Perhaps this article is only make-believe but if indeed Openreach are contemplating ECI replacements I shudder to think of the downtime and costs for what would be very little gain.
Surely true symmetric FTTH as a new-build would be a better option ?
Walter I read things like that all the time and in part I'm in agreement.
Full fibre can't be the only answer though.
If we all had to wait on FTTP then there's millions who are benefiting from FTTC now who would have had to wait over a decade for it while struggle in their 1-2Mb ADSL.
I'd much rather have my 44Mb FTTC than the 3Mb ADSL I had before.
I would have had years and years to wait for FTTP and that time is right through my child's primary/secondary education when decent home internet is essential.
It could take years to replace all the ECI cabinets with FTTP.
In the meantime they keep breaking down.
ECI kit is less reliable, more fault call outs, parts become more expensive, harder to source.
Someone has done the numbers and it's cheaper over a period to rip it out and replace it with cheaper, reliable, easy to source Huawei kit.
Any down time is overnight only. It's coordinated well in advance with ISP's so any customers with SLA's can have alternative backups put in place.
Many will be over built with FTTP and the DSLAM retired instead of replaced with a Huawei DSLAM.
The cost of maintaining these ECI DSLAM's may simply be too expensive that they can't wait years for FTTP for every single 1.
We're all FTTP fans, but it can't be the only show in town.