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[Bowdon]

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

One thing I've been observing generally is how fast OR are creating and extending the network. It's going at a good pace.

[Alex Atkin UK]

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

Its curious what they seem to be doing here.  They seem to work on the spine, do the side streets, then extend the spine again.  Though that's just from looking at roadworks.

I suspect its because the spine follows the bus route so they are avoiding obstructing it for long periods of time.

They've had jobs right up to my aggregation node then moved on to doing the side roads before it.  Makes sense, but makes me  waiting.

Three 5G is great for downloads, but I've had to stop load balancing my normal usage as both Vodafone and Three are insanely wobbly causing pages to timeout some days.  I don't know how anyone is able to use mobile broadband as their only connection.

[Bowdon]

I think there was a slight up date today.

I noticed a vehicle on the corner near my pole on the other connecting road. I could only see the back of it. I think it said Highway Maintenance. It hadn't drove past my house so must have been following the route around the D.

So there were 2 guys who got out of the vehicle. One had opened up the grid near the bottom of the pole, while the other guy I noticed was walking with a cable, that was on a spool near the pole, first down the opposite side the road to me. Then he walked back to the spool, and walked down my side of the road. It was like he was measuring how much cable it would need to reach the furthest houses.

I couldn't see what the guy was doing in the opened grid. But after a short while they both got in the vehicle and drove off. The guy walking around with the cables was in a hi-vis vest but it didn't have any logos or company names on.

[burakkucat]

I predict that the fitting of a CBT is (or has) taking (taken) place at that pole.

[Black Sheep]

Its curious what they seem to be doing here.  They seem to work on the spine, do the side streets, then extend the spine again.  Though that's just from looking at roadworks.

I suspect its because the spine follows the bus route so they are avoiding obstructing it for long periods of time.

Purely for info, there could be any number of spine cables on the Exchange build, and while a high percentage follow main routes, some can and do take strange paths. Plus, OR will use existing spares in their existing spine cables as well - so it simply boils down to capacity when planning.

To ensure a 'Build' runs as near to the glide path set, the optimum way is to build out from the Exchange say on Spine 1, until it reaches the first AGG location. Meanwhile the other guys will have been building the separate PON's addressed to that AGG, so that as soon as the AGG node is created, they can splice through and light the PON's.

Then, continue ad infinitum,  with the spine lads continuing on their way to the AGG 2 location, whilst the associated PON's for this are being built.

Of course, it never runs quite that smoothly when working with civils and the many strange and varied highway authorities, who all have their own 'take' on requirements. There's also been Head End equipment shortages as a result of the pandemic, so you may see gangs building PON's 'dark' and wondering what the hell has happened when you don't get the nod to say FTTP is available ?? Of course, the PON's are 'Proved' by using a virtual light source, so once the HE is installed, the magic happens quite quickly.

I think most folk will have a modicum of understanding, around the thousands of issue faced when trying to provide a brand new national infrastructure  - never mind all the background stuff that nobody ever sees - it really is colossal and TBH, makes being involved in it extremely interesting.
Alas, there will also be those who think they could roll the FTTP programmes out far quicker and easier - but they tend to be keyboard warriors who have probably never done a seconds work, within the Telecoms industry. 

Nice to see Bowdon's comment about it moving at pace though. It is indeed.

[Alex Atkin UK]

The silicon shortage is the gift that keeps on giving, or not is perhaps the most accurate way of looking at it.

[aesmith]

Supposing, hypothetically, that Openreach did in fact provision FTTP to us.  How would they deal with a long underground lead in?  Our current route is a main underground multipair along the public road, then a pole which is designated as our DP, another pole our side of the road, then finally around 900m of five pair underground feeding the three houses. Would they replace the underground route with poles and overhead? 

[Black Sheep]

This is a common issue in our rural FTTP programme and (as always), every situation is bespoke in nature, to that particular area.

Firstly, the 900mtr distance from the copper DP to your premises, is way beyond the 350mtr maximum SST tail allowed. So the 4-port CBT required to feed the 3 premises, would have to be located at the far end.

The synthetics for supplying the new fibre cable underground, could potentially attract a 'high cost' marker against this CBT and it could potentially be removed from the PON build, in the first instance. If the rest of the Exchange area PON builds are coming in under budget, the high cost omissions will be looked at again, approximately 50-60% of the way into the programme.

However, assuming wayleaves/permission to dig/poling notices are all good to go, erecting new carrier poles could indeed be an option.

[aesmith]

Thanks. In my case we're part of the Scottish R100 program so at least in part funded by the government. That might mean that different commercial constraints apply. To be honest I will remain sceptical until a connection is actually offered, even though local authority "Digital Engagement" team has assured us that our specific address will be served. I have my suspicions that all they are really looking at is when the exchange area will upgraded.

