This briefing on FTTC is for all Communications Providers.

This briefing provides an update on the FTTC phase 2 early market deployment.

As announced at the Openreach Next Generation Access (NGA) Forum on 30th September 2009 Openreach is pleased to provide further information on the FTTC phase 2, early market deployment encompassing approximately 500K Homes passed as follows:

1. Phase 2 exchange Head End delivery plan update
2. Glasgow Halfway update
3. Canonbury and St Albans update
4. Update on phase 2 cabinet delivery plan

1. Phase 2 exchange Head End delivery plan update

Further to briefing NGA034/09 Openreach is pleased to announce that the exchange Head Ends for Chingford, Glasgow Western, Glasgow Halfway and Belfast Balmoral have been completed to plan on 1st October 2009. 

As Highams Park will be part of the Fibre to the Premise (FTTP) pilot it will not be FTTC enabled at this point in time.

2. Glasgow Halfway update

Openreach will be ready to accept pilot end user orders as of Monday 2nd November 2009 providing orders for GEA Cablelink (formerly GEA Handover Connectivity) have already been placed and accepted.

3.  Canonbury and St Albans update

As has previously been mentioned, if following more detailed survey work, Openreach finds that an identified exchange may not meet target timescales, it will substitute that exchange with another of comparable demographics so that the overall size and principles of the phase 2 early market deployment is not compromised.  Canonbury remains on the FTTC programme but with a high risk of not being delivered within the phase 2 timescales.  If a decision is made to postpone Canonbury Caerphilly has been identified as an alternative exchange of a similar size.  Caerphilly will have an indicative exchange Head End Ready For Service (RFS) date of 1st December 2009 and an indicative cabinet RFS date of late January 2010.

St Albans remains on the FTTC programme but will not be delivered within phase 2 timescales.  Basingstoke has been identified as an alternative exchange of similar size and has an indicative exchange Head End RFS date of 1st December 2009 and an indicative cabinet RFS date of late January 2010.

4. Update on phase 2 cabinet delivery plan

As communicated to CPs at the Openreach NGA Forum on 30th September 2009 Openreach is pleased to announce the following indicative cabinet RFS dates for each of the phase 2 exchanges.

Cabinet RFS date 4th January 2010 

eManage Line Checker (eMLC) will be updated by Thursday 15th October 2009 for these exchanges.

Cabinet RFS date 11th January 2010  

eM  eMLC will be updated by Thursday 15th October 2009 for these exchanges.

The Cabinet RFS date for Belfast Balmoral will be advised separately.

The following exchanges currently have a cabinet RFS date of 11th January 2010 but there is a risk associated with delivering a sufficient number of cabinet completions to enable these exchanges to be released to accept end user orders.  Openreach continues to focus on these exchanges to improve the delivery and we shall update the position at the 60 day checkpoint stage (week commencing 9th November 2009). 

eMLC will not be updated for these exchanges before 9th November 2009.

The contents of this briefing are accurate at the time of writing and are subject to change.

If you wish to discuss the information contained within this brief, please contact your Sales and Relationship Manager.

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