"Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Potential Wayleave Issues" re Full Fibre - what does this mean?

ChrisM78

My contract with Plusnet runs out on the 22nd - I'm currently on "part fibre" and it's been very reliable. Obviously I should have looked into this sooner but upon putting my number into BT's broadband checker, "Single Dwelling Unit Residential UG Potential Wayleave Issues" comes up re FTTP - what does this mean? 

I can't be without a home connection so I'm considering just sticking with renewing what I have until the standard landline service is withdrawn in early 2027 (can't seem to see any other providers offering part fibre).

Here's a screenshot of what comes up re the broadband checker... 

iniltous

Few things to clear up , standard FTTC  ‘service’ isn’t withdrawn early 2027 , that’s when the PSTN switch off is  (old style telephone service ) if you don’t have telephony  it won’t affect you , if you do have telephony and want to keep it , then potentially you would have to leave Plusnet anyway as they are not going to be offering IP telephony, so once PSTN is switched off that’s it for PN customers , PN are offering free moves to BT or EE for customers that want to keep telephony , from a consumer point of view the only real difference is your phone connects to the broadband router not the socket in the wall .

Openreach FTTP is available to you , but with a caveat, potential way-leave required , that’s quite unusual in an underground service situation as your ‘line’ (the duct the line is in ) potentially goes under or across someone else’s property….an example could be the duct to your property goes under someone else’s driveway if you have a shared access and you were at the end of the route ,  if the duct is OK , it’s not a problem , but if it were blocked , excavating someone else’s ‘land’ may  be necessary hence the ‘potential’ need for someone else’s permission (wayleave) .

You may find renewing or changing provider requires you to take FTTP because it’s now available, you could continue as you are but on an out if contract basis , which may be more expensive than renewing, changing provider almost certainly means taking FTTP .
 

Plusnet have been known to renew contracts without upgrading the customer to FTTP when FTTP is available, even though that’s not really the way Openreach want ISP’s to behave, I’d suggest contacting PN and having a chat if you don’t want FTTP but that may mean staying with PN ‘out of contract’ .

ChrisM78

Ah, thanks for clearing things up - probably a stupid question, but would I need to seek this permission or would Openreach deal with that? Would it be likely for that permission to be refused? I live in a second floor flat if that has any bearing on these issues. 

I can keep what I have and renew the contract up until Jan 31 2027 - it'll work out £1 more than Full Fibre (presumably the line rental charge).  

iniltous

In a flat makes  sense as far as the potential wayleave note ….if (for arguments sake ) the duct to the building was blocked , it’s not likely you own the ‘ground’ the duct is in , this belongs to the landowner, so you couldn’t give permission to excavate to fix it , but as the duct may be fine , there is no point concerning yourself yet , it may not be an issue , it’s a potential issue .

In these situations, if you order , the first date given to you isn’t a contractual date ,  it’s a date for OR to have a look and see what’s required , Openreach will decide if its straight forward or they (not you ) need further permission and program the works that are needed, obviously this may introduce delay , or may even kill the order if the landowner, freeholder or whoever says they won’t allow any work …..there is also the possibility (depending on how the flats are currently served ) that OR look to do prepare every flat for FTTP even only you will have ordered it , it really depends on the flats , are they purpose built , or a converted house , is it a small MDU  or a large  MDU ( multiple dwelling unit ) , ‘flats’ can be much more complicated than SDU (single dwelling units ) , as your survey from the DSL checker note says SDU , not MDU , presumably you don’t live in a flat  in a large MDU .
Sometimes for example, it can be a small MDU , like four individual units in a single building, two units on the ground floor two on the first floor , visually looking like a single large property , that they can be regarded as a SDU and not MDU .

ChrisM78

It's a small MDU - originally just two flats but a ground floor conversion of what was once a shop to two flats. 

It seems like one of the ground floor flats is now using FTTP as in the last few days, an Openreach "Customer Service Point" box has been installed outside by the communal entrance - so the potential wayleave issues presumably don't apply now. 

iniltous

If their is a CSP is on the ground floor ,  it may be used for the other flats as they order service , or further separate CSP’s needed each time a new order is made ( it depends if it’s a standard CSP for one user  or a CSP  designed to have multiple users  )  , but the potential wayleave issue  may still apply , if to get service to an upstairs flat a new optical cable has to run up the ground floor flat wall , that’s also a potential wayleave issue ( if the ground floor flat ‘owner’ refuses to allow a cable for someone else to be fixed to their ‘wall’  ) but it’s advisory note , nothing more ,  a check note for the installer not a barrier to an order , it doesn’t mean a wayleave is definitely necessary and nothing in advance is arranged as far as getting one , the order proceeds on the basis that there won’t be any problems.