Jurassic Fibre

ccdorset

Hello,

Has anyone had any experience with Jurassic Fibre? I live in a flat built in 2017. The adjoining houses can get FTTP via Openreach, however the flats are stuck on FTTC. Jurassic Fibre have said that they can install, however I'm a bit nervous about trying an altnet provider and moving off of the Openreach network.

Thanks

iniltous

What sort of flat ? , purpose built flats/apartments tend to need to be ‘block wired’ , so all units made ready , irrespective of them ordering services, that normally needs permission from the management company , building owner , etc , that one reason why OR can do an area but miss out the MDU ( multi dwelling unit ) …if your flat is part of ( for example ) a converted house , then often it’s no different to the surrounding houses that were not converted to flats ( service from a pole etc ) .
If JF are offering services, then I suppose it’s relatively risk free as long as you don’t cancel  or let them cancel your existing service, if they get it in , you may have to pay a month or two for both , if they fail to install, your OR service continues, don’t pay them anything up front though or tell them your phone number ( if you have one ) , if you want to move your phone service to JF then it does become risky as moving the number may cease your existing broadband .
If JF are offering service and yours is a modern apartment, you would have thought JF have already fitted out the building ready for orders , have you seen any JF work taking place inside the building ?

unforeseen

Moving a number from an FTTC line will definitely cease the broadband

ccdorset

Thanks for your replies. :-)

It's a purpose-built flat (built in 2017). It's hard to describe, but I live in a Mews, so there are houses in the middle, connected to small blocks of flats either side (3 flats in each). The houses all have FTTP as do the whole of the rest of the estate, but the flats don't. It's exactly as you described, the flats are all connected to a central distribution point, and are classed as MDU by Openreach. We are all stuck on FTTC connections. I'm in discussions with Openreach and my management company to try and get the block connected to FTTP but it is a very slow process.

I saw JF in the road when they were building their network etc, but there's been no work carried out in the blocks. JF say via email that it should be a simple install as they would "use the existing underground duct" (I have made them aware of my address and that I'm in a block of flats). But I don't think that's the case, as I know I'm fed through the central distribution point rather than directly to OR via ducting. I have a feeling when they come out to survey (if I do order) it won't be as simple as they describe. Not sure if an option is to run a cable up the side of the building to my 2nd floor flat. I guess there's no harm in me getting them around to advise.

Would it be possible to keep my existing OR FTTC connection as well as a JF connection if they are able to install?

iniltous

Totally separate networks so you can have both if you wanted , as stated , as long as your current provider isn’t told to cease your FTTC service by yourself or JF ( and that would only be if the phone number were part of your JF order )

You ordering JF is relatively risk free , I suspect though that they would accept your order , survey it , realise your address isn’t really ‘ready’ and would cancel the order, or an installer would visit and decide that it’s not possible, and simply return the job .

If it were possible for JF to run a their own duct from either an Openreach jointbox or their own jointbox, to the building wall and then run a cable up this wall to your flat , the obvious issues would be presumably the ground the duct would run in isn’t yours ( so you cannot give permission) and the wall the cable would run up isn’t yours either and your downstairs neighbour may not consent to having your cable on their wall , if it were ‘easy’ to do this then presumably OR would not have excluded the flats from their FTTP build. 

ccdorset

Thanks for all the info. I'm going to bite the bullet and place an order tomorrow (not including the phone service, so I can retain the OR connection). I suspect it will turn out exactly as you've described, that they realise my address isn't really ready and then cancel the order, or it will be picked up if they survey the site. I kinda just want to give it a go to know that I've tried and find out if it is at all possible.

I imagine the freeholder won't give permission to dig, especially as I think the fibre would have to run under a communal path (block paving), then the communal garden and up the wall.

The annoying thing is, about 3 random flats in the establishment are able to order FTTP via Openreach. This is a mistake on the Openreach checker (I took it to the Chief Exec's office at Openreach). I have seen Openreach installing FTTP in one of the flats, and they had to run an external cable round the building and into the flat. I presume the occupant "got away with it" as the checker said he could order and so Openreach turned up and found a way to do it. Though really the blocks should be upgraded en mass and have the ONT's placed outside the front entrance of each flat.

iniltous

Not the ONT’s  , that’s the mains powered device ( optical network termination ) thats inside the property that the router connects to , the external block is a CSP ( customer service point ) , obviously JF may use a different method to Openreach and call their equipment by different names.
As you say ,  on a retro fitted apartment complex the internal optical fibre distribution is provided for all apartments at the same time , and this block wiring provides the equivalent of a CSP  outside each individual apartment  already connected to the main network ,  so should any individual apartment order service, the installer only needs to cable from the ‘CSP’ to the ONT location.

ccdorset

Thanks for your help. Ah yes I was getting confused between the ONT and the CSP! I have been geekily watching YouTube videos on Fibre installs to learn more today. 

Well I bit the bullet and ordered Jurassic Fibre. The order has gone through fine (for now) and a lady phoned me today to book an installation date of 15th Feb. I asked if that would be the date for the first part of the installation, but no she said that was when I would actually be connected and up and running. She said that the outside part of the install (getting the fibre to my property) would be done a few days prior to that. Sure enough I have an email from them telling me the same.

I'm 99% sure a few days before I will receive a knock at the door or a phone call from them explaining that they can't provide service, but will see what happens.

iniltous

It will be interesting when JF or a JF contractor turns up , often these people are effectively self employed and if they don’t finish a job they don’t get paid , so they may take a laissez faire attitude and dig ( where no permission exists ) or cable on someone else’s wall ( where no wayleave exists ) , if it’s physically possible and no one objects , then it may be you get connected , if it’s not physically possible or someone objects then you probably won’t, let the forum know the outcome .

ccdorset

So I arrived home on Tuesday night, after a few days away, to find a piece of paper sticking out of my letter box from Jurassic Fibre. It was a form asking me to sign and give permission for them to dig a slip trench in the back garden to connect the fibre to the building. 

I then had an email from Jurassic on Wednesday asking me to fill in the permission form in time for the installation the next day.

I called Jurassic Fibre and explained again that I am a leaseholder and would have to send the form off to the management company/freeholder. The lady said if it puts my mind at rest, everything would be made good with the grass outside and the wire would be tacked up the outside of the building. I re-iterated it is not my decision to make and also they would have to dig through blocked paving as well! She asked if I could get the form signed and back to them by 4pm, then they could proceed with the install tomorrow (they thought it may be a 1 stage install). I said that there was no way I could get permission in that timeframe.

I called the company that acts on behalf of the freeholder and was lucky enough to get through to someone who seemed to have dealt with situations like this before. Long story short, she said that they would prefer the whole block to be upgraded and done properly, rather than individual installations and cables all over the place etc. They have given permission for Openreach to survey the site in January and have chased them for an update.

I’ve phoned Jurassic and cancelled the order for now. They did mention that they could look at connecting the whole block if nothing materialises with Openreach.