Confused how I can order full fibre broadband...

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Outside my house on the road is a fibre CBT (small cover in the road like a water stop cock) installed by Gigaclear a few years ago.

I do NOT have what I think is known as a "Physical Drop Cable" that connects the CBT to some terminating box in my house. That will be awkward to install as my house is up a steep dangerous slope from the road traversed by some concrete steps.

Anyway what puzzles me is I am interested in getting full fibre and when I enter my postcode the likes of Sky say I can get full fibre BUT when I look at their small print they seem to assume the drop cable is already in place which it isn't.

SO if I order full fibre from Sky will they be unable to deliver and instead offer me FTTC or will they install the drop cable as part of signing up (albeit that will be a challenge for them!)

Many thanks

[E-bmw]

Ring them & they will tell you.

[Sheepshanks]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

I do NOT have what I think is known as a "Physical Drop Cable" that connects the CBT to some terminating box in my house.

I don't think anyone (apart from new builds) has that until they order fibre.

Ours came in overhead. At daughter's house it was brought in underground from a manhole in the footpath - and then a very long and awkward run around the outside of her house as it's a split level bungalow, end on to the road and it needed to come in some way down the opposite side to where the exiting duct for the telephone wire emerged.

[Magic919]

Mine was dug into the garden and connected to the house after I ordered.

[Nicks90]

Ours came over head, piggy backed up the telegraph pole and along the existing phone line.

[Davie]

If your provider says that FTTP is available, then place an order. You'll then likely get an engineer appointment on behalf of whichever network your chosen provider uses and said engineer will then assess where your connection originates, how it'll then get to the house and where it'll terminate. It might be doable on the day, it might take a bit of planning and additional work. But I very much doubt you'll get the answer online as there are many variables.

[Jamescrs]

Mine also comes in overhead from the nearest telegraph pole same route as the old phone line used to take, infact I got the engineer to remove the old phone connection box in the house and replace it with the Fibre broadband connector box

[butchstewie]

Davie said:

If your provider says that FTTP is available, then place an order. You'll then likely get an engineer appointment on behalf of whichever network your chosen provider uses and said engineer will then assess where your connection originates, how it'll then get to the house and where it'll terminate. It might be doable on the day, it might take a bit of planning and additional work. But I very much doubt you'll get the answer online as there are many variables.

Yea that's my understanding and experience.

Engineer comes out (OpenReach or an approved contractor) and works out how to get the fibre to your home.

In my case it was through existing ducting then just through the wall. On YouTube you'll see videos of all sorts of more complicated runs.

[craig1912]

Gigaclear is on a different infrastructure to Sky who use Openreach

[spitfire-ian]

craig1912 said:

Gigaclear is on a different infrastructure to Sky who use Openreach

Doesn't really matter though. Gigaclear dug lots of holes and put the infrastructure in around here causing chaos however we went with BT and an Openreach (or one of their contractors) engineer came out and installed the connection to the property.

OP, as has been mentioned whoever you go with will connect from the road to the property. Don't worry about not having that connection already.

[butchstewie]

The only "possibly worry" is that you do see the odd horror story about cables run over gardens or in "trenches" that actually aren't.

Not to doom monger but just mentioning it - but either way it gets handled as part of the install and I'd start with how your existing cabling physically comes in.

[Sheepshanks]

spitfire-ian said:

craig1912 said:

Gigaclear is on a different infrastructure to Sky who use Openreach

Doesn't really matter though. Gigaclear dug lots of holes and put the infrastructure in around here causing chaos however we went with BT and an Openreach (or one of their contractors) engineer came out and installed the connection to the property.

OP, as has been mentioned whoever you go with will connect from the road to the property. Don't worry about not having that connection already.

You must have two lots of infrastructure. If OP wants to use Gigaclear then he has to sign up directly with them.

[Scarletpimpofnel]

Thanks all. I don't intend to use Gigaclear even though they have a box outside the house as their price escalates rapidly 6 months after t he headline starting price.

I expect I'll use a provider who uses Openreach and they will come in via the existing overhead cable.

Many thanks all for your advice.

[Actual]

craig1912 said:

Gigaclear is on a different infrastructure to Sky who use Openreach

It is very unusual to have both Gigaclear and Openreach full fibre available.

We have Gigaclear which provided full fibre but the available Openreach is only ADSL FTTC and it probably always will be.

[carl_w]

Actual said:

It is very unusual to have both Gigaclear and Openreach full fibre available.

Daughter lives in a new build and both Gigaclear and Openreach fibred up the estate as it was built.

[S6PNJ]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

I don't intend to use Gigaclear even though they have a box outside the house as their price escalates rapidly 6 months after t he headline starting price.

I was with them for a fair while before I moved house - I just threatened to leave each renewal and surprise surprise, they came down in price to match (or nearly match) their introductory offers - better to keep a lower paying customer than lose them entirely!

[miniman]

S6PNJ said:

Scarletpimpofnel said:

I don't intend to use Gigaclear even though they have a box outside the house as their price escalates rapidly 6 months after t he headline starting price.

I was with them for a fair while before I moved house - I just threatened to leave each renewal and surprise surprise, they came down in price to match (or nearly match) their introductory offers - better to keep a lower paying customer than lose them entirely!

It’s getting harder to talk them back down to introductory offer prices in my experience. I’m kind of hoping Openreach cable up the village (which they appear to be starting) so at least there’s some competition.

[craig1912]

Actual said:

It is very unusual to have both Gigaclear and Openreach full fibre available.

We have Gigaclear which provided full fibre but the available Openreach is only ADSL FTTC and it probably always will be.

We have a choice of Toob or Openreach providers both full fibre

[Sheepshanks]

craig1912 said:

Actual said:

It is very unusual to have both Gigaclear and Openreach full fibre available.

We have Gigaclear which provided full fibre but the available Openreach is only ADSL FTTC and it probably always will be.

We have a choice of Toob or Openreach providers both full fibre

Village daughter lives in was fibre'd up by Kloud9 in 2022 then Openreach a couple of years later. At least at street level they share ducts etc.

So I don't think it's so unusual to have two suppliers. A lot of people will have Virgin as well as Openreach.

[Davie]

Scarletpimpofnel said:

I expect I'll use a provider who uses Openreach and they will come in via the existing overhead cable.

Many thanks all for your advice.

If it's FTTP then it won't come in via any existing copper cabling. Full fibre is completely stand alone from copper. It'll depend on where your allocated CBT is - likely it's overhead on a pole but it could be underground. If it's overhead, it'll be a new cable over to the property then down to ground level to a CSP, then a second section from there, into the house and ultimately terminating at your new ONT. But every house / provide is unique with many variables. But that's what the engineer will assess and discuss with you on the date of installation. Once fully fibre is in, your copper including cables and sockets, is obsolete.