More FTTP progress

[Peter Johnson]

Got up this morning to find three men installing ducting, a new
chamber, adjacent to the BT existing, and cabinet base for City
Fibre's FTTP network. A secong gang came to tidy up this afternoon.
Photos:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkAuwosSUivVlIDng?e=NFxRuh
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth_8eXVIVuamUos-g?e=uqviAC
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth8cWBkn0-OtC-KXw?e=TnNmzC
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth-Dj_cMw_-lRR3pQ?e=gGW0sT
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth70ogogTs9YxNA5A?e=CmzWC8
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth4d0VmGGuw_JNpcw?e=Q4zZb1
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1oth65PQzNZVbgQ2GIA?e=A4dUgi

I guess that the short lengths od fibre visible run through to the BT
chamber.

[Andrew]

And they used a proper diamond core drill, and not the usual
Geordie method (lump hammer followed by some mortaring).

[Peter Johnson]

The process (that I've seen) seems to be quite efficient. They had
installed the City Fibre cabinet before 8.30 this morning. And there's
been another gang working round the corner installing what appears to
be a trunk duct, using two of the purple ducts laid side by side. And
what I thought was actual fibre appears to be hollow.
Here's some more pictures:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkYwV9sFAm1dVDsMg?e=uNSQ8J
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkZgh1QCiEe9OOEBA?e=IRdeu8
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkaKzrB7RM5q9TVEg?e=q426qg
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkbRyvooIZAPkOfMg?e=cZgOSI
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otkc-SzXRGDYXDlSxg?e=RyJSUE

[Tweed]

Do you,have Virgin Media cable on your street? Just wondering if they
compete with or avoid already cabled streets.

[Andy Burns]

Tweed wrote:

> Do you,have Virgin Media cable on your street? Just wondering if they
> compete with or avoid already cabled streets.

That area has had Virgin (originally Diamond Cable) coax for yonks and no doubt
BT FTTC

[Philip Hole]

On 05/10/2021 17:03, Tweed wrote:

>
> Do you,have Virgin Media cable on your street? Just wondering if they
> compete with or avoid already cabled streets.
>

What I find amazing is that VM (using cable laid by Telecential) has a
whole estate connected. With spillage outside of the estate, this must
total >1000 houses.

I have never heard of anyone being directly canvassed to join VM.

Seems a terrible waste of potential income.
--
Flop

[Andy Burns]

Philip Hole wrote:

> What I find amazing is that VM (using cable laid by Telecential) has a whole
> estate connected. With spillage outside of the estate, this must total >1000
> houses.
>
> I have never heard of anyone being directly canvassed to join VM.

We used to have shitty ADSL2+ here (frequent disconnects, under 2Mbps) then BT
installed FTTC and I got 79.99/19.99 line rate, a few months afterwards Virgin
installed FTTP in all the local areas that never got their coax network.

For at least a couple of years they leafleted me to death claiming they could
save me more than I actually spent on line+broadband, in the end I wrote to them
an asked to remove my name, which they did. I suspect the only takers have been
the footy fans.

[Peter Johnson]

On Tue, 5 Oct 2021 17:47:22 +0100, Andy Burns <use...@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

Yes to both, about 20 years for Diamond. (Except that my house, the
two to the right of it and the three to the left didn't get Diamond as
they wanted to route it down the jointly owned private block paved
drive and they couldn't get agreement from all of the owners. In
recent years Virgin has connected the three on the left of the promise
of signing up for the full TV/telephone/broadband package. They
managed to do two of them without interfering with the drive but
crossed it for the third one - you can imagine the outcome. They
dodn't bother to get the owners' agreement either.)

[Brian Gregory]

On 06/10/2021 13:00, Andy Burns wrote:
> For at least a couple of years they leafleted me to death claiming they
> could save me more than I actually spent on line+broadband,

You should have called their bluff.

"Hello, is this the right number for Virgin new customer signup?
Yes, good.
I'd like to take up your offer of free phone and broadband with money
back every month"

--
Brian Gregory (in England).

[Andy Burns]

Peter Johnson wrote:

> my house, the
> two to the right of it and the three to the left didn't get Diamond as
> they wanted to route it down the jointly owned private block paved
> drive and they couldn't get agreement from all of the owners.

Friend of mine lives on Sharpley Drive, probably some similar offshoots there.

[tim...]

"Andrew" <Andrew9...@mybtinternet.com> wrote in message
news:sjf4qi$1d4e$1...@gioia.aioe.org...

The pictures seem to be of works done in the street

The LA will have far greater oversight (and enforcement) of the quality of
the work done than the average domestic householder can manage

[Roderick Stewart]

On Wed, 6 Oct 2021 11:47:32 +0100, Philip Hole
<ne...@theholefamily.org> wrote:

>I have never heard of anyone being directly canvassed to join VM.

