[*MikeB*]

Originally Posted by GrannyGruntbuck

No idea if I am directly wired to the exchange.

My phone line comes from a telegraph pole if that gives a clue?

No you could be connected to a pole either way. If you're in the same road as the exchange and close to it, you'll be direct wired.

[Rossby41]

Eeeeee my exchange is on the list.

The Cabinet is only down road aswell (and the exchange is not much further).

[Earake]

Originally Posted by jjesso123

Earake what happens to the people that are not 1km from the exchange ? Do they never get fibre ? I'm near the same distance as you from my exchange.

I'm guessing but all the streets in my location have large numbers of Virgin cable users

[chopoff]

Is there any drop-off on fibre the further you are from the exchange - I'm guessing no as it is fibre, but I'm totally behind the times and have zero knowledge of the technology.

[joshua_welby]

Originally Posted by chopoff

Is there any drop-off on fibre the further you are from the exchange - I'm guessing no as it is fibre, but I'm totally behind the times and have zero knowledge of the technology.

You can get a good Broadband signal far away from the exchange with Fibre, as Fibre is not relliant on the length of the cable/wire like with copper,
that is why people who live far away from the exchange get good download speeds, there is no drop off with fibre - the answer to your question is No

[jjesso123]

Originally Posted by joshua_welby

You can get a good Broadband signal far away from the exchange with Fibre, as Fibre is not relliant on the length of the cable/wire like with copper,
that is why people who live far away from the exchange get good download speeds, there is no drop off with fibre - the answer to your question is No

But then why are bt not fitting cabs 1.5km + away from the exchange ?

[chopoff]

Is there a list of cabinet locations anywhere, even if it isn't complete? I don't really fancy walking about aimlessly hunting it down!

[PorkSausage]

Originally Posted by chopoff

Is there any drop-off on fibre the further you are from the exchange - I'm guessing no as it is fibre, but I'm totally behind the times and have zero knowledge of the technology.

Except that BT's so called SFBB fibre product isn't fibre all the way.

it is FTTC - Fibre to the cabinet. It then uses copper for the final drop to the home.

If you live more than ~1.5km from the cabinet then SFBB won't be particularly fast.

[joshua_welby]

Originally Posted by PorkSausage

Except that BT's so called SFBB fibre product isn't fibre all the way.

it is FTTC - Fibre to the cabinet. It then uses copper for the final drop to the home.

If you live more than ~1.5km from the cabinet then SFBB won't be particularly fast.

Some areas are very lucky and the get the Full Fibre product - FTTH/P, that is Fibre all the way to the home or Business Premises, with higher download speeds

[chopoff]

Originally Posted by PorkSausage

Except that BT's so called SFBB fibre product isn't fibre all the way.

it is FTTC - Fibre to the cabinet. It then uses copper for the final drop to the home.

If you live more than ~1.5km from the cabinet then SFBB won't be particularly fast.

Got you. Sounds like I need to go box hunting.

[*MikeB*]

Originally Posted by PorkSausage

Except that BT's so called SFBB fibre product isn't fibre all the way.

it is FTTC - Fibre to the cabinet. It then uses copper for the final drop to the home.

If you live more than ~1.5km from the cabinet then SFBB won't be particularly fast.

Neither is Virgin's, but they all get away with calling it fibre.

VDSL2 is quite a good technology and speeds will improve over the years.

[hanssolo]

Fujitsu with Talktalk, Virgin and perhaps Sky will set up an alternitive fibre network to BT in some rural areas.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networki...work-40092502/

On 4 April, Fujitsu joined Virgin Media, TalkTalk and other ISPs in writing to communications minister Ed Vaizey. In their letter, they complained that BT's terms for allowing access to its poles and ducts are unfair and BT is trying to charge too much for public infrastructure access (PIA).

On Wednesday, Fujitsu made clear that its newly-announced fibre plans will not go ahead unless it gets its way on PIA, which is a key part of the government's strategy to open up the super-fast broadband market.

Think the issue of them getting access to BT's poles and ducts is ongoing!

