likely then to be confronted by EU 'B', then EU 'C' and so on, to have their own circuits improved.

Broadband is based on legacy infrastructure and the way your circuit was 'fed' before Broadband, will be the way it remains 'fed' after having Broadband activated. We have had instances where engineers have moved an EU's line to poles fed from another County as the EU's premises was on the border. It was this event that was the catalyst to halting such practises.

Please don't shoot the messenger, I'm just relaying the info as we are given it. There will always be winners and losers I'm afraid. 



 

[j0hn]

I'm happy with my outcome. I'm probably now a few peoples favourite neighbour lol. Have tried over and over to get the database updated with no success. I've had so many different replies from the general OpenReach enquires email including;
1) the database can't be updated
2) you must be mistaken, you can't have fibre (lol what)
3) didn't read my email at all, and replied with the default "we are continuously investing in our network, please keep checking fibre may come to your area soon"
and 4) just wait, after 1 year it automatically updates the database (pure lie).

the lovely lady at DSO/Customer resolution assures me they have created a new form for the enquires team to complete when someone raises this issue again. the CEO must be getting fed up with all the emails lol.

random question Black Sheep. I just checked the road works map and OpenReach are doing heavy impact works at my cabinet next week. Hopefully a new cabinet. Can they place a Huawei next to an ECI? all the new cabinets I see being fitted are Huawei, but I'm not sure if that's just because they are BDUK. The original run of cabinets were all ECI.

[Ronski]

Doesn't seem like much has changed in the last four years regarding these types of problems, hopefully this new form will bring about changes.

PS. Am I your favourite forum member for making the suggestion 

[j0hn]

Doesn't seem like much has changed in the last four years regarding these types of problems, hopefully this new form will bring about changes.

PS. Am I your favourite forum member for making the suggestion 

lol yes! very surprised how quick things moved. also amazed that the checker updated within half an hour of the engineer leaving. going to try upgrade to 80/20 now as I couldn't before. well, I was worried about trying as they would check the capacity of the wrong cabinet, and mine is constantly switching between full/waiters list/accepting order.

will switching from 40/2 to 80/20 on the same ISP trigger a dlm reset?