Area downgraded from fibre to the cabinet to a connection to the exchange?

monument

My broadband issues just went from bad to worse on the edge of Ballina, Co Mayo.

We were getting ~11mbps with Eir, we left them because they kept messing around with an agreed price (kept giving us refunds but not fixing the next bill to the right amount). With hindsight I know we should have switched rather than cancelling, but anyway: our line is now rated for only “up to” 4mbps. I thought this might be just what’s showing up and that we might get the same as before.

After an install with Vodafone today we are so-far getting ~2mbps, creeping to 3mbps.

I wasn’t here when it was installed today but I’m just after learning we were connected us to the town’s telephone exchange and not three cabinets away as we were before.

It seems that rather than fixing the issues of our estate and the cluster of houses around it being connected to three cabinets away it seems Eir just removed the option of ‘fibre’ (to the cabinet) for the area. I’m gussing Comreg won’t care?

Is there any way this will be resolved? What are the chances of FTTH roll out here soon?

For background: Virgin Media are stopping less than a 1km from our (and two other estates), and our estate is a black spot for mobile internet coverage from apparently all providers. So, our options are limited. The two estates further out of two got their own cabinet/s and appear to still be fibre enabled.

When Eir were installing a fibre trunk between Ballina and Killala they put a branch off and installed a man hole outside our estate... this was about a year ago and we’ll after the FTTC was installed in the area, so, I’m gussing this is for FTTH? Just a pure guess.

Any help would be welcomed — sorry if the above is rambling, it’s been a long day and this is doing my head in.

monument

I'm looking at http://fibrerollout.ie/rollout-map/ (which I couldn't see at home until today) and the estate is still marked down as in the existing town fibre area, but this contradicts the checks on Eir's website which says fibre isn't available in your area.

EDIT: Now I see on https://www.dccae.gov.ie/en-ie/communications/topics/Broadband/national-broadband-plan/high-speed-broadband-map/Pages/Interactive-Map.aspx

That we are somehow in the existing fibre area but all of the houses around us bubbled out and part of the NBP Intervention Area but not currently down as "planned rural deployment".

monument

So, I'm replying to myself again, but it saves others from doing so and I still have questions....

This quote from the department's website explains my confusion:

Why is my home an AMBER dot in a BLUE area?

In April 2017 we updated the NBP map to move 84,500 homes and businesses from the BLUE to the AMBER area. We did this because service from commercial operators has not materialised. This means your home or business will get high speed broadband through the NBP State Intervention.

This is still a bit strange given that the area was served by fibre (even if of poor quality).

And there's the question of why did eir bother to put a manhole outside the estate last year?

ED E

Possibly a full cabinet, possibly a screw up in pre-qualification. Do any neighbors still have FTTC?

tsue921i8wljb3

monument wrote: »

So, I'm replying to myself again, but it saves others from doing so and I still have questions....

This quote from the department's website explains my confusion:



This is still a bit strange given that the area was served by fibre (even if of poor quality).

And there's the question of why did eir bother to put a manhole outside the estate last year?

You say you cancelled the account with eir is that correct? Perhaps there was high demand on the cabinet that you had previously been connected to and you have now lost your slot as it were. Was there a long delay in the switch between accounts?

In relation to the DCCAE map are you saying that your home is not an amber dot in a blue area? If so it should be as you are not and were not getting at least 30Mb download speed.

Marlow

This is not the first time, where Vodafone simply missed the train.

If it's outside of the box and the prequal data doesn't match ard key with eircode (Eirs way of matching address to phoneline is ard key ... not eircode), then they connect you to the exchange on ADSL1/ADSL2+.

If you're able to cancel with them, do that.

Talk to Westnet (http://www.westnet.ie) . They will be able to get you VDSL and at least have their head screwed on.

They also don't mess around with the pricing. The price you're quoted is the price you pay.

/M

monument

ED E wrote: »

Possibly a full cabinet, possibly a screw up in pre-qualification. Do any neighbors still have FTTC?

I think they do, but doing a random test it shows they also would only get 4-6mbps if they ordered now -- it comes up as no fibre at their addresses too.

Kamryn Limited Cheetah wrote: »

You say you cancelled the account with eir is that correct? Perhaps there was high demand on the cabinet that you had previously been connected to and you have now lost your slot as it were. Was there a long delay in the switch between accounts?

Yes there was a long delay -- among other things we were trying to see if Virgin was going to our estate (a long shot, I know).

We should have switched, not cancelled. But I think the issue is that the estate/area was somehow and at some point wired to the wrong cabinet and rather than fixing that they've now kicked the areas off that cabinet -- that was what I was thinking and I think what I found on the department's website confirms that.

My guess work is that before Eir left the National Broadband Plan they were putting problematic areas onto the table -- I've been looking around the department's map and it includes some very urban areas as being transferred to the plan just last year, not just edge-of-urban areas like mine.

But maybe the area is being disconnected from the cabinet just for practical reasons -- the cabinet probably is congested and I'm gussing it's problematic trying to connect these houses and then explaining how we are out of ideal range of the cabinet we're connected to.

Kamryn Limited Cheetah wrote: »

In relation to the DCCAE map are you saying that your home is not an amber dot in a blue area? If so it should be as you are not and were not getting at least 30Mb download speed.

Yes, it's an amber dot in a blue area.

Marlow wrote: »

This is not the first time, where Vodafone simply missed the train.

If it's outside of the box and the prequal data doesn't match ard key with eircode (Eirs way of matching address to phoneline is ard key ... not eircode), then they connect you to the exchange on ADSL1/ADSL2+.

I don't think it's a Vodafone issue as it's coming up the same on a line test on Eir's website.

Marlow wrote: »

If you're able to cancel with them, do that.

Talk to Westnet (http://www.westnet.ie) . They will be able to get you VDSL and at least have their head screwed on.

They also don't mess around with the pricing. The price you're quoted is the price you pay.

/M

Thanks -- I've completed the enquire form and hopefully it is available in my area.

tsue921i8wljb3

The fact that your home is marked by an amber dot should give you some hope. 30000 such premises have been forwarded to eir by the DCCAE for inclusion in the rural FTTH project. Now there is no compulsion on eir to connect these premises but another poster posted last night where eir seem to have connected premises such as yours in Ennis. Ballina is due to go live for FTTH in Autumn/Winter 2018 so hopefully you may be included.

ED E

monument wrote: »

and I think what I found on the department's website confirms that.

Nope.

The if you were a 10-20Mb VDSL area you'd be on a cab ~1500m away but not count as "High Speed" thus be in the intervention area on the map.

This very much sounds like a full cabinet (192 ports).

tsue921i8wljb3

I just asked a contact about this and they gave me another possible explanation:

Had the OP gone with anyone other than Vodafone then he would be on a Bitstream VDSL product but as he went to Vodafone they put him on LLU instead and the LLU gear is in the main exchange. When the contract finishes, run away to anyone but Vodafone.

Marlow

Kamryn Limited Cheetah wrote: »

I just asked a contact about this and they gave me another possible explanation:

That's actually very feasable. I've seen this happening in Galway a few times.

/M

jca

ED E wrote: »

Nope.

The if you were a 10-20Mb VDSL area you'd be on a cab ~1500m away but not count as "High Speed" thus be in the intervention area on the map.

This very much sounds like a full cabinet (192 ports).

When that happens don't they just expand the cabinet by putting an extra section on top.

ED E

jca wrote: »

When that happens don't they just expand the cabinet by putting an extra section on top.

Sometimes, when warranted.

192 Ports
Area with 250 homes
90% uptake

Won't get an extended cab, some will be left out.