Can anyone help me to understand how rural FTTC works?
I live in rural Herefordshire about three miles from the local exchange in the closest village. I was on an exchange only line but a few months ago the line status changed so that I am now connected to the new cabinet that has been set up in the village in preparation for fibre under the Fastershire programme. Over the past few months all the overhead cables out to where I live have been replaced and I assume that these carry both copper and fibre.
Fibre has just gone live and I have placed an order. I had assumed that, being so far from the cabinet, I would get FTTP at 330Mbps. Instead it seems that I can get FTTC at up to 80Mbps. The predicted speed for my line is between 68 and 80Mbps, much higher than that for many premises which are in the local village and closer to the cabinet.
The lower speed is adequate for me but I just wonder how it works. Do the new cables bring the fibre to the nearest pole and it is then copper from there to my house? I can't see anything on the poles that resembles the FTTN hardware that I have seen pictured elsewhere. There are just a couple of black torpedo shaped things on the pole.
If that is how it works presumably the Openreach engineer has to climb up the pole to activate the fibre service, rather than just doing something at the cabinet?
Greatful for any insight from those in the know. As long as it works when activated (due 30 October) I suppose it doesn't really matter how it works, I am just intrigued.
