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[Bowdon]

This is probably a basic question. But having noticed a lot of OR activity around the area in the last few days I wondered how the FTTP network is connected.

The houses in my area are on poles. In my situation there is a main road then there are 3 roads that make a D shape. Where the vertical line is would be the main road. I'm at the bottom left of the D, where as OR at at the top left. All around the D is poles.

So my question is, does fibre lines go from pole to pole, or do they travel underground then come up at the next pole? i.e. is there fibre cables blowing in the wind, like the copper lines do?

[broadstairs]

When they connected our road they went through the ducts and came up at the pole for all of us connected via poles, where there is a slave pole as in our case opposite the fibre is run from the master pole overhead to the slave pole, new builds next door are fed via a builder installed duct from the chamber which is at the base of our pole.

Stuart

[RealAleMadrid]

In my area there are FTTP services to rural locations running for long distances (miles) along poles. It is very common as it the cheapest way to get fibre to remote areas. At one place the existing copper cables have fallen from the pole and run at ground level at the edge of a field, but there is fibre still up on the pole blowing in the wind.

[Reformed]

Both, depending on the circumstances. Fibre can go between distribution poles, can go over carrier poles (no customer drops), or can use ducts in between the poles.

All about feasibility: can the poles hold it and are the spans between them acceptable, is there duct ready to go.

CityFibre occasionally use poles to get to other poles but on many routes will build their own conduit and use that to feed fibre to Openreach poles.

A fair amount of the time there's duct to most poles, the poles being there to save on customer drops rather than digging of the carrier network.

[Black Sheep]

The remit is to follow the existing copper infrastructure as closely as possible, when installing the new fibre cables.

Of course, there are grey area's whereby cost, traffic disruption etc .... will see an alternative solution be used, where possible.

This (for example) may be 2 x telegraph poles both fed via underground (UG) ducts on the existing copper cable. If one of those ducts has many blockages, or requires a full overlay (new duct) for its entire length, then an obvious option would be to see if the fibre cable could be strung overhead between the 2 x poles ?? This would take the cost down from thousands of pounds to almost nothing.

New policies are being put in place on a regular basis to aid OR with this. A quick example would be that the maximum span length between poles has always been 68mtrs, but because fibre is less weight OR can now put spans up (pole to pole) at 85mtrs in length, on the proviso it doesn't cross a carriageway.

As reformed has pointed out, if the spans are still to large, then an additional carrier pole can be stood to overcome this situation. 

[Bowdon]

Thanks for the information guys 

Ok I've been driving around the D area and noticed two things so far.

OR have put CBT's along all the poles down the main road (the vertical line of the D figure). None have been put on any of the poles of the roads that branch off, even though there as been a lot of OR vehicles driving around the D loop.

I've also noticed that the poles carrying the copper lines don't connect to each other in the air. Also each pole on the 3 main roads, and a cabinet, all have one of those square lids that can be opened next to them.

So at the moment I'm not sure if they will take the fibre around the road loop, or there is a pole opposite my road that could reach my house, its about 37 metres from my house.

I guess I'll have to keep watching my pole (I'm 42 metres from my current pole). If they decide to use the other pole I'm not sure how I'll know when to order, other than just keep checking the checkers. I did sign up for OR notifications, hopefully that sends an email when I can order?

[gt94sss2]

I've also noticed that the poles carrying the copper lines don't connect to each other in the air. Also each pole on the 3 main roads, and a cabinet, all have one of those square lids that can be opened next to them.

This means you have ducting between your poles. Almost guaranteed that OR will use your current pole for FTTP especially as I assume it serves other customers as well.

The best way to know when FTTP is available to order is to keep an eye on the BTW DSL checker. Once FTTP has been physically installed at the pole, it doesn't necessarily mean that it will be immediately ready for orders.

[Alex Atkin UK]

Still waiting to see how mine gets done as its a pole without junction box underneath.  I THINK its ducted, at least under the road (there is an access box the other side of the road and I've seen inside it), but the fact we've suddenly become a bus route is going to make the job that bit more awkward if it isn't.

[craigski]

Sign up on roadworks.org/onenetwork for a free account, you can set a boundary and get email alerts of any roadworks within that area:

Also, keep an eye out for markings on or near poles, that @Black Sheep helped identify.

https://forum.kitz.co.uk/index.php/topic,26217.0.html

My experience the planning/surveying/civils took the longest, once the ducts where cleared/dug/roped the cabling was quite quick, the CBTs just seem to appear over a couple of weeks.

FWIW - I didn't get an email from OR. I got email from my existing FTTC ISP offering an upgrade to FTTP *after* I had a live FTTP connection with new ISP (about 3 weeks from ordering) . My advice as soon as you see the CBT keep checking your postcode daily on the ISP ordering pages.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I've been signed up for years, feels like centuries at this point.   

[Bowdon]

I've been on the roadworks site for a few years. I've noticed that further down the main road in mid March they must be digging as there is a job with a traffic management symbol too.

There was a big OR van at the end of my road today (near the main road, not the other end where my pole is). I'm not sure what he was doing though.

There must be a lot more underground ducting system than I thought because there are a couple of cul de sacs that have a pole with no ground door near it (I'm not sure what the technical OR term is for them).

[burakkucat]

. . . there are a couple of cul de sacs that have a pole with no ground door near it (I'm not sure what the technical OR term is for them).

I'll suggest "joint box", as in "footway joint box" or "carriageway joint box" (in pavement or road, respectively).

[Alex Atkin UK]

I'll suggest "joint box", as in "footway joint box" or "carriageway joint box" (in pavement or road, respectively).

As I did electrical installation, "junction box" always comes to me first, essentially the same thing just not what Openreach refer to them as.

[Bowdon]

I know the consensus view in the community is to take with a pinch of salt what an OR (or any other) engineer says when rollouts are mentioned.

But I happened to be nearby an OR engineer near the shops where they had been working.

I asked him about the rollouts and if they would be coming on to the side roads at some point. He said that the plan is to go down the main road first and then come back in a second wave. He said he doesn't know the time period, only that the whole town is scheduled to be done by the end of the year.

I know he's probably right about continuing down the main road as I can see the traffic light application in mid march, which is further down the road. But I'll watch carefully on the other things rather than holding my breath  I live in cautious hope.

[Black Sheep]

'The main road' is extremely likely to be the spine ........ the side streets will be provisioned from this same spine.