Fibre Internet, how do I get it up a long private driveway?

tom 2000

BT Website says this
“
Great news
You can get a speed guarantee of 100Mb with our new Ultrafast Fibre Plus.”

george1976

Try and place an order?

tom 2000

Trying to. Computer said no and then said yes. They are checking it now. I am hoping this connection box is some sort of remote node that allows connection of copper to fibre.                                                                       

tom 2000

Not so straight forward. First point of contact said I could only get FTTC. I said the website was offering FTTP. I have FTTC and thought it unreliable. They put me through to someone else. They said I could have FTTP and full fibre at that, subject to survey. I said what about my long lane. They said lets try and see what Openreach say. They were offering Superfast. I said the website is offering Ultra fast. They suggested I contact Openreach directly and see just what can be done. I have a case opened with Openreach.

outoftheknow

They will say you can have any of the products they offer subject to survey I expect. The survey will confirm what appears to be the case, you don’t and can’t have fibre to the house. Unless the fibre provider decides to lay it for free.

Greg Hook

They won’t lay it in for free. I’d guess about £3-5K.

tom 2000

Quite possible and indeed likely. I really want to make direct contact with someone in technical that can speak with authority and perhaps Openreach might provide that.

tom 2000

I am hoping this sort of thing might be available.

~ Fibre to the Remote Node (FTTrN)

Fibre to the Remote Node (FTTrN) is similar to FTTC where the telco installs a small DSLAM near to several premises.  These small nodes can be located on a telephone pole or telco manholes. It is anticipated that BT may use this technology for rural areas or EOL (Exchange Only Lines) where it may be a cheaper option than installing a new FTTC cabinet.

outoftheknow

In the UK what you call FTTC (cabinet) is called FTTN (node) here in Australia. FTTrN sounds like what we call FTTC (Curb spelled incorrectly - they mean kerb) or probably even closer in meaning FTTdp (distribution point). In all cases you only care where the “F” (fibre) is in the technology in relation you your premises. If the “F” is 300 metres up your driveway, that is where it is for any technology to deliver it to the house.

FTTP means the fibre ends at your house and that is already unlikely to happen at best. All other (fixed line) technologies join your house to the fibre at a cabinet/node/remote node/distribution point/HFC cabinet using copper lines from the join to your house. Those things that join the two lines are placed at the end of the fibre near your house so best scenario is 300m away at the end of your drive. If that thing on the pole is 300 metres away and is the fibre in/copper out, then it is a node/remote node/ small cabinet/ distribution point, and that copper is what you will connect to the Internet with. The service provider can only provide a connection over that so presumably VDSL2 or similar, or DOCSIS of some flavour if the copper is coax (which it seems it isn’t).

VDSL2 has a top speed with say less than 250 metres of copper of 100/40 here in Oz. I believe the UK uses a slightly different version around 80 down but the point is the speed plummets compared to ADSL based on copper length.

As pointed out you shouldn’t be on a plan offering up to 80 down - your copper length clearly  can’t deliver that. 300metres in a straight line might not be the actual copper length to your house anyway.

To get a faster connection than the speeds you have now you have to make sure there are no faults in the copper, then if you want faster you need to add fibre length until it is closer than it is now to your house. As discussed already that will not simply happen by asking a service provider. Openreach provides the fibre and copper infrastructure and if they have decided you are connected as planned then that’s it.

Unless you can get a seperate infrastructure provider to connect you to their infrastructure, or Openreach has an avenue for you to pay for changes to the connection to your house. Greg’s estimate for fibre looks reasonable to me but only Openreach can tell you what they can do and how much it will be.

It all sounds pretty similar to the fiasco we have here with our National Broadband Network. Where you are connected by FTTP or less than 250-300 metres of copper, you can enjoy the fastest plans. If you are unlucky and the node (cabinet) is built 800 metres copper length  away, you get massively reduced speeds. We call it node lotto.

Good luck though

Greg Hook

Do you not already have a FTTC cabinet in the street somewhere?