BT Infinity - anyone got it yet?

[Sputnik]

One thing I don't understand, if this is a fibre optic service, why do I need to have a BT phoneline? Is it just because BT want a prior account?

Because they use their copper phone line between your house and the nearest cabinet that has fibre optic.

[directhex]

One thing I don't understand, if this is a fibre optic service, why do I need to have a BT phoneline? Is it just because BT want a prior account?

This is FTTC - Fibre To The Cabinet. From the cabinet to your property is VDSL over copper. Virgin Media is also FTTC, but connects via DOCSIS 3 over coaxial cable, rather than VDSL over the existing phone cabling.

FTTP - Fibre To The Premises - is something else like Verizon FiOS in the USA.

[peterb]

BT - unlike any other telco, are legally required to provide a 24x7 999 emergency service and a 50volt DC supply to every subscriber. The 50V is to power passive telephone equipment so that you can make a 999 call at any time (and exchanges have battery banks and often a generator) to provide that maintained supply.

In some areas they are providing (as a trial) fibre to the premises, but they still have to provide that copper pair to fulfil their licence requirement, which adds to the cost.

[MarcLister]

Because they use their copper phone line between your house and the nearest cabinet that has fibre optic.

This is FTTC - Fibre To The Cabinet. From the cabinet to your property is VDSL over copper. Virgin Media is also FTTC, but connects via DOCSIS 3 over coaxial cable, rather than VDSL over the existing phone cabling.

FTTP - Fibre To The Premises - is something else like Verizon FiOS in the USA.

Cheers, how I forgot that, I'll never know!

[Blackmage]

I wonder if we'll ever get FTTH/P?

[Jay]

I don't think my area will ever see FTC to be honest, it started in Manchester worked its way down the M62 and is going to go into Prescot and Liverpool, we are between Manchester and Prescot.

It does make me laugh when I see the London and SE of UK list of enabled areas when put next to other parts of the UK.

Looks like its passed us by sadly.

[Blastuk]

Finally bit the bullet and ordered it.
Estimated 27d/6u
Currently

Will update once it gets installed on the 1st.

now

[peterb]

I don't think my area will ever see FTC to be honest, it started in Manchester worked its way down the M62 and is going to go into Prescot and Liverpool, we are between Manchester and Prescot.

It does make me laugh when I see the London and SE of UK list of enabled areas when put next to other parts of the UK.

Looks like its passed us by sadly.

Same here. The adjacent exchange has got it - last pole on that exchange is about 200 yards from my house.

[directhex]

[TheAnimus]

Cabinets are on my street, including the one 50 meters away from my house, but they're not been switched on till Jan?!

Apparently they would have been switched on in May, but some stupid little retards decided to wire up important places like Cornwall first. This sucks because its tax payers money, that has been spent so fewer people get fibre? Rather than doing the most profitable areas first, they have decided to hook up areas with fewer residents, fewer connections, less money to re-invest etc.

So government spending has again hurt the economy, and incontinenced many. Yey!

[directhex]

Cabinets are on my street, including the one 50 meters away from my house, but they're not been switched on till Jan?!

Apparently they would have been switched on in May, but some stupid little retards decided to wire up important places like Cornwall first. This sucks because its tax payers money, that has been spent so fewer people get fibre? Rather than doing the most profitable areas first, they have decided to hook up areas with fewer residents, fewer connections, less money to re-invest etc.

So government spending has again hurt the economy, and incontinenced many. Yey!

The activation dates are heavy estimates. We were originally estimated for March, then September, and it went live in August.

[Blastuk]

Just an update, it seems my line has stabilised at around 31.5 Mb and upload has stayed around 8 Mb

[peterb]

Cabinets are on my street, including the one 50 meters away from my house, but they're not been switched on till Jan?!

Apparently they would have been switched on in May, but some stupid little retards decided to wire up important places like Cornwall first. This sucks because its tax payers money, that has been spent so fewer people get fibre? Rather than doing the most profitable areas first, they have decided to hook up areas with fewer residents, fewer connections, less money to re-invest etc.

So government spending has again hurt the economy, and incontinenced many. Yey!

Tax payers money? Bt are a PLC, so it is shareholders money! And even if it is being subsidised by the government, funnily enough, people in Cornwall pay tax too. And perhaps wiring up Cornwall might encourage compamies there to be more competitive and help regenerate the local economy. Funnily enough, the world does not end outside the M25 ring - there really aren't dragons there, and you won't fall off the edge.

And who says they would have been switched on in May? Some mate who heard it from Fred who overheard a conversation by Doris, whose sister's boyfriend had a temporary job with BT two years ago?

And please tone down the rant - "retard" is not a particular pleasant term of abuse, and one that is not appropriate here. I understand the frustration that not having infinity is preventing you from wiping out the credit crisis in a stroke, but I'm sure the rest of us will cope.

[TheAnimus]

Tax payers money? Bt are a PLC, so it is shareholders money!

I'm talking about the subsidies obviously... That was an awful lot of taxpayers money.

And even if it is being subsidised by the government, funnily enough, people in Cornwall pay tax too.

Which is it, and they really don't pay much. When you look at the amount who are NEET there is very large. I fail to see how fibre to the curve will help that...

And perhaps wiring up Cornwall might encourage compamies there to be more competitive and help regenerate the local economy.

I know the areas in question for the fibre rollout.... The biggest industry by far is tourisim, so this will at the most, allow hotels to fit all there residents on one broadband connection, its going to really help...

Funnily enough, the world does not end outside the M25 ring - there really aren't dragons there, and you won't fall off the edge.

I'm not saying it does, simply that by interfering with market forces, giving a lot of lib dem voters and some tory voters pork barrell, they have mearly reduced the number of people who will benefit. When you take in to account the lower subscribers there wont be the revenue for immediate re-investment.

And who says they would have been switched on in May? Some mate who heard it from Fred who overheard a conversation by Doris, whose sister's boyfriend had a temporary job with BT two years ago?

The BT engineer who accidently disconnected my phone line a couple of weeks ago, then crossed it with number 34, before making it take 6 hours to get my Be connection back. So a reliable chap I grant you.

My point is thou, they have interfered with the free market because they "know who needs its better" they have said that a few subscribers getting it sooner are worth more than a large number of subscribers getting it sooner. I know from FSB (Fed of Small Biz, not the russians) meetings in that part of the world no one is lamenting the lack of fibre to the curve for their business growth.

As such at a time when we are forcing painful cuts on society, rubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishrubbishing money which will have only the effect of reducing growth makes me sick.

[Neo_VR]

so... use the BT vDSL modem.. is that free with BT then? is it any good?

then use Draytek as a switch?

Just incase anyone is unaware.. its *very important* that the openreach modem is mounted on a wall, or at least on its side with good airflow.
They are reknown for overheating and dying when left flat (as mine did last week)

Slightly annoyingly, getting it replaced also means a engineer visit.. but to be fair the whole fault-logging/resolution call with BT went well, they called back when they said and the whole thing could have been resolved in 3 days if id been available for an engineer.

Mine is now wall-mounted, the engineer also said it was a revised model which shouldn't suffer the same issue.

Also the eng said that BT are hoping to make 80meg available before the end of the year

[peterb]

<---snip

Also the eng said that BT are hoping to make 80meg available before the end of the year

Yes, I think all the equipment is 80Mb/s capable, but during the rollout it is being limited to 40. I guess it is while they are assessing reliability, and possibly upgrading all the backbone infrastructure.