Openreach Full Fibre Install

[AnfieldSouth16]

We are told we will get full fibre from Openreach in March this year. I now have Swish fibre putting in ducts in the street. Has anyone else had Openreach use ducts put in by Swish, or are we going to have 2 sets of ducts and 2 fibre networks? I take it Sky broadband is only available via the Openreach fibre network?

[Chrisee]

@AnfieldSouth16 Openreach will almost certainly lay their own ducts and dig the road up again. Sky have not as yet agreed to use any of the many Altnet fibre networks including large ones like City Fibre. 

Going by what happened in my own road the Openreach networks is very robust and quite deep in comparison with the network Virgin Media has put inthe previous year which was only an inch or so under the surface and not properly protected. Openreach's contractors demonstrated this  by breaking a neighbours fibre feed which literally was just under a grass verge.😡

[AnfieldSouth16]

Sounds like we will get 2 lots of road works then?

[Chrisee]

@AnfieldSouth16 yes in all likelehood in some areas you can more than 3 networks all laying yheir own cables it is getting rather silly.

[cuke]

Or even telegraph poles being installed next to each other because of the inability to share existing, or underground conduits...

[TimmyBGood]

@cuke 

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-humber-68006644 

That's Hull, though, and so the only place in the UK not within the remit of Openreach.

[cuke]

And poles https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12829029/Middle-England-revolt-relentless-spread-broadband-...

[TimmyBGood]

@cuke 

Interesting point in that article:

" Telecom companies are accused of not sharing underground ducts as they should in theory do. In many areas new cables can run underground until the final section from street to house, where a pole is the more economic than digging a new trench to carry the fibre optic cable. "

[AnfieldSouth16]

The wasted time and money and the carbon footprint of multiple ISP's digging up the road, and planting telegraph poles left, right, and centre is ridiculous?! I am minded to complain to OFCOM for what good it would do?!

[TimmyBGood]

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@AnfieldSouth16 wrote:

I am minded to complain to OFCOM for what good it would do?!

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Unfortunately Ofcom cannot over-rule relevant laws:

"...telegraph poles being erected by designated communications network operators for the expansion of Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) broadband do not need planning permission under the Electronic Communications Code (Conditions and Restrictions) 2003 and The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015; further that the only requirement on the operator is 28 days’ notice to the Local Planning Authority (LPA); further that there is no requirement to consider alternatives such as under-street cabling; further that the LPA can only make suggestions on siting which the telecoms company is under no obligation to follow; further that there is no requirement to inform residents of the installation and so no opportunity for them to inform the process; and further that the first knowledge residents will have of a telegraph pole being installed is when it appears in their street or outside their residence."

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2023-05-15/debates/23051516000024/PlanningPermissionForTelecom... 

[TimmyBGood]

Note the Government response was:

The 2003 regulations include requirements for operators to share apparatus where practicable; to use underground, rather than overground, lines where reasonably practicable, with certain exceptions; and when installing apparatus, to minimise the impact on the visual amenity of properties, potential hazards and interference with traffic as far as reasonably practicable.

As the independent regulator for telecommunications, Ofcom is able to take enforcement action in respect of breaches of the restrictions and conditions contained in the 2003 regulations if it has reasonable grounds to believe that operators are failing to comply with those requirements when deploying apparatus. Local planning authorities may inform Ofcom of any situations where they believe operators are not complying with their statutory duties.