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Community Fibre build in North London

Lots of activity in Enfield this week. Work going on in Lancaster Road, Chase Side and Green Lanes. Also lots of activity in Harrow, for the person asking about that earlier. All this is making me optimistic that these areas are going live in the next few month
 
Thanks for the suggestion! It's been 7 months since I received the leaflet through the door. Just phoned CS, gave them my exact address (what used to be the Charles Church development off Chalk Lane and down Verwood Drive) and they said the ETA is the end of this May. Only a few more months then!
Received CF leaflet through the door exactly a year ago.

Phoned them up about 5 months ago and was told the end of May.

August now and fortunately I'm not holding my breath!
 
Hello All, new member here, just found this forum/thread and have read the last 5 or 6 pages.

I'm in a very frustrating position where I'm being price gouged by Virgin Media but have no other high speed options available, at the moment.....

I live in Bush Hill Park EN1 and am paying VM £45.25 for 130M coax cable, price was raised from £38.25 back in May.

Over the Christmas and January period we had the Open Infra people calling at the door getting interest in there new rollout of 1Gig fibre(900mb) at very reasonable price - it ended up being £30/month for three years contract.... if and when it finally arrived.

This was to me a great deal as it is not only cheaper and faster but symmetrical upload, and I sometimes have to transfer very large amounts of data (~50-100GB of video files) which is a non starter with my current 20M upload! (alternative methods used).

I signed up straight away!

Open Infra needed 40% uptake in the area and, other than an improved offer with a longer term, there hasn't been any more info/contact from them.

Having read this thread and seen that there is fibre construction going on in the general Enfield area I thought I'd contact Open Infra and see what time scale there was, if any.

Reply came this morning...

"Unfortunately we have not yet received the required percentage of interest (40%) in your area. A building decision is sent out to all signed up customers once enough interest is reached. The ambition timeline of network completion is 6 - 9 Months after the building decision is received."

So nothing happening in the near future there!

As this thread discusses, Community Fibre is coming to the area (as their website says), but when.....!

VM are offering the same speed as I currently have for effectively £28.50/month, but for 24 months contract, and even cheaper on Money Saving Expert website - effectively £21.78/m with a bill credit, 18m contract! (All this is for New Customers)

I'm sure a bit of haggling with retentions could get me near or better than these deals, but for how long a contract......

It's looking like Fibre isn't going to available where I live for at least 6-12 months, at a guess, ...... but trying to save money with Virgin will possibly cost me in the long run if I'm stuck for an extra year (albeit with a functioning, reasonably fast broadband service).

Apologies for the long rant as a first post!!

Hopefully some better news in the next 6 months....????

Cheers, neil
 
With Virgin, you actually do need to give notice to get the best retention prices. Just negotiating with the people who answer the phone will usually yield a discount but not much. The retention people will call a day or two after you serve notice and can offer better pricing than standard customer services. But you will be tied into a new minimum term if they retain you.

Is there some local social media group you can target to drum up some more support for the Open Infra solution? Highlighting how the local community is being price gouged by the likes of Virgin and other established players unless you (as a community) can get some competition in your local area is a good place to start.
 
@neilpercy

While Community Fibre seems to have an aim of increased coverage, until you see their installation it is an indeterminate time away.

Their preferences seem to be buildings fed by overhead phone lines or blocks of flats with cooperative freeholders/management companies.

If your home fits either category my guess is that you stand a chance of service in the medium term.

By “medium term” I would guess that even a 2 year renewal on your current service might not be too long.

I’m sorry to be a bit negative but unless there are local signs of installation at the moment it will be a while.
 
Hello All, new member here, just found this forum/thread and have read the last 5 or 6 pages.

I'm in a very frustrating position where I'm being price gouged by Virgin Media but have no other high speed options available, at the moment.....

I live in Bush Hill Park EN1 and am paying VM £45.25 for 130M coax cable, price was raised from £38.25 back in May.

Over the Christmas and January period we had the Open Infra people calling at the door getting interest in there new rollout of 1Gig fibre(900mb) at very reasonable price - it ended up being £30/month for three years contract.... if and when it finally arrived.

This was to me a great deal as it is not only cheaper and faster but symmetrical upload, and I sometimes have to transfer very large amounts of data (~50-100GB of video files) which is a non starter with my current 20M upload! (alternative methods used).