They used to put leaflets through my door on a regular basis until I'd
contacted them (email or website, I forget which) for about the third
time to tell them my road was unadopted so they'd be unable to supply
their services unless they persuaded everybody to sign a wayleave, at
which point they must have given up and updated a database or
something because I haven't heard from them since.

Luckily Zen provide an excellent FTTC service here, and apparently
FTTP would be available if I ever need more, so I don't care.

Rod.

[Peter Johnson]

On Thu, 7 Oct 2021 08:12:13 +0100, "tim..." <timsn...@gmail.com>
wrote:

Given that telecom companies are licensed to construct works in the
street I'd be surprised if the LAs had any oversight at all but I'm
prepared to be disabused of that notion. (The comment about the use of
a core drill related to work being done to BT's chamber, so certainly
not of LA concern.)

[tim...]

"Peter Johnson" <pe...@parksidewood.nospam> wrote in message
news:saq8mgtk7g3neneng...@4ax.com...

just because they are "entitled to do it

doesn't mean that it doesn't have to be done to the prescribed quality and
that there's no mechanism for checking what they have done

you can't just dig up the road and then dump the rubble back in with 5mm of
tarmac on top,

[Peter Johnson]

Here's another picture:
https://1drv.ms/u/s!AkhvgPvXD0_1otss647yZtE8mYGb-g?e=JEf963

It's the chamber put on spurs to properties that will be connected
directly to a City Fibre cabinet. A connection will be needed between
this chamber and the supplied property.
Apparently the City Fibre cabinet located next to the BT chamber will
supply most of the properties in my street and most of the adjoining
via the BT chamber. (I saw someone who turned out to be surveying the
work done, trenching etc, for City Fibre's contractors and asked him
what he was doing. He was quite happy to tell me.)

[Andy Burns]

Peter Johnson wrote:

> It's the chamber put on spurs to properties that will be connected
> directly to a City Fibre cabinet

usually known as a "toby".

when virgin installed them in my street, they sent two blokes, one dragging a
trolley with a generator and a compressor, he connected it in turn to the tube
inside the toby and sent a blast of air, then got on the walkie-talkie to the
other chap at the cabinet where they all came out (above ground in virgin's
case) and he would write the house number on the corresponding label where the
air appeared ...

[Adrian Caspersz]

Once on Virgin, the neighbour's experience was repeated increasing
bills, that he had to repeatedly negotiate with customer services,
threatening to leave. Lots of hassle wuth (then) a rough unmaintained
coaxial cable street mess.

The broadband service was fairly decent on reports, but I still wouldn't
touch them with a bargepole.

Tainted by "NTL Hellworld", controlled by media moguls, and also tarred
by that monopolistic thing they did to TiVo.

--
Adrian C

[Roderick Stewart]

Threatening to leave is often the best way to get to speak to a human
being when there's a long call queue for tech support. If you can
convince them that you think it's a simple technical issue that could
dissuade you from leaving if it could be fixed, they can transfer you
directly to tech support more quickly than it would take you press
whichever number it is and wait for tech support yourself. Internal
call transfers don't go through the same external gauntlet of number
pressing, so it can be quicker.

Remember, when their robot says "Your call is very important to us",
what it really means is "Your money is very important to us".

Rod.

[Peter Johnson]

On Thu, 14 Oct 2021 15:59:51 +0100, Andy Burns <use...@andyburns.uk>
wrote:

That'll be what he told me that I didn't understand but didn't like to
show my ignorance. Also in the BT chamber apparently.
He also showed me the plan that shows all the properties routed
through the chamber.

>
>

[Peter Johnson]

What I thought was fibre is actutally small diameter thick-walled
tube, probably nearly impossible to crush. In some places it's being
laid directly into the ground.
Some areas nearby have had spurs laid to every house, or two houses in
some cases.

[Andy Burns]

Peter Johnson wrote:

> What I thought was fibre is actutally small diameter thick-walled
> tube, probably nearly impossible to crush. In some places it's being
> laid directly into the ground.

similar to the virgin fttp model then, they'll be round with that compressor
soon ...

[Peter Johnson]

Saw three guys trying, and failing, to install actual fibre in the
micro-bore tubing this afternoon. They said the tube was blocked but
didn't know why. Said they's been trying for three days - I've been
past that particular site every day this week and this was the first
time I'd seen them.
The fibre has a black covering.

[Woody]

....usually with a narrow yellow stripe down the side.

[Peter Johnson]

On Wed, 3 Nov 2021 17:34:48 +0000, Woody <harro...@ntlworld.com>
wrote:

Didn't notice that. I'll look out for it if I see the process again.