Virgin FTTP
 

My area looks like it is going to get FTTH Q2 next year. I believe FTTH doesnt come with a phoneline. What bundles do those customers get as all the bundles have a phoneline?

For example is the Big Fun the same price in a FTTH area except there is no phoneline?

Re: Virgin FTTH
 

They may actually have VoIP sorted by then.

Isn't like there's been digital voice over DoCSIS sold on live networks since 2005 or anything.

Failing that it's the same just without line rental in Papworth from what I've been told.

Re: Virgin FTTH
 

Use LE8 5BY on VM's website. Some decent offerings without a phone line are available, for example TV XL with 200Mb BB with 2 TiVos for around £35 when I last checked.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

There are specific lightning area deals that don't include Telco, these change on a month to month basis. Still no launch date for digital voice yet although the wheels are very much in motion ;)

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Your only option would be to go on another company VOIP service, however by Q2 I would expect Virgin Media's voice over cable to be live by then.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Can you get matesrates for non telco areas?

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

I have not tried it myself, I can''t see it being a problem.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Wonder what the price would be

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

pricing is the same for FTTP, they use the same bundled tiers (at least when I last checked).

FTTP is cheaper for Virgin in the long run, a lot less to go wrong once installed.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Will this FTTP rely on the internet, if so if the internet goes down folk will be left with no phone.


So if folk need to make a emergency 999 call they could not.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

No, it won't rely on the Internet, Ken. It will rely on the local network. The FTTP will have battery backup in the home and where the FTTP goes so that in case of power loss people will be able to make calls for a time.

If you hit Google the rest of Europe's cable companies along with North America and may others have run telephony over cable for a while, and FTTP is more reliable.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

I'd rather virgin saved money and didn't bother with battery backup. Ive not had a power cut in 5 years. I have a mobile phone if there was a power cut

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Ofcom disagree. :)

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

I believe there is a Ofcom ruling that phones must have battery backups.


Several years ago there was a power failure in my area which affected the Virgin land line and the mobile network and I needed to all an Ambulance.


When the power was restored I call VM about the VM land line failure due to the power failure and of the Ofcom ruling that lands should have a battery backup and the agent said call back when you have a power failure!

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Last time we had a major storm in my area some parts of the village lost power for 3 days, and the local mobile mast was off for a day at least.

Landline phones and internet were fine however.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

I'm not quite sure if ofcom have revised their regulations to be more up to date with IP phones etc. If there is a power cut affecting a VM cabinet, it will most likely also be affecting the customers homes fed from the cabinet, so if they have no power in their homes, the modem which the phone is connected to has no power so it won't work anyway. On FTTP it's stightly different in that a lot of the cabinets are passive cabinets anyway so there isn't actually any power in them. But the device that converts from light into RF (forget what it's called) is powered from the customers home, so again if the house has no power, no phone.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Seems more logical and practical that mobile phone masts must have a backup rather than landlines considering a mobile phone can be used in an emergency outside as well as in a home.

You'd be lucky to find an old fashioned phone in a house nowadays

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Plus, mobile phones themselves are battery powered anyway, too.


My understanding (I could be wrong) is that the RFoG to RF converter and battery pack are actually external to the property. Power is fed outside to a wall box optical termination point and then the coax comes back into the building.

Basically, everything is the same except rather than the RF conversion happening in the hub for a given area, it happens later on outside your house.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

It depends on the kind of emergency you're dealing with.

Most mobile masts have backups for power supply and possibly network connections, but in extreme weather you can't really avoid physical damage to the mast itself.

Of course in more urban areas (where VM installs commonly are) you usually have more than one local mobile mast so things are different to how they are out here.


If by old fashioned you mean a corded phone, then yes, they are rarer than they were, but they're still handy in power cuts. During the storm I mentioned previously the Red Cross and the local electricity supplier ended up handing out food, blankets and corded phones to those without supply.

However if you mean landlines in general, outside of urban areas its still rare to find a home that doesn't have at least some kind of phone plugged in, or at least a socket/line for one.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Yes that is correct. So what you're saying is VM provide battery back up at the customer end? The only ones I've seen are power fed via the coax, but then since I'm no longer a network engineer I'm probably a bit behind with some of the unreleased stuff so may not have seen it. Even if VM provide some sort of battery pack to keep the optical to RF conversion up, it won't powering the modem so doesn't make a difference

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

IIRC with Openreach FTTP installs they have a battery backup to keep the termination kit alive to provide plain telephone service. You don't need the Router to be live, just that any telephone line works.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

In fact, thinking about it even more, the coax coming in is probably used to provide power to the external optical network termination unit. The battery might be inside or outside but outside is probably safer if it is of a lithium type.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

The backup battery that I spoke about is in the VM street cabinet for the land line phones.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Ken: Yes the batteries you refer to are on the standard existing build. We are referring to FTTP build. Onramp: The open reach system I imagine isn't an internet based phone system, although I'm not 100% sure on that. Ryhyds: And yes the coax is used to bring the power in on the stuff I've seen, which is why I was a bit surprised when you mentioned battery back up at that point

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Oh right - I was referring to RFoG.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

You mention Open Reach, I am referring to Virgin cable broad band and Virgin land line.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Sorry I got onramp and Ryhyds the wrong way round on my post!

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

You mentioned you're in a village. So I assume you're on the Openreach network?

Every telephone exchange (apart from the tiny shed style ones) has oil powered generators inside. In the event of a power cut they spring into action and that's why you don't lose your landline service. That's assuming the exchange is in the same part of the grid as you are. If it isn't and the exchange still has mains power you also wouldn't lose your phone service.

Indeed your broadband (even FTTC for a while as the cabinets have batteries) would continue to work too, though of course you couldn't power the router from the house!

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

first I even knew about the FTTP service VM are rolling out was what ive read on here.

Are they eventually going to roll this out nationwide? would prefer a FTTP service, I looked at BT FTTPoD but it was extortionate installation then they pulled the product from sale.

But much better than the coax, just had to re-adjust my signal levels again this morning, overnight they did some maintenance and added a 3rd upsteam and in process my downstream signal levels dropped 6-7dBmV.

Around here, it was about 10-15 years ago probably now, but remember when a vehicle hit a pair of VM cabinets and inside they was full of car looking batteries

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

Seen one today, battery backup only for lifeline customers or customers with no mobile, most people wont need a backup

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

There are at least 12 VM land line customers in my street, no mobile or Internet, 4 of those need to be able to contact the doctor and or the emergency services.

Re: Virgin FTTP
 

I'm sure there will be plans in place for such people to register, the genuine needy and vulnerable will have the ability to phone.