Future FTTP products ?

[#1]

So the rumors are still swirling that plus net may offer FTTP, ( or cease to be) Here are a few things that might tempt me back to plusnet (I'm in an FTTP only area and plusnet is no longer available on any address in the District/County)

Prices starting at the same level as current FTTC products some people will need faster speeds, but for a lot FTTC speeds are ample - why pay more for something that will be of no use

Own equipment, at the moment Sky, BT, Vodafone etc force you to use their  routers if you want voice services , this means if you want to use your own ATA then its not possible with BT as they will not provide the information needed to log in

[#2]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Feedback

[#3]

---

@pint wrote:

this means if you want to use your own ATA then its not possible with BT as they will not provide the information needed to log in

---

What do you perceive as the issue here?

AIUI a free standing ATA bridges the "gap" between your analogue phones and a VoIP service of your choice.

The ATA provided by the CP/ISP within their router provides the same "bridge" to THEIR digital voice service - if they offer one.

Again AIUI the ATA in BT's Smart Hub 2 cannot be connected to a third party VoIP service.

You are not wrong here - the precise future for retention of one's existing voice service / number is likely to be a key consideration for many in choosing their preferred FTTP supplier.  However, which ever supplier is chosen, the demise of the "self powered" copper network is likely to be detrimental to people in remote areas, prone to extended power failures and poor (if any) mobile coverage.

[#4]

So lets say at some point in the future i wish to sign up with plusnet FTTP , Plusnet send out a smarthub 2 with the internal ATA and  phone port activated , however I ( or the person im helping) wants to use their own kit, and keep the ISP supplied equipment in its box

To hand i have my own router with built in  phone port,and/ or my own adapter which can be configured to work with VOIP providers , however if i was to sign up with BT then BT currently refuse to divulge the information required to use your own equipment and you are forced to use the Smart hub 2 if you want to keep and use your landline number

So the two issues are:

 Price points for bundled internet and voice services at the same level as FTTC products

Ability to use your own equipment, as has been the case with plusnet from the very start

The issue of calling during a power cut is a different issue all together - when my power goes off so do the mobile networks as the masts use the same power supply as everyone else 

[#5]

---

@pint wrote:

... however if i was to sign up with BT then BT currently refuse to divulge the information required to use your own equipment and you are forced to use the Smart hub 2 if you want to keep and use your landline number

True if you want to keep your land line with BT.  BT use their own digital voice services which are only "presented" via the Smart Hub 2.

In the situation you describe, you are free to port your number to a VoIP provider of your choice and also use whatever kit of your choice (but not the Smart Hub 2).  What you cannot do is connect your ATA to BT's Digital Voice service.

[#6]

Ability to use your own equipment, as has been the case with plusnet from the very start

In terms of a broadband connection, that is relatively simple, all that's needed to configure is basically the username & password for the PPPoE connection so there's little to get wrong.

With a voip connection there's far more settings that can affect the connection , for example registrar server, outbound proxy ( or STUN ) , codec preferences and dtmf signalling options to name but a few and that's in addition to the basic user/password. ISP's dont want to have to field support calls when customers get configuration of their own kit wrong as their staff wouldn't be knowledgeable on the kit in question and would be unable to assist. Much simpler to provide their own locked down kit.

It's different when you use your own voip provider, in that they have to recognise that users will provide their own kit and as such provide guides and assistance(sometimes) with the settings for the commonly used kit.

[#7]

---

@Townman wrote:

---

True if you want to keep your land line with BT.  BT use their own digital voice services which are only "presented" via the Smart Hub 2.

In the situation you describe, you are free to port your number to a VoIP provider of your choice and also use whatever kit of your choice (but not the Smart Hub 2).  What you cannot do is connect your ATA to BT's Digital Voice service.

---

I'm not overly sure if that's the case, the BT small print seems to suggest you'll lose your number on the cease, if you don’t take digital voice.

Unless they have a provision for a cease / transfer. 

[#8]

Oh!

What little I have read on the subject seemed to suggest that with BT when switching to FTTP they also facilitated switching to Digital Voice.

Have I misunderstood?

[#9]

I clarified my post a bit - if you don’t take digital voice you lose it.
If you do take digital voice it’s an extra £5 a month and I’m not sure if there’s an easy way to port it out.

[#10]

It is a little way off for me, I've a year left on my Plusnet contract and there is no sign of Openreach FTTP here (although my local exchange will go in the 2030s). I may be able to get an "Alternative Network" some time in the next 12 months so I have to decide what to do with my landline phone number.

I might port it to SIP and take a non-Openreach fibre or (even though it is more expensive) go for a landline only service.

For me, one attraction would be if the phone line service were part of the "fibre modem" so I could keep my own router and the modem could keep some "reserved capacity" for voice calls, but that doesn't seem to be the way the market is going.

More broadly, Plusnet's owners (BT) seem to be disadvantaging Plusnet by not offering any FTTP services. Were my area covered by Openreach fibre, a 200Mb/s (Down) 100Mb/s (Up) service at a reasonable price would be quite attactive. 

[#11]

To get 100 up on an OR product you’d have to take 900 down.

[#12]

True, although the 40/10 and 40/2 fibre products were not network limits, just applied by the ISP as I understand it.

Essential BT needs to differentiate between the various brands and since speed seems to be the thing used generally as an indicator of “quality” in the market, I assume that the Plusnet FTTP product (should there be one) will be made “slower” than the other brands to justify different pricing.

[#13]

Hi Everyone

Keep an eyes peeling on the 25th of May with new launch of new products.

So, let's wait and see next Wednesday on the plusnet website for new products launch.

I think it will be FTTP as the new launch.

[#14]

Interesting, where did you get that date from?

[#15]

They told me on the phone call today