Oxford Exchange

[dacarlo]

I've been waiting for an age to move off of a very expensive EE G.fast (out of contract) broadband. When I noticed last year around October that the BT Openreach fibre checker changed to ""we're building in this area now" I had hope that Oxford wasn't the black-hole of innovation I thought it was. Don't get me started on how poor the mobile signal is around here...

Anyway, my weekly check-in on the BT portal now says "We're planning to build in this area" which is essentially a two step regression. 

Given there' s no options to renew G.fast, no Virgin media and only low level 60Mbps broadband available on ludicrously long 24 month contracts everywhere, can anyone at EE explain to me what the heck is going on? We're supposed to all be on FTTP by December 2026 which looks like a target waiting to be missed at this point.

I just feel like I'm trapped and ripped off by EE at this time.

[JimM11]

@dacarlo Who said you are supposed to be on by dec 2026, think you have got the wrong information from somewhere!

Search for the Tranche that your exchange is on will give you some idea, you may also possibly just have to Altnet if that is what it takes.

[dacarlo]

No idea how to search the tranche.

You're right, I view it more as a ballpark of 2026 because BT Openreach tool is saying they intend to reach 25 million homes by December 2026, so perhaps I'm not part of that 25 million. Given the backward steps I'm inclined to just ignore their tool from now on.

[JimM11]

@dacarlo The BTW document is "" btw-product-stop-sells.pdf "" try that then find your actual exchange and it's not Oxford so that you are aware.

[XRaySpeX]

What does BT Wholesale Broadband Availability Checker > Address Checker estimate for your address? Post the whole table, the text below it and the line above it, blanking out your address.

[dacarlo]

Thanks. I found that doc* and it doesn't have Oxford (SMOF) which ThinkBroadband says is my exchange. 

*https://www.btwholesale.com/assets/documents/products-and-services/hosted-communications/all-ip/btw-... Maybe an old version of that stop-sell thing, I'll hunt around a bit more cheers.

[dacarlo]

on Exchange OXFORD is served by Cabinet 46

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream HandbackThreshold(Mbps) WBC FTTC Availability WBC SOGEA AvailabilityHigh Low High Low      VDSL Range A (Clean)

VDSL Range B (Impacted)

G.fast Range A (Clean)

G.fast Range B (Impacted)

80	78.1	20	19	72.9	Unavailable	Available
80	76.3	20	19	67.6	Unavailable	Available
236.4	176.7	34.9	15.3	152.9	Unavailable	Green
193.6	134.8	23.8	11.5	121.5	Unavailable	Green

Featured Products Downstream Line Rate(Mbps) Upstream Line Rate (Mbps) Downstream Range (Mbps) Availability Date FTTP Install ProcessFTTP on Demand

330

50

--

Available

--

Other Offerings Availability DateVDSL MulticastG.Fast Multicast

Available

Available

Exchange Product Restrictions StatusFTTP Priority ExchangeWLR WithdrawalSOADSL Restriction

N

Y

N

FTTP is not available.

The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme

As a WLR withdrawal exchange, product restrictions apply

SOADSL is not restricted at the exchange

For all ADSL and WBC Fibre to the Cabinet (VDSL or G.fast) services, the stable line rate will be determined during the first 10 days of service usage.

For all SOADSL services,the stable line rate will be determined during the first 10 days of service usage.

Actual speeds experienced by end users and quoted by CPs will be lower due to a number of factors within and external to BT's network, Communication Providers' networks and within customer premises.

In order to be eligible for handback, downstream speed should be less than Downstream Handback Threshold values.

If you decide to place an order for a WBC fibre product, an appointment may be required for an engineer to visit the end user's premises to supply the service

ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL availability: If shown at FTTP or SOGEA premises,ADSL, ADSL2+ and SOADSL are not available to order due to WLR Withdrawal stop sell rules. CPs should order FTTP or SOGEA. Copper products are only available by exception.

[JimM11]

@dacarlo As you say you have a G.Fast connection, then that's about as good as it get's currently until OR decide or an Altnet get's there first.

Oxford Exchanges - Telephone Exchanges

[XRaySpeX]

Yes, only G.Fast or the slower SoGEA are available there at the mo' & it'll stay that way until WBC FTTP appears in that table whatever the OR Checker is saying they are building. Even when OR say they have built the infrastructure FTTP won't be available to you until it is at your exchange & on sale by ISPs, at which time it will appear in that BTw table.

[dacarlo]

I have found a couple of alternative suppliers still offering g.fast and at £20/month cheaper and only 12 months I think I'll have to bite the bullet. Cost of living and all that!