No broadband in 14 weeks - Openreach being obstructive - New build property

emma_louise001

Hello all. I'm hoping you can help me find a resolution to a battle I've been having with Openreach since January. In short, I'm the owner-occupier of a new-build flat that I moved into January 2023. Since moving in, I haven’t been able to get a broadband connection. The essence of the problem is my property has full fibre infrastructure but Openreach dispute this, seemingly without reason. I have the report from the engineers who installed the broadband infrastructure in my building confirming that it is full fibre enabled, my immediate neighbour and others in the building have a fibre connection and I have been told that all new-build buildings these days are built with full fibre infrastructure. I have been told that if at least one of the properties in a new build like mine has a fibre connection, this means all the properties will have the same infrastructure.

However, Openreach refuse to accept any of the above. They insist I can only get connected through a copper wire connection which isn’t the case. I have had multiple Openreach engineers come to my flat since February and each of them have said that I can only get connected using a fibre connection and they have reported back to Openreach saying as much. But still Openreach won't budge.

In order for my provider (currently Zen Internet but the same would apply to any provider) to give me the fibre cable and router package I need, Openreach must update their database/system to say that my property is fibre-enabled to ’turn it on'. Zen formally requested Openreach do this early April but Openreach came back saying no, I can only use copper. Zen appealed Openreach’s decision but today Openreach came back again yesterday echoing what they said before. 

Zen have been as helpful as they can be and I have a senior manager dealing with my case and liaising with Openreach but they are also at the mercy of Openreach and have been pushing on my behalf since mid-March but still no luck.

Any ideas? I've been trying on and on for months to get through to Citizens Advice phone line, online chat and trying to get an in-person appointment but no luck. Short of threatening to take legal action against Openreach (which I can’t afford to pursue nor should I have to), I am at a complete loss of what else to do to resolve this nightmare. Any help you could give me would be hugely appreciated.

Neil_Jones

What your neighbours have is irrelevant. The issue here is what you have.

All BT line providers including Zen are dependent on what Openreach do (or don't do as the case may be) with regards to line installation, as they own all the lines and the infrastructure and what not and know what has gone where.  There's a reason somewhere as to why you can only get what you can - I doubt it would have been stuck on "copper" for fun.

The easiest solution surely is you can get FTTC (which I think is what you mean by a copper connection) and see if you can upgrade to FTTP at a later date.  Not sure what suing Outreach is going to get you, I mean you're not entitled to an internet connection of any sort whether its ADSL, fibre, satellite or carrier pigeon - its at the mercy of the infrastructure and a provider who is happy to take you as a customer.

Mobile internet could be another avenue.

unforeseen

Has the fibre been supplied by Open reach or was it a different company such as somebody like Airband. If not Open reach then you may find that you will only be able to get broadband through them

emma_louise001

Hi - thanks for your replies.

Part of the problem is my property isn't able to get a FTTC (copper) connection. I previously tried a FTTC package from TalkTalk and they could never get that connected and now an FTTC package from Zen can't connect either. When I've had Openreach engineers round to look at it, they've told me that I need FTTP and that FTTC/copper isn't going to work with the infrastructure I have.

I mention the neighbour aspect because a technical officer from Zen told me that in new build buildings, all properties have the same shared broadband infrastructure and they said that knowing my neighbour has a full fibre connection is helpful because it means that all other properties within the building will also have full fibre.

And yes, the fibre infrastructure is supplied by Openreach. All the various 'boxes' etc are Openreach branded and the developer's/engineer's report I have states it's Openreach.

I've heard a little about mobile internet and would be interested but unfortunately another problem is phone signal in my home is very limited. (Something that I've mentioned to O2 and that they've been 'looking into' since there's two local phone masks that have been down since last year).

littleboo

At the end of the day, its down to the ISP to resolve issues with their supplier, in this case Zen with Openreach. You could try going to Andrews and Arnold, they are another premium ISP and say they can fix issues that other ISP's cant/wont.

Neil_Jones

littleboo said:

At the end of the day, its down to the ISP to resolve issues with their supplier, in this case Zen with Openreach. You could try going to Andrews and Arnold, they are another premium ISP and say they can fix issues that other ISP's cant/wont.

I think the issue here isn't a "fault" as such, its a capacity/provision issue.  The offer mentioned from A&A is documented here:

https://www.aa.net.uk/broadband/we-will-fix-your-line/

But it says in the "is there a catch?" section:  "You have to migrate to us on a normal DSL service (ADSL1 or ADSL2+ or VDSL/FTTC) and tariff (units based or Home::1) using BT back-haul from another normal DSL service using BT back-haul, not LLU or FTTP or otherwise"

As the OP can't get FTTP or FTTC, they won't be able to migrate to A&A in any even, so the whole "issue" thing with regards to that is irrelevant, as it isn't a line fault as such.

littleboo

No its not a fault,there is no service,  but A&A pride themselves on being able to manage Openreach so given the position the OP is in, I would still recommend talking to them to see if its an issue that they think they could get resolved

iniltous

If your new build was provided with Openreach FTTP, with the developer getting in touch with OR early enough in the construction phase and requesting OR provide it , then before you even moved in , the FTTP infrastructure is pre  installed , (as opposed to retro build where the FTTP network is overlaid on top of the copper pair service  and installed as and when people order FTTP ) so if you have access to FTTP , but OR don’t realise it , then you would have an ONT fitted inside your flat , is there an Openreach ONT in your flat ?

If there is an OR ONT , and the Power  and PON lights are lit and steady green , then your chosen ISP should be asking you for the serial number of the ONT and using that info with OR to enable your address to be recognised, and organising getting you into service , if you don’t have an ONT then you don’t have OR FTTP and that could well be the developers error by omitting your flat , even if all the others were provided with FTTP , with FTTP in flats/apartments , it’s the developer that installs the optical cables OR supply , into each flat and leave them coiled in a utility area , so OR can connect then to the FTTP infrastructure 

JSmithy45AD

littleboo said:

No its not a fault,there is no service,  but A&A pride themselves on being able to manage Openreach so given the position the OP is in, I would still recommend talking to them to see if its an issue that they think they could get resolved

Certainly can't do any harm.