All ten fibre-enabled street cabinets that were programmed to be installed in Bradley Stoke in order to bring superfast broadband to up to 3,500 homes that did not previously have access to it have now been declared “live and ready for service”.
The final cabinet to go live, no. 38 (on Brook Way, opposite the junction with Dewfalls Drive), is now accepting orders – although a source at South Gloucestershire Council (SGC), which is overseeing the state-aided upgrade project, cautioned that it might take “a couple of weeks” for all internet service providers to update their databases.
Cabinet no. 38 is one of four new fibre-enabled cabinets that have been installed in Bradley Stoke to service lines that were formerly ‘exchange only’ (EO), meaning that they were directly connected to the Almondsbury telephone exchange without passing through a street cabinet.
Work on the upgrade project began in earnest last February, starting with cabinet no. 35 on Webbs Wood Road. The first customer on that cabinet is believed to have been connected in early April.
Those on EO lines (understood to number around 1,700 homes in Bradley Stoke), had to wait the longest to receive the new service, with most finding they were unable to order until December.
SGC is yet to publish the list of postcodes served by cabinet no. 38 on its Where and When webpage, but one Journal reader in Merryweather Close has reported that he is served by the cabinet and has managed to place an order.
The postcodes currently listed for two other cabinets that were recently declared “live and ready for service” (nos. 30 & 36) appear to be incorrect as none of them are in Bradley Stoke, but feedback from Journal readers suggests they serve Oaktree Crescent and Stanshaws Close.
Unfortunately, the news is not all positive, as The Journal is receiving reports that some cabinets upgraded last summer have now “reached capacity”, meaning that no further orders are being accepted until “capacity can be restored”. This is currently the situation at cabinet no. 34, for which the BT Broadband Availability Checker is currently giving a projected date of 11th February 2015 for the restoration of capacity.
A source at South Gloucestershire Council told The Journal:
“On-going capacity needs for cabinets are part of Openreach’s operational responsibilities and are not related to our Superfast Broadband programme.”
“Openreach inform us that their timeline to increase capacity to a cabinet depends on the type of work needed. For example, an additional card upgrade may take a few weeks to plan and complete, whereas a copper wire upgrade may take a few months.”
“In normal circumstances Openreach’s monitoring arrangements would mean that this is done in advance of full capacity being reached, but where there is sudden and quick uptake (such as with the roll out programme) this is not always possible.”
Please help us keep our Superfast Broadband Upgrade Status page up-to-date. If you live within the SGC project intervention area and still can’t order fibre broadband, please leave a comment on this story, including your street name and cabinet number (the latter can be found using the BT Broadband Availability Checker; see instruction on the Superfast Broadband Upgrade Status page).
Kingfisher Close is served by cabinet 23. One house in the road has access to fibre because it is located next to Ellicks Close which does, the rest cannot because fibre wasn’t laid by the construction company that built the houses. The problem is that SGS has been told that there is provision in the road so refuse to assist. Annoyingly they will not contact Virgin to confirm the details of the limited provision. So everyone else is in a catch 22 and no fast broadband. Very frustrating!
@Mark Cunningham, Yes, Kingfisher Close was wrongly designated outside the SGC intervention area. You and your neighbours need to do everything you can to make sure your road is included in SGC’s planned phase 2 project. On my suggestion, Bradley Stoke Town Council included Kingfisher Close in its response to the phase 2 consultation.
Thank you to Ed Vaizey, Minister of State for Culture and the Digital Economy, for linking to THIS story in a tweet made yesterday.
Tweet: https://twitter.com/edvaizey/status/559765234471403521
Link: http://bit.ly/1yIYkx9
@SH (editor)
As requested anyone on a 0117 number that services Shiels Drive & Kemperleye Way, which are clearly in the intervention area can’t order Fibre service from BT and Virgin don’t provide that service to those areas.
Those lines being EO lines from the Filton Exchange.
I live in Bradley stoke with an EO line connected to the Filton Exchange (somerby close). Will it help if i get an additional new line – will this new line be also EO or will it be more sensibly connected to a cabinet ?
@Rajesh – I would expect ordering an additional BT telephone line will result in service being provided exactly as your existing EO line. You’re currently not connected to a cabinet because there is no cabinet. Therefore any additional lines will also be EOLs.
Thanks Richard – I was hoping that connecting a new EO line will be more work for BT than connecting to a nearby cabinet ! Probably won’t risk the connection charge if it is likely to be another EOL !
I read the BSJ when it drops through my letter box mostly for an update of what is happening with the broadband in the area but it seems that the main focus is on the Almondsbury exchange, there has been no mention of the Filton exchange for a fair while now. Please can an update be given about the progress of the super fast broadband from the Filton exchange especially for EO lines as mine is. It is so frustrating that I have to pay through the nose for fibre from virgin, when I first moved in I went with talk talk and was paying a quarter of what I am having to pay virgin but was getting less than 0.5 mb download speed. I thought this was talk Talks fault and had big argument arguments with them until I realised I neneeded fibre and what a surprise, no competition as virgin is the only company to provide to my house!!!! Sorry for the rant but like a number of people I am fed up with it, what is the answer? Is anything happening with the Filton exchange??
