The discount on my phone line rental I've been getting (for a number of years) is based on the fact that I have not been using their 'line' for broadband provided by any provider. I don't know whether they simply took my word that such was the case, or whether they have a way of determining whether any 'internet traffic' is going through their 'connection'
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BT phone line/service 'upgrade'
- Thread starter JohnW2
- Start date
Apparently the fibre connections don't go into the cabinets
Just seam to be all under ground.
I think they are trying to get rid of the cabinets.
Someone had an idea, what to do with these roadside boxes, that have a power supply to them?
Answer = An ideal point for an EV charger. Except they are often on dangerous corners and need a wire across the pavement.
They trialled some apparently, and abandoned the idea quickly
So with Fibre you have to have (at least) 2 powered boxes.
1. An ONT Optical Network Termination. and is the size an FCU (so standard back boxes can be used on new builds).
The fibre goes in, DC power, and an ethernet socket to the router (a red cable is used to signify its incoming). Early models also had a phone port.
2. Then you have your normal router. models have had a separate input port for FTTP. e.g red or blue or some other colour! for a while.
So The router can either connect via this or the RJ11 copper
The backup devices were for 1.
This is what some early ppl got I assume
Now we just get the ONT on the left (without phone socket)
Now we just get the ONT on the left (without phone socket)
In the case of 'pure' ('ab initio') FTTP that makes sense. However, I presume that in many (most?) cases it will have started as FTTC, so if they want to 'upgrade' that to FTTP, they will have to extend ('join to') the FTTC cable somewhere - will that be 'underground'?
Some fibre is underground, but also some on poles.
You get an unpowered joint, where the underground, or from the pole line finishes, and the indoor fibre. then continues to the ONT.
The ONT, needs power, and translates from fibre, to a copper network cable, feeding the router.
The router, also needing power, then routes it onto your LAN, wifi, and usually now, provides a VoIP connection for a normal phone.
Both the ONT, and router would need to have a backup supply, to be able to continue working, during a power outage - and so a third socket, to power that.
They certainly did, as in a certain block of flats near here which has FTTP and those exact ONTs from when it was built around 7 years ago.
However they have already been abandoned - the battery part still works if people can be bothered to put batteries in it, but when broadband service is ordered they get sent the usual standalone router and the phone plugs into the router. The ONT phone socket is not used and therefore the battery backup is useless.
Yup
Afaict there are four parts to an openreach FTTP connection, exchange to aggreation node, aggregation node to splitter, splitter to DP and DP to customer.
Exchange to aggregation node was built out as part of the FTTC rollout.
Aggregation node to splitter node to DP is normally built out on BT's initiative, before they start taking regular FTTP orders. There is a process called "fiber on demand" where you can pay them to build out but it's clearly intended as a special case.
DP to customer is only built out when someone actually orders a FTTP service.
I would expect that when a line carries both phone and broadband services, that information would be visible to both the phone and the broadband provider. Whether the phone and broadband provider can see exactly who is responsible for the other service I don't know.
What they won't know about is people who have broadband that is not delivered over their phone line.
Yup, that was certainly the case historically. My parents got their first broadband connection from Pipex on their BT phone line. Then when Pipex was bought by tiscali and turned to **** they moved to IDNET, all while keeping phone service with BT.
But then when they called up IDNET to switch from ADSL to FTTC they were sold a bundle deal.
FTTC and FTTP and dedicated fiber services share the same cables from the exchange to the aggregation node. Beyond that the three systems use seperate cables (though they will almost certainly share ducts and poles).
I'm 99% sure that the aggregation nodes were built with FTTP in mind, even though that was not the first service they were used for.
Yes I have one of those (well two actually) BT gave us a free one just for asking either online or by phone I think. I asked both ways just to be sure and hey presto I got 2 free of charge. You can have more if you pay I think its about £20 each and yes I have Smart Hub 2 so I can plug into that.
So I got one static (router) phone point and 2 I can plug into anwhere I got a mains socket .
So far so good but in a power cut they go down unless you got UPS running the Hub (they do warn you about this).
You can also wirelessly connect a BT/EE handset to the router. Given the amount of router changes, I think the handset would only end up as E waste in 2 years time, so don't even want to spend £5 on one lol !
MY BT handsets were quite a lot more than a fiver each. But they are nice to use and have loads of good features such as being able to export your contacts to a file. There was one instance I read about where a non-BT customer heard the words 'digital phone' and bought them, even though they only work on a BT fibre line with the newest hub. To be fair, BT do make it clear now on the website and packaging that this is the case. Before I bought them I did try the port on the back of the hub with my old phone and it worked OK - but it was ancient, so time to swap anyway. By the way, it's Community Fibre that doesn't let you use FTTP to dial abroad - anyone know why?
The copper part of our FTTC was laid in 1965 so 60 years and I have no doubts a lot much older still exists in the network.
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