Kitz ADSL Broadband Information
adsl spacer  
Support this site
Home Broadband ISPs Tech Routers Wiki Forum
 
     
   Compare ISP   Rate your ISP
   Glossary   Glossary
 
Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Author Topic: FTTP on Demand question  (Read 1932 times)

Ixel

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1282
FTTP on Demand question
« on: February 12, 2018, 05:43:26 PM »

Hi all,
I was wondering if someone here can clarify something that's on my mind.

I'm going to be moving house soon, unfortunately actual FTTP is on a cabinet around the corner from the house (approx 200 meters away) while the house is connected to a cabinet over 400 meters away which doesn't have FTTP (only FTTPoD). My question is this... would the survey be based on the nearest aggregation node regardless of the cabinet the house is connected to or would they use the nearest aggregation node of the cabinet the house is connected to? Hope that makes sense and I assume it's the former. Obviously nobody knows what the installation costs are likely to be with the new FTTPoD offering yet but if it's based on the nearest aggregation node, which might just be around the corner from the house, perhaps the installation cost won't be too high.
Logged

burakkucat

  • Respected
  • Senior Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 38300
  • Over the Rainbow Bridge
    • The ELRepo Project
Re: FTTP on Demand question
« Reply #1 on: February 12, 2018, 06:31:09 PM »

To the best of my knowledge, the estimate is based on the distance between the location where the service is required and the nearest aggregation node.

An aggregation node serves many cabinets; there is not a one-to-one relationship. So in the case of your new home, both cabinets are probably served by the same aggregation node. (I have typed probably, as there will always be "corner cases".)
« Last Edit: February 12, 2018, 08:59:43 PM by burakkucat »
Logged
:cat:  100% Linux and, previously, Unix. Co-founder of the ELRepo Project.

Please consider making a donation to support the running of this site.

KingJ

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 44
  • ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    • Miscellaneous Knowledge
Re: FTTP on Demand question
« Reply #2 on: February 12, 2018, 06:49:34 PM »

The good news is at least now the initial 'desk survey' quotation for FTTP is free. There's a lot of rumor and conjecture floating around at the moment given that as far as i've seen no one has had the initial desk survey quotation back yet on the new system. However, it sounds like initial build costs will be higher to offset the lower ongoing pricing and contract lengths of the service itself.

Information on where exactly the aggregation nodes isn't exactly public knowledge, again it's rumour and conjecture but i've seen it suggested that they may be likely to be located in places where there's two or three of the BTOR manhole covers in a row. I don't know if you're able to have a poke around on Street View and see what size the manhole covers are like near those cabinets you've identified, that may at least help you have a guess where there aggregation node possibly is and thus what the distance may be. Edit: Not necessarily correct.

Ultimately though, given the initial desk survey is now free you might as well request a quotation for build costs to your new property which will give you a much more exact figure than guesstimating on the line length from a possible aggregation node  :)

I personally have requested a desk survey quote, back before I was able to get my line in a healthier state with the help of folks here and as an exercise in curiosity as to what even faster broadband might set me back (if the costs come back not too bad, I think even with a good FTTC line I might be quite tempted!). Given the lack of information out there at the moment I was planning on sharing what the quote came back with to help others here to help folks get an idea of what things are roughly like under the new scheme. It was just over a week ago that I put the quote in, so hopefully i'll hear back sometime this week.
« Last Edit: February 13, 2018, 09:11:00 AM by KingJ »
Logged

Ixel

  • Kitizen
  • ****
  • Posts: 1282
Re: FTTP on Demand question
« Reply #3 on: February 13, 2018, 01:22:48 AM »

The good news is at least now the initial 'desk survey' quotation for FTTP is free. There's a lot of rumor and conjecture floating around at the moment given that as far as i've seen no one has had the initial desk survey quotation back yet on the new system. However, it sounds like initial build costs will be higher to offset the lower ongoing pricing and contract lengths of the service itself.

Information on where exactly the aggregation nodes isn't exactly public knowledge, again it's rumor and conjecture but i've seen it suggested that they may be likely to be located in places where there's two or three of the BTOR manhole covers in a row. I don't know if you're able to have a poke around on Street View and see what size the manhole covers are like near those cabinets you've identified, that may at least help you have a guess where there aggregation node possibly is and thus what the distance may be.

Ultimately though, given the initial desk survey is now free you might as well request a quotation for build costs to your new property which will give you a much more exact figure than guesstimating on the line length from a possible aggregation node  :)

I personally have requested a desk survey quote, back before I was able to get my line in a healthier state with the help of folks here and as an exercise in curiosity as to what even faster broadband might set me back (if the costs come back not too bad, I think even with a good FTTC line I might be quite tempted!). Given the lack of information out there at the moment I was planning on sharing what the quote came back with to help others here to help folks get an idea of what things are roughly like under the new scheme. It was just over a week ago that I put the quote in, so hopefully i'll hear back sometime this week.

EDIT: I've found the FTTP supported PCP cabinet, it's not the same place sadly. It's about 350 meters away and there's a 3 in a row manhole cover near the PCP cabinet. Still, maybe it's worth me asking for a desk survey to be done just to see what I may be potentially be charged?

Original: I see, I assume a desk survey would just be something done over the phone or email for an estimate whereas the proper survey I imagine is where someone from Openreach would actually take a look and then provide the actual quote?

Regarding the 2 or 3 in a row manhole cover, there is a 2 in a row on the opposite side of the road. There's also a 3 in a row on the corner, possibly 50 meters or so away from the house. There's another 2 in row further down the road not far from the cabinet which has native FTTP. Finally another 3 in a row by the cabinet which I thought had native FTTP, though interestingly I've noticed there's an FTTC cabinet there. Perhaps it's not the cabinet I'm thinking of that has native FTTP? I looked at one of the addresses for a shop opposite the cabinet. Sadly I can't see a number clearly on the cabinet to compare it to the shop I looked up.

https://imgur.com/a/96vak
« Last Edit: February 13, 2018, 01:40:19 AM by Ixel »
Logged

Ronski

  • Helpful
  • Kitizen
  • *
  • Posts: 4300
Re: FTTP on Demand question
« Reply #4 on: February 13, 2018, 06:12:37 AM »

There are loads of 2 & 3 cover man holes, they won't all have aggregation nodes in them, so it's simply not worth looking for them. I saw an engineers comment the other day saying this.
Logged
Formerly restrained by ECI and ali,  now surfing along at 390/36  ;D

KingJ

  • Member
  • **
  • Posts: 44
  • ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
    • Miscellaneous Knowledge
Re: FTTP on Demand question
« Reply #5 on: February 13, 2018, 09:19:04 AM »

EDIT: I've found the FTTP supported PCP cabinet, it's not the same place sadly. It's about 350 meters away and there's a 3 in a row manhole cover near the PCP cabinet. Still, maybe it's worth me asking for a desk survey to be done just to see what I may be potentially be charged?

Original: I see, I assume a desk survey would just be something done over the phone or email for an estimate whereas the proper survey I imagine is where someone from Openreach would actually take a look and then provide the actual quote?

From what I understand, the desk survey is purely done by looking at infrastructure plans - i.e. seeing the distance from the aggregation node and if there's any known issues in the area that might increase construction charges. Once that survey comes back, you can then commission a full design and build survey at a cost of £245.14. Presumably this actually includes someone from Openreach coming out and physically checking things between the aggregation node and you that they might not have known about from the desk survey - such as blocked ducts etc. From that, you should get a precise quote that takes account of all the costs involved in building out FTTP to you.
Logged