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Underground vs Pole distribution

FunkSoulBrother

Regular Member
Hi, I posted this in general, didn't realise there was now a CF forum so I'll repeat my question here. I live in Enfield, an area CF are yet to serve, and CF are currently doing a lot of installation of what BIDB.uk calls CFL 110/106 chambers, basically underground cabinets with CF manhole covers. Presumably the fibres will run to their and then get split for each property much like Virgin Media do with their cabinets.

It seems most discussion so far has been around the build using telephone poles so I'm not sure how it works if they do things underground. There are plenty of poles here too so it's not even a lack of poles.

I noticed that these chambers are about 800 meters apart. Can we assume that each one will be able to serve any property 400 meters away or closer? Obviously that's a lot more properties than the dozen or so that might be serviced by a specific telephone pole.

If there's anyone that has watched an install like this and can share what they know that'd be interesting. With the poles there seems to be a number of stages for the roleout, which won't apply to non-pole distribution.
 
Usually the fibre goes underground and then feeds the telegraph poles. There are different cables with different quantity of fibre lines so it's not easy to know how many houses will be served from a chamber hence you can't guess much from the underground installation. The best you can do is to watch for black boxes being installed in the telegraph poles and a roll of fibre being attached to the pole. Here is how mine looked after the fibre was ran to the pole. The next step is to fix the AFN to the top of the pole and test the fibre. The fibre may not be live for some time, depending on how the rest of the network deployment goes. In my case, the box appeared on Dec 17th, a week later was hung at the top and service could be ordered that same night but YMMV.

0MF4tybb_o.jpeg
 
Thanks. I'm wondering more about the distance rather than the number of houses each chamber will serve.

I've been watching for the black boxes but if they don't use the poles then that won't help
 
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I had one of these chambers installed right outside my building (block of 8 flats) around April this year but I have not seen any posts of underground community fibre installs in my research.

It might happen eventually but I am not keeping my hopes up!
 
I had one of these chambers installed right outside my building (block of 8 flats) around April this year but I have not seen any posts of underground community fibre installs in my research.

It might happen eventually but I am not keeping my hopes up!
Welcome to the forum! Can I ask roughly where you live?
 
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Hi all..wondering..I had an email today from openreach saying my area has just been added to the build plan..between now and December 2026...
A new build has been nearly completed not far from me..looking at this thread and others....got me on the hunt to see if any poles in my area have thease black boxes..well one at bottom of my street that connects me..has this box..I've seached for fttp telegraph boxes but look different.. any ideas what this is?
Dosent look brand new...but not ancient...
Grateful for any advice..
 

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Looking at Thinkbroadband service map for CF it's clear they next areas aorund the south east will be Penge, Beckenham and perhaps Bromley. Although it's unclear how far they will go as they say they want to be in London only...

pKvqo17s_o.png

I think the map is out of date... CF are already in Bromley - or at least parts of it. That's where I am typing this reply on a 1Gb CGNAT connection.

The London Borough of Bromley extends further out than Orpington, so they have plenty of scope within their London remit.
 

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@FunkSoulBrother

My guess with the underground works that it's Community Fibre building their "spine" distribution.

The usual way that underground service was achieved by The Post Office (as it was then) seems to be chambers very local to properties in the footpath.

My general observation is that Community Fibre don't rush to serve individual properties fed underground, pole fed properties are the preference.

This is because they can put a box on a pole, then as people order run overhead fibre to them relatively simply and with low risk.

For blocks of flats it's different as one fibre run in gives rather more opportunities for households to serve.
 
My general observation is that Community Fibre don't rush to serve individual properties fed underground, pole fed properties are the preference.

This is because they can put a box on a pole, then as people order run overhead fibre to them relatively simply and with low risk.

For blocks of flats it's different as one fibre run in gives rather more opportunities for households to serve.
Indeed since poles give them better value for money in terms of premises "ready for service". The drop from the pole to the house is part of the house installer's job so basically once the pole is enabled all the houses that can be served from the pole are "ready for service". Underground is different since ducts might need to be unblocked, might be full and new ones created, etc.
 
FWIW here our underground estate was RFS well before the pole-fed properties outside of it both by CityFibre and Netomnia. Ducts were rodded and roped besides obviously final drop and in the case of Netomnia cabled and CityFibre subducted leaving only the drop between CBT and customer.

All the PIA operators have access to records indicating whether drops to homes are DiG or ducted, the type of duct used and where the swept tee drops that property off from the duct feeding the rest of the properties.

Openreach prioritised such premises in their retro new-sites programme as they were a relatively quick and easy win.
 
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