I signed up straight away!

Open Infra needed 40% uptake in the area and, other than an improved offer with a longer term, there hasn't been any more info/contact from them.

Having read this thread and seen that there is fibre construction going on in the general Enfield area I thought I'd contact Open Infra and see what time scale there was, if any.

Reply came this morning...

"Unfortunately we have not yet received the required percentage of interest (40%) in your area. A building decision is sent out to all signed up customers once enough interest is reached. The ambition timeline of network completion is 6 - 9 Months after the building decision is received."

So nothing happening in the near future there!

As this thread discusses, Community Fibre is coming to the area (as their website says), but when.....!

VM are offering the same speed as I currently have for effectively £28.50/month, but for 24 months contract, and even cheaper on Money Saving Expert website - effectively £21.78/m with a bill credit, 18m contract! (All this is for New Customers)

I'm sure a bit of haggling with retentions could get me near or better than these deals, but for how long a contract......

It's looking like Fibre isn't going to available where I live for at least 6-12 months, at a guess, ...... but trying to save money with Virgin will possibly cost me in the long run if I'm stuck for an extra year (albeit with a functioning, reasonably fast broadband service).

Apologies for the long rant as a first post!!

Hopefully some better news in the next 6 months....????

Cheers, neil
Think what situation will be worst for you:
1) Being on a contract with VM and unable to switch to CF or OI
2) Paying for VM monthly prices for 18 months waiting for CF or OI to be available

Choose the least worse option.
 
@neilpercy I'm also in Bush Hill Park with the same predicament as you. Open Infra sent me a email recently saying that my road had reached the required sign ups and they would start construction in Q3 of this year. I would follow up with them for the latest information on your road.

The hopes of me getting community fibre are low, I live on a road with all the telecommunications going underground. I'll be surprised if Open Infra even install on our road but we will have to see. Virgin Media has such a monopoly over us!
 
CF has changed they logo and website fully. @Mark.J
 
I have since seen activity on bidb at the end of my street; first for some sort of enclosure / box and now for unblocking of ducts (probably in response to the connections being burned as mentioned above) by start of Sept. I'm getting my hopes up I will be able to sign up in Sept!
 
For some reason they stuck an embargo on all this, despite already putting it live on their site, which is a good way to **** off a journo :) . But only a few minutes left until that lifts.

The long brand guideline pack was indeed an interesting waste of time. Basically there's a new logo, it's green, everything is now quite green, and that's.. about.. it.
 
For some reason they stuck an embargo on all this, despite already putting it live on their site, which is a good way to **** off a journo :) . But only a few minutes left until that lifts.

The long brand guideline pack was indeed an interesting waste of time. Basically there's a new logo, it's green, everything is now quite green, and that's.. about.. it.
What's the point in this? Seems like a waste of money. Why does a newsih company need such an early logo refresh?
 
@neilpercyI'll be surprised if Open Infra even install on our road but we will have to see. Virgin Media has such a monopoly over us!
The same Open Infra who came calling here multiple times last year. I also joined a video call which they held one evening for locals here. Lots of meaningless fluff about it being "open" and what I assume may be outright lies too (e.g. the call was in the last quarter of last year and when they were asked when they would go live, they said by the end of the year which was obvious to me as being ridiculous!).
 
I'm getting my hopes up I will be able to sign up in Sept!
Don't get your hopes up! I've been following the enfield build since Feburary when I saw them working near Oakwood station. Unfortunately I wasn't watching previous builds so I've got nothing to guage the current progress by but I'd be surprised if we got anything before October and won't be surprised if we're still waiting at the end of the year. If they start putting equipment on telephone poles and putting letters through peoples doors I'll start expecting something but even then it could be months away.
 
Don't get your hopes up! I've been following the enfield build since Feburary when I saw them working near Oakwood station. Unfortunately I wasn't watching previous builds so I've got nothing to guage the current progress by but I'd be surprised if we got anything before October and won't be surprised if we're still waiting at the end of the year. If they start putting equipment on telephone poles and putting letters through peoples doors I'll start expecting something but even then it could be months away.
2+ years and counting over here in Woodside park north Finchley and I'm in direct contact with them for work of which my sites will be done before I get my home connection. N2 and N3 had a leaflet drop the other day but even then I know there still a long way off some areas within those postcodes.
 
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