[Black Sheep]

Thanks. In my case we're part of the Scottish R100 program so at least in part funded by the government. That might mean that different commercial constraints apply. To be honest I will remain sceptical until a connection is actually offered, even though local authority "Digital Engagement" team has assured us that our specific address will be served. I have my suspicions that all they are really looking at is when the exchange area will upgraded.

No problem at all.

The current, and future rural programmes (Final 20% & Final 10%) are also part funded by the government. The funding is likely to be higher for the 10% programme with the logistics being much greater.

Like I mentioned though, 900mtrs of 'Beyond DP cabling' isn't a biggie, we deal with this often in the 20% FTTP roll out .... so try and maintain a glass half-full approach, pal. 

[aesmith]

Like I mentioned though, 900mtrs of 'Beyond DP cabling' isn't a biggie, we deal with this often in the 20% FTTP roll out .... so try and maintain a glass half-full approach, pal. 

Thanks, glass half full it is. To be honest the LTE that we have at the moment does everything I need just now so we're not really suffering while waiting.

[Weaver]

aesmith, black sheep - feeling likewise here. Will try and follow black sheep’s advice.

[Bowdon]

I thought I'd write a short update to say that so far nothing as happened at the pole since my last post. I don't think there is a CBT on it as looking at pictures online of what they look like I don't see anything like that on this pole. Alternatively on the other poles going down the main road and most of the other poles around the wider area have CBT's on them.

It is difficult to describe the layout of the roads other than to say there is a smaller D and then a bigger D (with the same vertical line as the main road). The bigger D as been done with all offshoot roads done. But the smaller D so far hasn't.

I worked out that Bourne Road (top of the small D) doesn't have its own pole. It seems to be fed by one on the main road which has a CBT on. Meanwhile Medway Road (curved side of the small D) and Avon Road (bottom of the small D) have poles and neither have CBT's on them.

I find the situation confusing as I've seen the actions I described in my previous post of people working at the grid near my pole, as well as people walking a length of cable down both sides of the road. There is also OR vans that regularly drive around this small D area.

For the couple of weeks according to roadworks OR have jobs across the other side of the town. They are supposed to come back to the main road here on the 23rd of March which requires traffic lights. I'm hoping that they will have added CBT's to the poles by then or it's not looking good. Neither pole has any markings on them.

I kept holding off writing a post because I thought they would have come back and done the poles. But with them now doing jobs on the other side of town it feels like this area as been left out, so far.

[Black Sheep]

I thought I'd write a short update to say that so far nothing as happened at the pole since my last post. I don't think there is a CBT on it as looking at pictures online of what they look like I don't see anything like that on this pole. Alternatively on the other poles going down the main road and most of the other poles around the wider area have CBT's on them.

It is difficult to describe the layout of the roads other than to say there is a smaller D and then a bigger D (with the same vertical line as the main road). The bigger D as been done with all offshoot roads done. But the smaller D so far hasn't.

I worked out that Bourne Road (top of the small D) doesn't have its own pole. It seems to be fed by one on the main road which has a CBT on. Meanwhile Medway Road (curved side of the small D) and Avon Road (bottom of the small D) have poles and neither have CBT's on them.

I find the situation confusing as I've seen the actions I described in my previous post of people working at the grid near my pole, as well as people walking a length of cable down both sides of the road. There is also OR vans that regularly drive around this small D area.

For the couple of weeks according to roadworks OR have jobs across the other side of the town. They are supposed to come back to the main road here on the 23rd of March which requires traffic lights. I'm hoping that they will have added CBT's to the poles by then or it's not looking good. Neither pole has any markings on them.

I kept holding off writing a post because I thought they would have come back and done the poles. But with them now doing jobs on the other side of town it feels like this area as been left out, so far.

It's easier to say where you are - roughly ??. I can see the area you talk about and the roads you mention are split acroos a couple of different PON's. There's also new carrier poles to be stood to carry the overhead wires to and from other poles to the premises. These poles can miss being marked up as CP1 (Carrier Pole 1), CP2 etc etc .....

[Bowdon]

I noticed after I posted and went out for another walk down those roads that now all the other poles have a CBT on them. So only my pole is left.

Though there is a yellow tape around the pole (as there is on a couple of the other poles).

I've not seen mention on the forums of the significance of a yellow tape before.

I'm thinking that the pole maybe in line for the CBT.

I'll be able to have another look tomorrow afternoon as I've got another hospital appointment and make sure I drive around the area on my way home.. I feel like a bird watcher but looking for updates on poles 

I told my Mum I was keeping an eye on the poles and she replied.. "What have the Polish done to you?"