Help understanding broadband choices. FTTP?

ed67812

All,

We live in a rural location and relied on satellite broadband. However, a BT engineer has been outside a few weeks ago and told us we could now get fibre.

Most providers - Talk Talk, Sky, Vodafone etc. say we cannot get broadband from them. However, BT say we can get fibre.

I did the search on the BT Wholesale website and the results come back as per the picture. I don't really understand it but my research suggests that the FTTP connection that we seem able to get is only provided by BT and a small number of suppliers.

Can anyone explain it all to me? I'd really appreciate it.

https://imageupload.co.uk/image/4vhx

Thanks
Ed

JJ_Egan

Fibre to the premises relatively new rollout .
Often to new builds .
Older Fibre is to the local cabinet then onwards via phone line to house .


So far very few other ISPs have decided to supply by this route .
See similar posts .

onomatopoeia99

FTTP means fibre to the premises and is rare. They will lay fibreoptic to your home. This is unlike most "fibre" broadband where the optical fibre stops at the street cabinet (hence FTTC which is "fibre to the cabinet") and you have your traditional phone line for the final stage. It still gives better speeds than ADSL in most cases.


If you can get FTTP as the screenshot suggests, then you do have a smaller range of ISPs to choose from beccause Sky, Talktalk and most of the other poundshop ISPs have chosen not to offer it. So you have a choice, do you want the best final mile internet infrastructure available, or do you want to feel like you have got a "deal" and do a lot of "switching" every five minutes?

[Deleted User]

The list of ISPs using Openreach FTTP can be found at https://www.homeandbusiness.openreach.co.uk/fibre-broadband/ultrafast-broadband/ultrafast-fibre-buy-it-now
Depending on the speed you choose, the cost effective ones are ZEN and BT i.e. the cheapest.

ed67812

Does it seem right that we can now get FTTP as ours is a 60s rural house and we couldn't get any broadband before.


I'm not aware of any change of wiring between my house and the telegraph pole on the street (just at the end of my drive) but the engineer definitely fitted some things to the pole (large black connectors).

Sorry I'm a ludite when it comes to this stuff

pete-20-11

It!!!8217;ll be worth the money. Very fast and hopefully very reliable - it!!!8217;s unlikely to get interference, unlike copper cabling.

Have a word with plusnet too - they might be able to offer FTTP if you first take their ADSL service - they!!!8217;ve been offering FTTP as a trial service.

[Deleted User]

@pete-20-11
The Plusnet FTTP Trial is closing to new people at the end of July. So the OP would need to be a Plusnet ADSL customer before that date which they aren't. So not a option now.

@ed67812
Yes it is possible.
What happens first is the Openeach (BT) put in the infrastructure into your local area.
Then they enable the option to order FTTP from an ISP. You can check if you can order FTTP on the BTW Checker site at https://www.dslchecker.bt.com/adsl/adslchecker.welcome . If you don't have a phone using the BT network then use the address lookup option to get an accurate result. (Never use postcode as it is covers too large an area)
When the checker shows WBC FTTP, you can order it from one of those ISPs I linked to above.
After the order is accepted, then Openreach will come out to install the fibre to the house.

iniltous

ed67812 wrote: »

Does it seem right that we can now get FTTP as ours is a 60s rural house and we couldn't get any broadband before.


I'm not aware of any change of wiring between my house and the telegraph pole on the street (just at the end of my drive) but the engineer definitely fitted some things to the pole (large black connectors).

Sorry I'm a ludite when it comes to this stuff

It does seem right, obviously some places probably didn't make financial sense to provide any sort of fibre service, but once ( after a lot of complaints from the media, government, isp's about the lack of full fibre connections) OR reassess areas , previously overlooked as uneconomic , they may go straight to FTTP , given that they have an ambition to deliver 3 million homes with FTTP in the next few years.
In areas like yours , where there is already overhead copper line service, the FTTP is an overlay network, that will be the black connectors you have noticed on the existing poles...if you get FTTP it will ( in your case) be an overhead fibre cable to your home.

ed67812

Brilliant.
I can get BT cheaper than my current satellite broadband connection and it's on top cashback so it's a no brainer.

Thanks everyone. Once again MSE forums provide great advice.

[Deleted User]

@ed67812
Most people complain that FTTP is too expensive so it's nice to see someone happy with the cost. As an FTTP user myself, it is really nice to have.

littleboo

FTTP will give you a vastly superior experience than satellite, which suffers from high latency and usually some soft of data allowance