Install by telegraph poles pre install

[Sherm5675]

Hi all,

Our area went live with virgin media a couple days ago, I've been waiting for full fibre for a long time so I rang virgin and ordered the gig1 volt package. The one with all the tv channels and gigabit broadband. The area that im in, some houses are using telegraph poles and some are using underground cables. I can see that virgin media currently have there equipment cable tied round the middle of the poles by my house. I have been given a date for my install which is the 21st of december and i'm told its that long because it's a 2 man job when they come. My question is after reading other stories on here, does someone need to come before the 21st to run the cable from the pole to my house or is it all done on the same day. When I look on the virgin app I only have one date scheduled which is the 21st.

[Portery]

Yep the 2 man job is what they call a prepull where they connect or pull the cable from the cabinet to your house.  That’s would. Not show up as some times you don’t have to be in the house it’s usually a 3 week turn around. The only time you would be in is when your install on activation date where they have to install the cables in you property 

[Sherm5675]

Thanks for your reply, my install date is the 21st so will the pre pull and work done inside all happen on the same day. Or will they randomly turn up to do the pre pull from now until the 21st?

[Sherm5675]

Do they not text you or anything?

[goslow]

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@Sherm5675 wrote:
Do they not text you or anything?

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In some cases customers see two dates, one for the cable installation and one for the equipment installation. In others, VM allocate one date with the aim of doing everything on one day. If the cables are indeed coming from a pole to your home then there should (theoretically!) be less chance of a fail due to issues with running the cable underground and meeting obstructions.

However, this is VM so consider that anything could happen. If you have an existing broadband service running at the moment, the general advice on here is to keep that going while waiting for VM and overlap your two services if feasible/affordable for you to do that. That way if VM fails to deliver you will still have the original service to fall back on. Once VM is installed and running to your satisfaction, cancel your original service. This might particularly be worth considering since your install date is right into the busy Christmas period.

If the above is not going to work for you, think about what your backup plan will be in case VM fails to install (such as additional mobile data, a mobile data SIM/hotspot connection on a rolling monthly contract etc.)

[Sherm5675]

Hi goslow, Thanks for your reply. I have not cancelled BT yet and I wont until everything is up and running fine. We are most certainly using poles as no one has dug our street up and our current line goes to the pole opposite. I saw them installing the black boxes with lots of fibres coming out on the poles which they have cable tied on the middle of the pole. Theres a bracket at the top of the pole for them I imagine they put them up there when the first line is installed? I imagine it's easier to do a pole install not having to worry about anything underground so less chance to go wrong.

[Sherm5675]

Update: Today i Recieved a text saying external work was required before the 21st. So I clicked the link and it took me to an automated system that asked me if I needed to be in when this was carried out, which i replied no. It then asked me if I had gravel soil or grass up to my house. Why would they ask this when I know 100% its coming from the telegraph pole? They don't need to lay a cable underground. I pressed no and it connected me to an agent which then for some reason i got discconnected before even speaking to them. I clicked the link in the text again this time I just put yes there is soil up to my house. To which it said thanks we will be in touch. Most of our drive is tarmac however there is a very thin strip of soil up to the house at the edge. Not that they will need it. Does everything seem ok?

[goslow]

Unfortunately, I don't think you are going to get any clear and definitive answers on here that you are going to be able to rely on fully, Sherm5675.

I have read a small number of topics on here where customers stated they had (or were getting) VM services by telephone poles. There have also been some topics where VM has used Openreach ducts underground to run cables to properties for new customers (the last bit of info I read about the latter, this was being trialled in some areas between VM/Openreach).

In the case of using the telephone poles though, I haven't read an explanation on here of how the arrangement works, whether it is a case of VM simply using the poles as a means to carry and support VM's own cables which need attaching to the poles and connecting or whether VM is, somehow, using Openreach infrastructure. I am guessing the former is more likely and the latter much less likely.

At the start of 2020, my own road was cabled for FTTP by Openreach. When that happened, there was an initial burst of activity to get the fibre run to the poles and up to the top of telephone poles. Then there was a long delay until that infrastructure was commissioned and customers could get connected to it.

Not saying it will be the case for you, but one possibility is that VM has got part way through the installation and has started taking orders for same, but the serivce is not actually fully up and running yet.

The above is nothing more than guesswork and opinion on my part. There are a few regular contributors on here who are in the know about how VM's operations work and will, no doubt, be able to clarify and/or correct or add to the above.

Your latest contact with VM, however, is all the more reason to keep your BT services going until VM does complete actually your installation.

[Sherm5675]

There is another estate in my village which got done first with telegraph poles. I don't know anyone on there who has it to ask, however the vrigin media boxes are bracketed to the tops of the poles and it looks like wires run to some houses off them. On street like other estate there is no undergound wires or ducts to any of the houses of that im sure. Virgin is not using bt's cables but are using there ducts by the looks of it as they have had all the man hole covers up pushing fibre down them and then connecting that up to the poles. Then put brackets and black boxes on. They also have a big grey cabinet and a small grey cabinet put on the estate. Am I right in thinking using poles is a very new way of delivering virgin media?

[goslow]

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@Sherm5675 wrote:
<snip>  Am I right in thinking using poles is a very new way of delivering virgin media?

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Yes, I think so.