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[displaced]

Got a surprising letter in the post from Netomnia saying they are about to start building their fibre network here in Gravesend!

Given we’re in Openreach’s “between now and 2026” bracket, I really wasn’t expecting anything so soon.

YouFibre’s pricing is pretty decent too, with a significant speed boost to 150Mbit for the same price(ish) as I pay for 54/10 on Vodafone FTTC.

I’m wondering though… would we eventually end up with multiple physical fibre networks once OR roll out theirs?  Or does Netomnia’s network count as OR’s?  And presumably networks such as Netomnia’s are using kit which is identical or at least compatible with OR’s?

I fear a patchwork of different networks whose differing capabilities come back to bite years down the line.  I lived through the consolidation of Nynex/C&W/NTL/Virgin, where various services took years and years to deploy to some areas due to sub-par networks being installed right back at the beginning.

[Reformed]

Multiple networks, displaced.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I fear a patchwork of different networks whose differing capabilities come back to bite years down the line.  I lived through the consolidation of Nynex/C&W/NTL/Virgin, where various services took years and years to deploy to some areas due to sub-par networks being installed right back at the beginning.

They're almost all based on the same technology, its actually a good thing as quite a few of the alt-nets are offering symmetrical speeds wheras Openreach have no plans for that.

Yes if you want to move over its a little frustrating you'd have to pay a new installation fee and have another fibre ran to the house, but its a small price to pay for healthy competition.

[displaced]

Thanks all!

Well, things are moving fast!  I got a call from YouFibre just now and they’ve offered up to £180 credit to offset my early termination fee with Vodafone, plus a discounted deal on 500Mbit for £25 per month.  And that’s a symmetrical — 500Mbit upload

They’re estimating mid-April for the installation, which is an awful lot sooner than I’d imagined.  Now I’m frantically googling to find out more about the technicals of YouFibre.

Quite excited to have gone from “sometime in the next 4 years” to “a couple of months”.

[Reformed]

Mark07 is the man to help with this. I know outlines but not details.

[displaced]

Thanks, Reformed!

Had a chat with YouFibre today.  They said the installation would follow the same route as the current copper, assuming there was ‘space on the pole’.

I’m a little concerned because my copper line exits the front of the house at hip-height, runs up to the eaves, then all the way across the road to a pole on the other side.  And that pole serves about eight houses in total, as well as another pole that’s on my side of the street (and much closer).

I’m sure they’ll figure it out somehow.  Roll on April!

[Mark07]

Thanks, Reformed!

Had a chat with YouFibre today.  They said the installation would follow the same route as the current copper, assuming there was ‘space on the pole’.

I’m a little concerned because my copper line exits the front of the house at hip-height, runs up to the eaves, then all the way across the road to a pole on the other side.  And that pole serves about eight houses in total, as well as another pole that’s on my side of the street (and much closer).

I’m sure they’ll figure it out somehow.  Roll on April!

If your current copper line is ran overhead then so will your fibre line, they'll install it to wherever you want (within reason) on your house so if you want the entry upstairs or downstairs it's up to you

[jelv]

Given we’re in Openreach’s “between now and 2026” bracket, ...

I wonder if that will change now an alt-net is building?

[Weaver]

I presume that BT doesn’t want to offer symmetric connections to everyone, so that they can keep making sure that businesses buy the much more expensive dedicated line products.

[Reformed]

Pretty much.

[displaced]

I wonder if that will change now an alt-net is building?

Perhaps so!  Although Gravesend only just popped up on OR’s plans in the latest update.  Reckon they must’ve known Netomnia were planning a build at that point.

[Alex Atkin UK]

I presume that BT doesn’t want to offer symmetric connections to everyone, so that they can keep making sure that businesses buy the much more expensive dedicated line products.

No doubt, but its a different world now, its not only businesses who upload a lot and not providing symmetric is a huge barrier to people using off-site backups, which ideally everyone should be doing.

[displaced]

Well, something’s afoot!

An unmarked flat-bed truck arrived, unfortunately blocking my view of the pole.  But something was done — the pole’s sprouted a shallow box at the top, just below where the overhead wires meet the pole.  And there’s a thick black cable now running down the pole and into the ground, along with a blue rope tied around the bottom.

If this *is* FTTP-related, there’s a lot less fuss than I was expecting!

[Mark07]

Well, something’s afoot!

An unmarked flat-bed truck arrived, unfortunately blocking my view of the pole.  But something was done — the pole’s sprouted a shallow box at the top, just below where the overhead wires meet the pole.  And there’s a thick black cable now running down the pole and into the ground, along with a blue rope tied around the bottom.

If this *is* FTTP-related, there’s a lot less fuss than I was expecting!

Wonders of PIA

[displaced]

It’s happening!

A whole bunch of Netomnia roadworks have popped up for this week on one.network just around the corner.  Seems to be a lot of Openreach activity too, although that might be unrelated to FTTP. 

(although it’d be amusing if, given a window of “the next four years”, OR happened to roll out FTTP at the same time as Netomnia!)

Oh, and on closer investigation, that box I mentioned on the telegraph pole looks like a copper DP.  Might well have been there all along and I’ve only just noticed it.  Maybe the guy had been up there just to do a bit of a reccie?  Who knows!)