[Gllug] Broadband options

[Christopher Hunter]

On Sun, 2010-10-10 at 10:00 +0000, Chris Bell wrote:
> Hello,
>    Can someone please clear some of the fog from the BT.com website, or
> suggest a suitable website for reference. There appears to be a deliberate
> clouding of the view. On offer are "Total Broadband", "Fibre connected"
> broadband, up to 20Mbps, up to 40Mbps, BT Infinity, etc.
>   
>    A small business area that I know has complained for a very long time
> about the current data rate, over a mile from the local exchange. Some
> businesses have enquired about fibre and have been quoted 5000.00 pounds for
> installation, but without any explanation, (fibre to the cabinet, fibre to
> the building, or likely speed). I went past the area last weekend and saw
> three BT vans lined up and a group of BT riggers pulling a new fibre through
> the ducts. I asked whether they were running fibre to the cabinet and was
> told no, this is for another building further along the road, fibre to the
> cabinet was already available, with a connection node just outside the
> fence.
>    I do not need incredible speed at home but do want to download an average
> of perhaps 2GB, very occasionally up to perhaps 10GB, per day, mainly
> overnight, and would like to have a fairly reliable connection.
>    According to the BT website both areas are scheduled to have fibre to the
> cabinet available at the end of March 2011.
>    Are areas with Fibre To The Cabinet to be totally switched to that?
> Immediately? If so, what speeds will be offered, minimum, maximum, or
> considered normal? Is the background infrastructure likely to be available
> or are quoted speeds the best that can be expected for a few minutes
> overnight?
>    Will I still be able to use my own modem or only one provided by BT? Will
> I need to purchase new phones? Will businesses need to replace their PABX
> systems or should we all change to an internet/IP based system?
>    What differences would there be if I am currently connected through
> another ISP? Will I need to provide local power, with increasingly important
> local backup? I can not rely on local power, and have already suffered from
> several local mains feeder faults, including shorts between phases bodged but
> not fixed for over a year. A mobile phone is no use when the battery is flat.
> 
> -- 
> Chris Bell www.chrisbell.org.uk (was www.overview.demon.co.uk)
> Microsoft sells you Windows ... Linux gives you the whole house.
> 

BT are not (at present) providing fibre to the premises.  Where they do,
they charge outrageous prices (I have engineers installing fibre all the
time and know what it costs).  They are only providing fibre to their
cabinets.  The local end (to you) will remain crappy twisted pair, and
the data rates you receive will not change significantly.  There may be
a slight improvement as the ADSL signals arriving at the cabinets will
be in slightly better condition, but the last few hundred metres are
what really kills the signal.

In a few test areas, BT are providing fibre to the home - we have it
here - and they basically provide a fibre terminator that converts the
optical signal to twisted pair - this is them distributed around your
house on the existing cabling.  However, the data port is properly
separate, and you can get much higher data rates (>150 Mb/s is possible
but not available - that's what I get with similar set-up in Finland).
BT want the data connection to provide cable TV services, and aren't
really interested in providing good quality 'net connections (despite
their advertising), as they don't think that they can make much profit
on it!

The domestic fibre terminator requires mains power and has no battery
back-up in the event of power failure, so you will be unable to dial 999
when you really might need to!  This is an oversight on the part of BT,
but was pointed out to them repeatedly over the last 30 years (FTTH has
been mooted since the early 80s, when I worked at Martlesham).  Domestic
fibre connection was only considered possible when mobile phones became
ubiquitous, for this reason!

At Martlesham, back in the early 80s, we worked on basic domestic fibre
(considered much too expensive at the time) and domestic co-axial cable
fed systems - the idea (at the time) was to provide both phone and TV
services and an equivalent of the French "Minitel" data system - email
and other data services (directory enquiries and billing information)
were actually envisaged at the time!

Chris - if your mains power provision is so bad, you really need to give
EDF a hard time.  Get support from your GP - the "stress" is a health
risk factor that will concern the Doctor, and a little prompting from
you will persuade him to write to EDF in your support.  You also need to
point out the other risks to you that are associated with loss of power,
and explain carefully that any damage to your equipment sustained due to
their negligence will result in their being sued.  You also need to
involve your neighbours - they will be suffering the same problems.

I'm in litigation against EDF at the moment because they destroyed my
desktop computer, my central heating controller and my video recorder
power supply because of a huge spike.  I'm typing this using the new
machine that arrived from Novatech yesterday!  My neighbours on the same
phase have also had some equipment damage.  EDF really don't seem to
care much, so need their minds focussed!

Chris


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