[willthetech]

wish I could get 1Mb speed, too rural too few dwellings. Kent County Council wasting some of their money on "trials" from V-Fast (wireless, but they tell me I have too many trees around my house) and Avanti (satellite, far too expensive and incredibly low usage allowance- no 'unlimited' here).

What really needs to happen is a national full scale fibre infrastructure independent of ISPs with access leased back to them to provide services to the customer (as I believe proposed by Fujitsu). Any other use of Government/EU/ Local Authority and any other grant aid is being frittered away without looking ahead to future generations let alone 2nd Gen.

[cynet]

Finally Ramsgate but wait 2012, we might all be dead by then, FU BT

[Faust]

From what I've seen and read about BT Infinity my thoughts are this - those that already have fast BB i.e. 20mbps service are going to get even faster BB and those of us stuck on ADSL Max or worse are staying where we are i.e. the slow lane. Just about sums up the fairness in this country.

[jjesso123]

Originally Posted by hanssolo

Fujitsu with Talktalk, Virgin and perhaps Sky will set up an alternitive fibre network to BT in some rural areas.
http://www.zdnet.co.uk/news/networki...work-40092502/

Think the issue of them getting access to BT's poles and ducts is ongoing!

I hoped they get sorted. They could be my only hope off getting fibre this decade................

[Ray266]

I have just checked & phoned BT & we are not on the list to get infinity anytime soon, Looking at the list it seems to me they are upgrading smaller areas first, & no if your with another isp you won't get the speed infinity has you have to be with BT makes sense I suppose, I wish we had cable here I would have that like a shot.

[Faust]

Originally Posted by Ray266

I have just checked & phoned BT & we are not on the list to get infinity anytime soon, Looking at the list it seems to me they are upgrading smaller areas first, & no if your with another isp you won't get the speed infinity has you have to be with BT makes sense I suppose, I wish we had cable here I would have that like a shot.

Most of us would simply settle for an LLU operator or WBC. Some subscribers don't realise when they're well off.

[DavidT]

Originally Posted by Faust

From what I've seen and read about BT Infinity my thoughts are this - those that already have fast BB i.e. 20mbps service are going to get even faster BB and those of us stuck on ADSL Max or worse are staying where we are i.e. the slow lane. Just about sums up the fairness in this country.

I’m actually getting fed up of local press coverage of Broadband in Devon. Papers like North Devon Journal and Western Morning News just do not seem to understand what it is they are writing about.

NDJ recently ran an article about one local exchange getting “superfast” next year. Actually its getting an upgrade to the “up to 20meg” service. Not superfast at all. Also the article although not explicitly saying so gave the impression that those currently on very poor connections would see a huge benefit. Of course they won’t and probably won’t see any improvement as the 20meg works faster over shorter distances. If you have a poor connection now chances are it won’t help. You need fibre.

These articles are usually accompanied by someone from BT telling us that this is a demonstration of BT’s commitment to Devon (the UK’s worst served area remember). Then there will be a local business leader saying what wonderful progress this is (someone else who clearly doesn’t get or understand it). Its coming to something when the local paper can devote a half page to an article on one exchange out of several hundred getting an upgrade to 20meg.

Nest year there will be lots of disappointed people when they find out their sub 1meg connection is still sub 1meg.

I and many others have commented and written to the local press on a number of occasions about this and asking them to ask BT proper questions and explaining that what they are is really misleading but it all falls on deaf ears.

The rest of us in Devon still have no prospect of a 20meg service upgrade let alone superfast. Our only hope is the government funding that Devon County Council have received and about which they have been totally silent apart from a couple of pointless Press Releases about their ambitions and initiatives. There is already talk that this funding is not what it seems. What is more worrying is that it seems impossible to get the message across publicly that the only way to help many is fibre or equivalent. People on my small exchange who currently can’t get a proper connection at all will not benefit from a 20meg service.

[willthetech]

David T is exactly right about the misleading claims through the media. Even in well served areas there are far too many 'not spot' locations which keep getting overlooked and most of the proposals mooted are just talk.
We really do need a 'universal infrastructure' push with decisions about which isp to go with being a consumer decision made when hooking up to a service. Funding should be found now (creating employment and 'growth' right now) and repayment should be made by a 'levy' on isps when using the network.
This is not a new concept; there are universal infrastructure roads, electricity supplies and telephone connections, why not fibre broadband?

