Will I need a New Socket?

WhoisDannie

I currently have Virgin Media broadband and telephone but was thinking on switching to another providor using my landline which was originally BT, it was installed 32 years ago.when BT was the only providor, untill Telewest now VirginMedia, was installed a few years later..

When Telewest and Sky had a disagreement and Telewest stopped showing Sky1 my partner was so insenced that he couldn't get his fix of the Simpsons that he got Sky installed and stopped Telewest TV but still kept the internet and phone as all there was from BT at the time was dialup internet that tied up the phone line when connected to the internet and we had 2 phonelines from Telewest.

A few years ago when I got the lounge redecorated the BT socket was removed and the backbox was papered over.

The wires are still in place but not connected to anything and I haven't a clue where the socket is.

If I decide to ditch VirginMedia will I have to replace the socket or will an installer come to the house to install new wire or fibreoptic cable?

brewerdave

WhoisDannie said:

The wires are still in place but not connected to anything and I haven't a clue where the socket is.

If I decide to ditch VirginMedia will I have to replace the socket or will an installer come to the house to install new wire or fibreoptic cable?

1. Is your exchange area ready for Full fibre ?
2. If it is ,has it moved to a status of "fibre priority" ?

Check your exchange status at    BT Broadband (btwholesale.com) - you will need to use the address checker page

If 1. is NOT true then Openreach would need to install a new "old style" phone line.
 If 1. and 2. ARE true then it will have to be a new fibre optic install

WhoisDannie

Exchange Product Restrictions	Status
FTTP Priority Exchange	N
WLR Withdrawal	N
SOADSL Restriction	Y

FTTP is not available.

The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme

So does this mean I can't get fibre and am just as well staying with VirginMedia after seeing if I can reduce the cost after my contract ends in July?

I'm only thinking of switching to reduce costs.

littleboo

What does the checker say about VDSL, which is fibre to the cabinet?
Your Virgin media service is unlikely to be full fibre (FTTP), although offering good speeds over hybrid fibre/co-ax.
What speeds to you get/need?

WhoisDannie

Featured Products	Downstream Line Rate(Mbps)		Upstream Line Rate (Mbps)		Downstream Handback Threshold(Mbps)	WBC FTTC Availability Date	WBC SOGEA Availability Date
	High	Low	High	Low
VDSL Range A (Clean)	72.4	55	20	17.4	49	Available	Available
VDSL Range B (Impacted)	70.8	52.3	20	15.8	45.8	Available

WhoisDannie

littleboo said:

What does the checker say about VDSL, which is fibre to the cabinet?
Your Virgin media service is unlikely to be full fibre (FTTP), although offering good speeds over hybrid fibre/co-ax.
What speeds to you get/need?

at present I get 130 Mbs

BUFF

is there another non-Openreach option e.g. Cityfibre or similar available to you?

WhoisDannie

BUFF said:

is there another non-Openreach option e.g. Cityfibre or similar available to you?

I don't think they exist outside England, I've never even heard of them.

BUFF

Oh they do, e.g. they are currently digging up bits of Glasgow. https://cityfibre.com
However, they are not the only alternative network to VM or Openreach.
Where do you live?

wild666

WhoisDannie said:

I currently have Virgin Media broadband and telephone but was thinking on switching to another providor using my landline which was originally BT, it was installed 32 years ago.when BT was the only providor, untill Telewest now VirginMedia, was installed a few years later..

When Telewest and Sky had a disagreement and Telewest stopped showing Sky1 my partner was so insenced that he couldn't get his fix of the Simpsons that he got Sky installed and stopped Telewest TV but still kept the internet and phone as all there was from BT at the time was dialup internet that tied up the phone line when connected to the internet and we had 2 phonelines from Telewest.

A few years ago when I got the lounge redecorated the BT socket was removed and the backbox was papered over.

The wires are still in place but not connected to anything and I haven't a clue where the socket is.

If I decide to ditch VirginMedia will I have to replace the socket or will an installer come to the house to install new wire or fibreoptic cable?

One thing I found when I moved into my flat in March 2011 was that when I got BB installed the signal dropped from 32Mb down to 1.3Mb in just 4 days so the wire from the pole might not be able to handle the modern speeds, it took me nearly 3 months to get the line from the pole changed for a new one. The only thing that. IMO, made them change the line from the pole was that I threatened to stop the DD in 14 days if the line wasn't replaced from the pole to the flat as an ex BT employee told me that it was possibly the line from the pole that was the fault as it had being up decades as he used to work in that area sometimes and every flat in my block had a phone line from the late 60 or early 70's and the wire could be brittle meaning that the phone line was noisy when the phone was taken off the holder, which I tried and it was so that's why I gave then 14 days to replace the line.