Broadband Telegraph Poles

[westv]

Has anybody else had telegraph poles installed in their area to facilitate the provision of fibre broadband to their house?
I'm curious to know if any have also ended up with multiple poles from each provider.
Previously all our phone connections were underground.
Here it started with the main local provider KCom, then a company called Connexin installed poles, then one called MS3 and now one called Grain. So there will be four sets of poles from four companies in the area.
It is disappointing that there appears to be no sharing of infrastructure between any of the companies.

 

[Harpo]

Airband has put up its own poles for fibre here, in a street where BT’s copper connections are already on poles.

The new poles came with a legal notice quoting the law that allows their installation.

 

[sor]

I believe only Openreach and KCom are required to share their infrastructure with others. Though the history in Hull usually suggests that even though KCom are required to follow the same rules as BT, that doesn't mean anyone will take them up on the offer. Connexin have a lot to say about their history with KCom here - https://www.thinkbroadband.com/news...ter-in-response-to-kcom-pia-feasibility-study

The altnets who have "code powers" from Ofcom can do this stuff with little oversight.

 

[swt_passenger]

Puzzle. Why do many people still call them telegraph poles, long after they became telephone poles?

 

[westv]

Puzzle. Why do many people still call them telegraph poles, long after they became telephone poles?

Maybe to distinguish them from other "poles"?

 

[DerekC]

Puzzle. Why do many people still call them telegraph poles, long after they became telephone poles?

You could look at fibre broadband as a very advanced form of telegraph. Certainly not just a telephone!

 

[westv]

One thing that would put me off changing is that, apparently when you do, you get another fibre wire from the new company's post to your house in addition to the previous fibre wire from the old post.
If you ended up trying the above four companies over time you would end up with four wires coming in from different directions and from different posts.

You also get a new wall box on the inside of your house (in addition to the router) with each company so I'm guessing that could mean more holes.

 

[JamesT]

One thing that would put me off changing is that, apparently when you do, you get another fibre wire from the new company's post to your house in addition to the previous fibre wire from the old post.
If you ended up trying the above four companies over time you would end up with four wires coming in from different directions and from different posts.

You also get a new wall box on the inside of your house (in addition to the router) with each company so I'm guessing that could mean more holes.

Only if when you change ISP they're using a different underlying physical provider. We're very much in a growth phase. I expect it will consolidate down a similar situation to the copper landscape today where there are only a few providers in each area running cables and everyone else just resells over the top.

 

[Snow1964]

Airband has put up its own poles for fibre here, in a street where BT’s copper connections are already on poles.

The new poles came with a legal notice quoting the law that allows their installation.

Complete opposite here, the local broadband company seem to be connecting everyone by underground ducts, and openreach are adding more main ducts between the pavement access points. However our town has number of conservation areas and listed buildings so possibly they cannot add anything without heritage or planning permission.

There are some new poles away from town centre, (as direct replacements for shorter older poles), but they are normally electricity (where one black twisted fat cable replaces the former 4 separate cables, one above the other).

 

[westv]

Only if when you change ISP they're using a different underlying physical provider. We're very much in a growth phase. I expect it will consolidate down a similar situation to the copper landscape today where there are only a few providers in each area running cables and everyone else just resells over the top.

As mentioned, each ISP has it's own infrastructure.

 

[JamesT]

As mentioned, each ISP has it's own infrastructure.

They don't. For example Sky use Openreach and CityFibre to run the fibre into your home. If you already had something from one of those two providers then they wouldn't need another fibre.

 

[bleeder4]

I would imagine at some point all of these cables on poles will get buried underground instead. Around me for example all the cables are underground. The problem with cables on poles is strong wind, or a crashing car, can bring them down - affecting all properties that the pole was carrying a cable for.

 

[westv]

They don't. For example Sky use Openreach and CityFibre to run the fibre into your home. If you already had something from one of those two providers then they wouldn't need another fibre.

I don't think you have read the original post correctly.

 

[simonw]

I would imagine at some point all of these cables on poles will get buried underground instead. Around me for example all the cables are underground. The problem with cables on poles is strong wind, or a crashing car, can bring them down - affecting all properties that the pole was carrying a cable for.

Unlikely, it's much cheaper to run a fibre optic cable from a pole than dig a trench.

 

[Mojo]

l've just had Fibre broadband installed at my property. lt was only recently made available in my area. ln order to do so, the engineer had to run a new cable from the telegraph pole to the front of my house, so l now have two cables from the pole onto my house. l imagine it will get quite crowded if and when other people request it.

 

[TheTallOne]

BRSK have put a load of poles (and green/grey boxes) up in the Birmingham area. It's cheaper to do that than dig.

Disappointing that they aren't forced to put their infrastructure and cabling underground like BT and VM have done.

 

[AndrewE]

Zoom (and others, for all I know) are using the BT pole in our cul-de-sac... Lots of deep brackets off the top of the pole now, to the point that I imagine that it would be very tempting to a stork looking for a nesting platform!

