Fibre Internet, how do I get it up a long private driveway?

tom 2000

I am losing the will to live. Still no fibre and due an update tomorrow. Still no Broadband of any sort. BT phoned me this morning and said they had placed an order to reinstate my Broadband in the interim. To be connected Friday midnight. Better than nothing I think until I check the order this evening. It doesn’t appear on My BT but when I input the order number as advised by text it appears to be standard BB. ONLY UP TO 10 MB. I was getting 16 MB this time last week.

RBZ5416

The Smart Hub works on VDSL/FTTC so you can use it.

Sounds like they intend to put you back on ADSL. A typical BT saga, "We've started with a cockup & will now compound that with lots of other cock-ups."

I'd drop an email to Executive Level Complaints & see if you can get them to sort the mess out.

[email protected]

Also ask for further compensation or the right to cancel the contract penalty free.

If you want to pursue FTTP I'd suggest having a word with Zen. If you're resigned to FTTC then the likes of PlusNet will be cheaper than BT. They're currently offering £24 for fibre & line rental & if you go through Top Cashback there's another potential £70 saving. Paying line rental up front would save you in the region of another £2.50pm.

tom 2000

According to Openreach Website my only supply options are BT, Sky and Talk Talk. I know that Sky are not offering full Fibre.
Anyway the nice man at BT this morning suggested I let the order for low level B.B. proceed as at least I would have some sort of connection for the weekend.

tom 2000

They seem hidebound by their own mistakes and procedures. Any other organisation would be able to retrieve an order within 24 hours of placing and somehow amend it or rectify a mistake.

tom 2000

On a slow copper BB. 3Mbps.
As regards the full fibre it appears I will have to do my own digging. An initial quote of £1000 to dig and backfill a trench seems a bit extreme. I don’t know if BT will supply the cable FOC or whether ducting is required.

tich77

You want ducting for a number of reasons, not least to prevent inadvertently cutting the cable at a later date.

It also allows for laid cable to be "pulled"; e.g. if the laid cable is a metre or two short at the house end, more can easily be pulled through. Now try that if it has been laid "bare" and the trench backfilled... No, that shouldn't happen, but Murphy has this habit...

£1000 for a 100m run is cheap, let alone 300m!. You'd have to ask BT for a breakdown of the bill to find out what it does/does not include - cable, ducting, laying, pulling, etc.

tom 2000

The £1000 is from a local for digging and backfilling only. A BT subbie was out. I wasn’t here. He moaned to the missus about not being on top of things and made some reference to supplying cable. I await further details.

tich77

Still cheap, and as it's not BT another reason you need ducting; there is a good chance that as soon as the plant op sees the cable laid, he'll start backfilling, as he'll want to get the job done and off.

Trollslayer

A cross between George Orwell and Monty Python by the sound of it.

tom 2000

If BT will supply the duct and pull the cable it would leave me with no fingers pointing at me if cable is damaged or short. Good point.