Fibre Ping Pong

OnlyOneKenobi

OnlyOneKenobi

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Can somebody please explain to me, who is meant to handle the installation of the Fibre line to my house - the ISP or the Fibre Provider?

Fibre was rolled out to our neighbourhood from Aug 2020 and eta for the go live date (last I heard) was end of January 2021. During the roll out phase, I completed their forms at least twice and then a third time in November when I tried to get traction on getting the line installed to my house. In December I practically had to move heaven and earth to get the fibre provider to load my address on their system for me to pre-order my fibre contract with the ISP of my choice. Now I had decided to follow up with the fibre provider again for a progress update, who now says "the order is with the contractor" and the ISP has to escalate via the key account rep...

Surely it shouldn't be this difficult just to get the line installed? Should I nag the ISP to get this done, considering I did place a pre-order in Dec?
 
This process is really beginning to irritate me... I asked the ISP to escalate in order for arrangements to be made for my line to be installed and then they come back with comments that they see the line has not been activated yet.
When I explain that it hasn't been installed yet, they ask more questions about the equipment that has been installed at my house - and I have to explain yet again that nothing has been installed - because I haven't even been contacted yet, ie - there is no equipment, no line, nothing - someone has to bring the fibre from the street to my house...
 
Perhaps it's time to choose another ISP. If they're this useless before they take your money, just imagine later on.
 
Ok, so the contractor for the FNO came out to install the line to my house today, however about four hours later the contractor said something about "splicing" still needed to be done and did not provide me with an ONT router...? I got the impression the line is installed, spliced, ONT router supplied and ready to go for the ISP to do its thing thereafter...? Is this the normal \ usual process?
 
OnlyOneKenobi said:
eta for the go live date (last I heard) was end of January 2021.
Click to expand...
OnlyOneKenobi said:
Is this the normal \ usual process?
Click to expand...
The normal process is for the FNO to only action installs once the area is live.

It sounds like you have pressured someone into jumping the gun here and now it's being done out of standard process, which inevitably results in a cock up.
 
Thanks for the comment - note the area is live as it is currently the end of January 2021... also reflects as live as per the FNO's coverage map and even some of the supported ISPs. I simply wanted to get the necessary things in place in order to get fibre up and running as quickly as possible but there was a distinct lack of communication about this, from the FNO as well as the ISP. I gather you are implying that the FNO hasn't followed the normal process in terms of the line \ ONT installation.
 
OnlyOneKenobi said:
I gather you are implying that the FNO hasn't followed the normal process in terms of the line \ ONT installation.
Click to expand...
I don't know enough detail here to comment. It does appear that somewhere a standard process isn't being followed here though.

It should work (simplified):

End user (you) place order on ISP
ISP places order on FNO for installation, whilst simultaneously shipping pre-configured router to end user (unless they want ti install for the end user in which case they come to you after the point below is complete.)
FNO schedules Installation
End User goes live

The above sequence supposes that the area is live and tested (for most FNO's).
 
OnlyOneKenobi said:
Ok, so the contractor for the FNO came out to install the line to my house today, however about four hours later the contractor said something about "splicing" still needed to be done and did not provide me with an ONT router...? I got the impression the line is installed, spliced, ONT router supplied and ready to go for the ISP to do its thing thereafter...? Is this the normal \ usual process?
Click to expand...
Depends on the installer, sometimes they have a guy who can splice at the same time as the fibre is pulled.
In your case it is probably a separate person who goes around and terminates the connections after the initial cable pull.

The ISP would normally send you the router if that was included and the ONT will be installed by the contractor.
 
Rocket-Boy said:
Depends on the installer, sometimes they have a guy who can splice at the same time as the fibre is pulled.
In your case it is probably a separate person who goes around and terminates the connections after the initial cable pull.

The ISP would normally send you the router if that was included and the ONT will be installed by the contractor.
Click to expand...
Something's gone wrong here though, because even if there was still a splicing need, we would assume that to be at the SDC or PoP, the ONT should have been installed. I don't think any FNO's are splicing at the ONT, they're all using preterminated cable to do the drop. Maybe TT Connect is still splicing at the ONT? There can't be any other cowboys doing that?
 
Rocket-Boy said:
Depends on the installer, sometimes they have a guy who can splice at the same time as the fibre is pulled.
In your case it is probably a separate person who goes around and terminates the connections after the initial cable pull.

The ISP would normally send you the router if that was included and the ONT will be installed by the contractor.
Click to expand...

Yeah in my case (Openserve aerial) it was a solo installation. 1 guy did everything, from pulling to splicing, both by the termination box on the pole and the ONT splice.
 
pinball wizard said:
Something's gone wrong here though, because even if there was still a splicing need, we would assume that to be at the SDC or PoP, the ONT should have been installed. I don't think any FNO's are splicing at the ONT, they're all using preterminated cable to do the drop. Maybe TT Connect is still splicing at the ONT? There can't be any other cowboys doing that?
Click to expand...
Openserve still splices by the ONT inside the house. Had an installation done early December.
 
pinball wizard said:
Something's gone wrong here though, because even if there was still a splicing need, we would assume that to be at the SDC or PoP, the ONT should have been installed. I don't think any FNO's are splicing at the ONT, they're all using preterminated cable to do the drop. Maybe TT Connect is still splicing at the ONT? There can't be any other cowboys doing that?
Click to expand...

When they did mine they had to wait for someone to come from home with the splicer(was 7pm already) so there's a good chance there are less splicers that installers.
 
ronald911 said:
Yeah in my case (Openserve aerial) it was a solo installation. 1 guy did everything, from pulling to splicing, both by the termination box on the pole and the ONT splice.
Click to expand...
Was the same with one of my sites installed by Openserve in November. The one guy had the ONT, pulled the fibre and did the splicing.
 
pinball wizard said:
Something's gone wrong here though, because even if there was still a splicing need, we would assume that to be at the SDC or PoP, the ONT should have been installed. I don't think any FNO's are splicing at the ONT, they're all using preterminated cable to do the drop. Maybe TT Connect is still splicing at the ONT? There can't be any other cowboys doing that?
Click to expand...
Yeah its very possible something has gone wrong, I only really know Openserve installations from my one at home and a few of my sites.
I have heard some of the fibre installers were being careful with splicing machines, apparently they were being targeted. It kinda makes sense when they are carrying around a fusion splicer that costs R100k+ new.
 
Could be a bad splice from his outside box to fno hardware.
Or they prematurely sighed suburbs as complete.
 
So, I asked the ISP and they say it’s “part 1”, and I should wait for the FNO to contact me again... hope it doesn’t take 3 months again because they seem to forget these things
 
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