Fibre broadband only available for ground floor flats

[UserR]

I live in a residential development of 20 flats, which are formed into blocks of 2 or 3 stories each. The flats on the ground floor have fibre broadband available to them from Virgin Media. The first and second floors do not.

I wanted to ask Virgin Media if they could do something to install fibre broadband for me (a first floor flat), and potentially the other non-ground floor flats if they are interested, but I can't see any way to contact Virgin Media about this.

Does anyone know how I could contact Virgin Media please? Or have any knowledge about this sort of issue where fibre availablity is restricted to the ground floor?

[jpeg1]

Virginmedia will normally install up to the first floor with an outside cable, but no higher. Blocks of flats are usually cabled internally.

For any installation work such as running cables up walls, VM will require prior permission from the landlord or managing agent. It's possible that this might be why they haven't gone further.

A staff member should reply to this shortly, but it would be in your interests to make sure that you can get the necessary written permission as VM will not proceed without it. 

[VM-Jon]

Hi @UserR 

Thank you for reaching out to us here, welcome to the community.

Please accept our apologies for the difficulties you are having, I would like to take a look at this for you and see what I can do to help. In order to do so I will need a little bit more detail so I will send you a private message.

Thank you

Jon

[UserR]

Thanks both for the replies.

I have just sent an email to the development's managing agent to ask about fibre, however I would hope that permission will not be an issue as the leaseholders are also joint freeholders.

And I have messaged you back, Jon. Thank you.

[nodrogd]

External cabling would require permission from the landlord. You should also check with the local council, as some have banned any visible external wiring on communal properties.

Any internal wiring is usually with a significant contribution from either the developer or the landlord. If the network area is a legacy one (most of VMs network is HFC infrastructure built in the 1990s), then it will also depend on network capacity, as HFC will only allow a finite number of connections.

[UserR]

Thank you for that information. I don't know whether the local area is HFC but Jon said they would get back in touch on Monday so hopefully there will be answer about availability then.

I have emailed the managing agent regarding permission so hopefully I will hear back from them soon too.