@Rachel, You don’t mention where you are, but if you have access to Virgin fibre, you will not benefit from the SGC state-aided programme, as it is not allowed to invest in areas that already have access to superfast broadband.
Well having read in the latest edition of the journal that fibre is now live to all cabin ates I’ve logged in trying to upgrade as I live in Wheatfield Drive served by cabinet 22. Everything online said it’s available but I’ve not been able to find any provider able to offer me a service, each company has said it’s not yet available. I’ve checked back to the bt wholesale broadband checker and no surprise, it says not available and doesn’t appear to be until 18th Feb.
No idea why, no one can tell me why, complete farce…….I’ll make do with my 0.5mb service!
@John, You’re right, Almondsbury cabinet no. 22 checker status is now: “Sorry your cabinet is temporarily unavailable, capacity will be restored as soon as possible (projected date 18/2/15).”
Similarly, for Almondsbury cabinet no. 34 (upgraded last summer): “Sorry your cabinet is temporarily unavailable, capacity will be restored as soon as possible (projected date 11/2/15).”
Sadly, it looks like we’re in for a repeat of the long-running available/unavailable saga that we saw with Filton cabinet no. 44 (commercial rollout).
On 29th January 2015, SGC released a revised list of postcodes said to be served by cabinet no. 30.
Compared to previously published information, this looks more plausible.
BS32 4EU Eagles Wood
BS32 4JF Hilton Hotel
BS32 4JQ Ash Ridge Road
BS32 4LB Woodlands Court
BS32 4NF Woodlands
BS32 4QA Ash Ridge Road
BS32 4QD Ash Ridge Road
BS32 4QE Ash Ridge Road
BS32 9AB Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AD Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AE Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AF Stanshaws Close
BS32 9AG Oaktree Crescent
However, it is noted that BS32 0BZ (Chessel Close) isn’t in the list, which the BT checker reports as being served by cabinet no. 30.
On 29th January 2015, SGC released a revised list of postcodes said to be served by cabinet no. 36.
Compared to previously published information, this looks more plausible.
BS32 0BQ Grange Close
BS32 8DS Fern Grove
BS32 9AB Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AF Stanshaws Close
BS32 9AH Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AJ Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9AL Stanshaws Close
BS32 9AQ Oaktree Crescent
BS32 9BA Courtlands
BS32 9BB Courtlands
BS32 9DA Brook Way Activity Centre
BS32 9DS Bradley Stoke Surgery
BS32 8DS Fern Grove is almost certainly incorrect as the BT checker returns cabinet no. 31 for this postcode.
Cabinet no. 34 checker result: “FTTC is currently not available on this cabinet due to following reasons:- Sorry your cabinet is temporarily unavailable, capacity will be restored as soon as possible.”
Capacity was due to be restored on 11th February 2015, but on that date, the projected availability date reported by the checker slipped to 11th March 2015. By that date, the cabinet will have been “out of capacity” for almost three months.
Frustrated residents who are still unable to order fibre broadband because their cabinet is “out of capacity” (e.g. nos. 22 & 34) are invited to send us a comment for inclusion in our March magazine. These comments will also be forwarded to SGC.
Please email comments to broadband@bradleystokejournal.co.uk, including your name, street and cabinet number.
Privacy note: We will only print/forward your first name, not your family name.
A reader reports that Filton cabinet no. 44 (Baileys Court Road/Ellan Hay Road) is showing FTTC temporarily unavailable due to capacity issues AGAIN! Sighs. Predicted availability date 18/3/15.
This cabinet was upgraded as part of BT’s commercial rollout programme in December 2013 and since then has been repeatedly out of capacity.
As much as I sympathise with those who cant order broadband due to lack of capacity… what about those who have Filton EO lines of which there are many in BS… who just want the chance to BE able to ordered in the first place… SGC in Phase 2 have now included Grey areas (already have fast broadband) as area’s they wish to upgrade and Filton EO lines due to cost have gone to the bottom of the list yet again if they make it onto the list this time.. SGC just want value for money. SGC are unable to supply any details on EO Lines so I need your help… if you have a Filton EO line in BS please email me with surname and postcode so I can include this in a letter to BDUK.. nellygarner@gmail.com
4th time now BT have failed to install BT Infinity 2, the engineer now says I’m connected to cabinet number 30 not 36!! BT wholesale broadband checker says I’m connected to cabinet 36. Does anyone at BT have a clue what they are doing! I’ve had enough now!
@Jon, That’s ridiculous. It’s bad enough that BT have failed to connect you to their system after four attempts, but additionally concerning because they have been given taxpayers’ money to help provide this new infrastructure.
I would advise contacting Jack Lopresti MP and making a formal complaint to South Gloucestershire Council.
Comments are now closed. Further discussion here:
MP asked to press BT over “lack of capacity” at broadband cabinets