Which prompts the question, if there is a stork nest on top of the pole how will they manage to fit new connections to it?

 

[styles]

Not something I'd opt for unless no other option, given the frequency at which the elements up here knock phone/broadband out of action, or as was the case last year, the poles fall into our garden and crush the fence.

 

[Snow1964]

Openreach now seem to put main cables underground, and many poles have main cable running up the pole from underground box before fanning out to houses. The connections between poles seem as if they are being removed.

There are some rural roads between villages around here where it is mixed, a few poles linked, then underground, then restarts on poles few hundred meters, then few hundred metres underground etc. Seems to be where it was affected by trees. Presumably if winds cause branches to break cables, that section is now moved underground.

 

[DoubleLemon]

They don't. For example Sky use Openreach and CityFibre to run the fibre into your home. If you already had something from one of those two providers then they wouldn't need another fibre.

Sky use their own backhaul and have been installing their own equipment into exchanges since the market was first opened up. They will use openreach to provide a service in areas where they don't have their own equipment installed. Its considerably cheaper for them to do this, it was planned like that in advance as there was and still is the desire to move to an IP based broadcast system and shut down most if not all of the satellites (they are expensive to run comparatively).

Not something I'd opt for unless no other option, given the frequency at which the elements up here knock phone/broadband out of action, or as was the case last year, the poles fall into our garden and crush the fence.

Being fibre from the backhaul to the socket in the wall - there is no danger from it getting wet unlike copper cable. It also doesn't degrade over time like copper will. A downed poll could break the cable, however its not that common and there's usually more damage done to underground cables.
Source: My ex used to work for BT

 

[JamesT]

Sky use their own backhaul and have been installing their own equipment into exchanges since the market was first opened up. They will use openreach to provide a service in areas where they don't have their own equipment installed. Its considerably cheaper for them to do this, it was planned like that in advance as there was and still is the desire to move to an IP based broadcast system and shut down most if not all of the satellites (they are expensive to run comparatively).

The thread has been about the 'last mile'. Sky will run their own backend, but they're not going to run fibres into premises.

 

[DoubleLemon]

The thread has been about the 'last mile'. Sky will run their own backend, but they're not going to run fibres into premises.

Yes they are as it will be a direct connection to the exchange - not terminating at the cabinet then using the copper. (full fibre is exactly as they say). Openreach may install it on behalf of sky as they make the order - but its connected using sky infrastructure the whole route.

 

[sor]

Yes they are as it will be a direct connection to the exchange - not terminating at the cabinet then using the copper. (full fibre is exactly as they say). Openreach may install it on behalf of sky as they make the order - but its connected using sky infrastructure the whole route.

Nope. James is correct. Openreach manage the network from the exchange to the home. In ye olde copper world (exchange based services such as ADSL) they really did just provide the wires for Sky to plug into at both ends, but with their FTTP it is Openrach equipment at both ends of the fibre and they do the (software) plumbing to connect Sky's equipment to Sky's customer. This is why you can migrate between Openreach ISPs without an installation visit or any physical works as it typically happens overnight, automatically.

You and your neighbours all connect into the same physical fibre (it is optically split somewhere near the premises) and you all share the capacity, regardless of which ISPs you all use.

This is also true for CityFibre as the other major wholesaler. The rise of the altnets changes things because when you move between altnets, or between an Openreach ISP and an altnet, this will require either new installation work or the reactivation of the equipment that was already installed. Multiple boxes on walls.

 

[jumble]

I would imagine at some point all of these cables on poles will get buried underground instead. Around me for example all the cables are underground. The problem with cables on poles is strong wind, or a crashing car, can bring them down - affecting all properties that the pole was carrying a cable for.

I would say there is zero chance of this happening as the costs of digging up the road must be astronomical compared with hanging cables
In central London G Networks have tp put their fibres in the middle of the road
Imaging what fun it is if they fail in junction box a busy street
They need permission from the council to close the road then traffic management etc
This turned a 24 hour SLA into 2 weeks without service ( admittedly during the height of Covid)

Openreach have the pavements and so can fix far faster

Has anybody else had telegraph poles installed in their area to facilitate the provision of fibre broadband to their house?
I'm curious to know if any have also ended up with multiple poles from each provider.
Previously all our phone connections were underground.
Here it started with the main local provider KCom, then a company called Connexin installed poles, then one called MS3 and now one called Grain. So there will be four sets of poles from four companies in the area.
It is disappointing that there appears to be no sharing of infrastructure between any of the companies.

City fibre came and installed on the same existing poles as Openreach in our street even joining between poles overground when Openreach fibre and telecom pole to pole is underground

 

[westv]

City fibre came and installed on the same existing poles as Openreach in our street even joining between poles overground when Openreach fibre and telecom pole to pole is underground

Here, there is no co-ordination like that sadly.