Why can't I have fibre?

[camdave]

I live in a village in Cambridgeshire which has around 2,000 houses. We use our landline a lot so IDNet's ADSL2 package suits us perfectly and has done so for ten years.

I would however like to have the advantage of higher speeds (say 25 – 30 Mpbs). BT fibre is not available in our part of the village although Virgin is. I do find it odd that BT/Openreach only supply fibre to some of the properties, the exchange is in the village and less than a mile away as the crow flies.

Is there any way of contacting BT regarding this apparent anomaly and, more to the point, eliciting a sensible answer?

[nowster]

Is there any way of contacting BT regarding this apparent anomaly and, more to the point, eliciting a sensible answer?

Of course you can get FTTP, but expect to pay several thousand pounds for the privilege if they haven't already laid fibre to your nearest pole.

However, if you mean "marketing fibre" VDSL (FTTC) as against "real fibre" FTTP, that's purely up to OpenReach.

[andrue]

I live in a village in Cambridgeshire which has around 2,000 houses.

BT fibre is not available in our part of the village although Virgin is.

If VM is available in your part of the village why do you want fibre?

From a wider perspective having the exchange in the village could be a problem. A lot of BT lines might be EO which would mean additional cabinets would need to be built which adds a lot of expense making the economic case even more weak. That's not an issue for VM because they have to build cabinets anyway. The presence of VM will exacerbate things further because anyone looking to roll out a rival service can probably only count on the remaining non-VM properties as potential customers.

This kind of question often comes with a kind of 'what have I done to deserve this?' feeling. As if BT is punishing you and you think that by forcing them to admit it you will somehow change their mind. But that's not the case. The reason your village has the service(s) it has is because of money. BT (and other CPs) are not charities. They won't invest in your village's infrastructure unless they can get a reasonable return for their money.

It's not personal, it's business. You might as well ask why your village doesn't have a ten-screen multiplex cinema or a grocery superstore.

[camdave]

I want to stay with IDNet because the service and pricing structure etc. offers an extremely competitive package, especially with the discounts I have on the basic price. Virgin would actually cost more just for broadband and without the phone which, as I said, we use a lot.

I am well aware that BT/Openreach will only install FTTC or FTTP where it is commercially viable but as some properties on the same development as ourselves (all within a couple of hundred yards and built around fifty years ago) have BT fibre and Virgin I am surprised that we are (as yet) unable to have a high speed connection.

   

[andrue]

I want to stay with IDNet because the service and pricing structure etc. offers an extremely competitive package, especially with the discounts I have on the basic price. Virgin would actually cost more just for broadband and without the phone which, as I said, we use a lot.

That might not be a coincidence

If you want something you have to pay for it. If you and your neighbours were prepared to pay an appropriate amount for the service BT (or some other CP) might be prepared to install it. But if you're not prepared to put your hand in your pocket why should they bother?