[moox]

Originally Posted by Faust

From what I've seen and read about BT Infinity my thoughts are this - those that already have fast BB i.e. 20mbps service are going to get even faster BB and those of us stuck on ADSL Max or worse are staying where we are i.e. the slow lane. Just about sums up the fairness in this country.

Not everyone. I am stuck on 8Mbit ADSL, until next year when we get fibre to the cabinet.

I'm fortunate that my line is not very long to begin with, and that I live in a village that is deemed worthy of FTTC even when public money is involved (Cornwall - not everywhere is getting FTTC - the bits that are truly back of beyond are being considered for 4G and other technologies with a trial happening not too far from me).

It's nice to be one of the first to get something for once. We only got ADSL in 2005 at the near end of BT's massive ADSL rollout.

[moox]

Originally Posted by DavidT

The rest of us in Devon still have no prospect of a 20meg service upgrade let alone superfast. Our only hope is the government funding that Devon County Council have received and about which they have been totally silent apart from a couple of pointless Press Releases about their ambitions and initiatives. There is already talk that this funding is not what it seems. What is more worrying is that it seems impossible to get the message across publicly that the only way to help many is fibre or equivalent. People on my small exchange who currently can’t get a proper connection at all will not benefit from a 20meg service.

Then maybe your council should pull the finger out of its rear. Cornwall Council, along with the EU, have been quite vigorous in securing public funding for our rollout.

[zx50]

It would be great if my ISP got FTTC in. It's fast enough at the moment though.

[DavidT]

Originally Posted by moox

Then maybe your council should pull the finger out of its rear. Cornwall Council, along with the EU, have been quite vigorous in securing public funding for our rollout.

Yes it has but Cornwall's funding isn't the same as Devon's. Devon's is not EU funding. They have talked about getting some but don't have any yet. That's why Cornwall is so far ahead. In particular even though Devon is every bit as poor as Cornwall we don't qualify for the same EU funding. We can't get the same funding as you as we aren't seen as poor in the same way even though we are.

You just can't get any meaningful information from DCC. Its very unclear what the funding DCC has received from central government will actually be spent on. There is already talk locally that all is not as it seems. It is worrying just how much publicity is made when just one exchange out of many 100's is getting an up to 20 meg service that won't actually do anything for those on poor connections anyway.

Frankly it concerns me that this is seen as some great stride forwards. If that is what is happening on larger exchanges in Devon what hope for the rest of us? A 20 meg service will not help those on my small exchange they will need to fibre but on a 480 line exchange will it ever happen?

[DavidT]

Originally Posted by willthetech

David T is exactly right about the misleading claims through the media. Even in well served areas there are far too many 'not spot' locations which keep getting overlooked and most of the proposals mooted are just talk.
We really do need a 'universal infrastructure' push with decisions about which isp to go with being a consumer decision made when hooking up to a service. Funding should be found now (creating employment and 'growth' right now) and repayment should be made by a 'levy' on isps when using the network.
This is not a new concept; there are universal infrastructure roads, electricity supplies and telephone connections, why not fibre broadband?

I'm not in the know but there is local talk that DCC have no idea what they are doing. Rumour is that they made a joint bid with Somerset CC as a hand holding exercise and had to be dragged all the way along. There are concerns more money will be spent empire building than actually getting superfast broadband in to the area.

As I've mentioned it is worrying when they are trumpeting a 20meg upgrade on one exchange as something brilliant. It suggests they don't really have any idea and also that this in itself is some sort of solution. That's plain scary.

Then DCC funding is also reliant on finding additional funding from private investors. However we have 100s of small exchanges where frankly it is laughable to think any private investor would be interested. We are told the intention is for 85% to have superfast broadband by 2015 and the rest by 2020. There is absolutely no information on anything actually happening though.

I have many clients for whom it is now compulsory to carry out some tasks online. No allowance is given regarding the availability of an internet connection. They are actually expected to travel to their nearest "local" library with all their paperwork and do it there. That could be 30 mile round trip or more.