Switching to EE from Virgin Media

[Ironduke12]

Hi, I have just assisted my mum in registering to switch to EE. She has got an installation date and my question is.

When the Virgin Media was installed 18 months ago, a new full fibre connection was installed to her house the first of any kind.. This was fed across the street from the (Openreach I presume) telegraph pole in the street. Down the house brickwork to a brown VM box, and then a cable into the house in to white box in which then goes to the existing router. Can EE utilise this existing install or do they have to install new?

EE seem to think from the emails received there is no full fibre connection, can they check remotely?

I assumed full fibre connections could be adopted by any provider, like the normal copper ADSL connections.

[Mustrum]

@Ironduke12   Virgin Media are the only company that can use their fibre.

Yes EE can check remotley and the service they provide is ove the Openreach network, in this case i assume there is a copper line alrady available.

The speeds you will get will depend on how far away the nearest cabinet is.

[Richardr66]

Virgin Media almost always use their own network which isn't available to other providers [and which doesn't usually use telegraph poles, but ducts from their green boxes to the home].

Openreach as used by EE and most other providers will therefore have to install a new cable.

[XRaySpeX]

VM could be making use of OR's poles & ducts under OR PIA for their Full Fibre but can't tell whether their final cable & 2 boxes will be compatible with OR's.

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

[JimM11]

@Ironduke12 No you have a standard XGS-PON connection on the VM Fibre network and it will be direct Fibre all the way to the VM 5x hub. Only VM can use that connection no one else, if OR do have Fibre up the pole now there will be a similar connection device called a CBT for the Openreach Fibre connection. They will do again similar to what you have for VM, run a new cable and through to the outside wall fit a ONT Fibre Modem connection and then the new EE Router that you will receive will connect to that device by an Ethernet cable from the WAN port to the ONT Lan port.

If you check on the OR Fibre site the address details will show you if FF is available at your home!

Fibre Checker

My son has the exact same setup as you describe and i supervised the Install for him back in Sept 2023, only difference now is he has the 2Gb/s symmetrical feed, and it's all working fine! No one else is on the connection as VM are just so expensive but he is a gamer and for him it's all about the speed that he THINKS that he needs!