Forecast Dates disappeared from Openreach exchange checker

The last published forecast date for Benderloch fibre broadband was Dec 2014. Given that it is nearly February 2015 I though I would check on the latest forecast date, only to see that they have given up on offering these forecast dates - presumably because they are so wildly inaccurate?
superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

Forecast dates cannot be believed

Yet again another forecast rollout date of October 2014 sails past. Openreach's website has been updated with the new date of December 2014, although given past forecast dates there is little to believe in this new forecast date.

How are businesses and prospective new residents of proposed FTTC areas meant to plan and make decisions with such uncertainty? How much false hope is built on forecast dates given to Benderloch and other areas?

Rollout forecast date put forward again

The Benderloch fibre rollout date has once again changed from August to October 2014. Not much faith in these forecast dates now, since the first published forecast date was July 2014
http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

Benderloch superfast broadband misses forecast date again

The forecast date for the superfast broadband rollout has passed again.

Originally forecast for June, then July, then August 2014, the Openreach website still forecasts an August rollout date even though we are now in September.

http://www.superfast-openreach.co.uk/where-and-when/

finding the right contact

I'm trying to find contact details of someone in Openreach that might know details about what exactly is being upgraded in the exchange, and it's proving tricky.

My understanding is that Openreach are responsible for the FTTC cabinets  and fibre install, and equipment/fibre termination in the exchange up to and including the Layer 2 Switch that then transfers the data to BT Core network via 21CN. BT Wholesale are responsible for provisioning the 21CN backhaul in the exchange; receiving data from the Layer2 switch and transporting it back to BT Core and beyond.

I presume therefore that is an Openreach job to provision any possible new MSAN in the exchange for ADSL2+ if this is on the cards.

The only contact I can find is for Openreach new installations headquarters in Edinburgh. An email to them last week has gone unanswered so far.

good graphic illustrating ADSL ADSL2+ and FTTC

here's a good graphic for the difference between ADSL (existing Benderloch broadband), FTTC ('superfast broadband') and ADSL2+ (the possible improvement that exchange-only lines might be able to benefit from)

Existing ADSL broadband

Your home phone line copper wires terminate in the exchange at a "DSLAM", and your home modem communicates with this DSLAM using a protocol called "ADSL" (or ADSLMax,  ADSL 1)

Data is sent from the exchange over BT's "20th Century" network to a BT Core Node, and then (effectively) on to the rest of the internet

New FTTC superfast broadband where available

Your phone line copper goes from your house to a streetside cabinet. From here,  copper wire still goes all the way to the exchange for your voice(telephone) service, but a short jumper cable is added from the street cabinet to a new "FTTC"  cabinet next to it, which contains a new  "VDSL2 DSLAM" bit of kit and this is the path your new superfast broadband takes.

A fibre optic cable takes the data from this new cabinet DSLAM back to the exchange.

In the exchange, the fibre is terminated at an "Optical Line Termination" point (not shown below) and connected to a Layer 2 Switch (L2S), from where it passes via the newly installed 21CN connection to the BT Core node and onto the rest of the internet (effectively)

Possible New ADSL2+ access for exchange-only lines and non-FTTC connections at Ledaig

Your home phone line copper wires terminate in the exchange at a new MSAN in the exchange (this is what I don't understand - whether  MSANs is going to be installed at the Ledaig exchange as part of the upgrade to 21CN at the exchange or not).
Your home broadband modem communicates with this MSAN using a protocol called "ADSL2+".

Data passes from the MSAN to BT's Core Node (and onto the rest of the internet effectively) via BT's 21CN network.

(not shown is that your voice(telephone) can also terminate at this MSAN and your voice calls transferred over the 21CN network too - meaning that the old 20CN equipment can be retired from the exchange)

You can see that FTTC uses the new 21CN network to transfer data from the exchange on to the rest of the internet, as does ADSL2+. 

So my question is whether the addition of 21CN at the exchange means ADSL2+ becomes available at the exchange too, or whether they won't bother installing the MSANs for ADSL2+ (and voice) and just leave existing ADSL connections on the 20CN.

more on exchange-only lines and possible benefits

IF IF IF...
[edited March 2015 at the end to include info regarding SDH bypass. Please also see my post of 23 March 2015 for more info regarding the SDH bypass]

[Edit Dec 15 - Ledaig exchange is NOT being upgraded to 21CN for FTTC backhaul - the fibre comes up from Oban. Plans to upgrade the exchange to 21CN are unchanged - i.e. no planned date]


My latest understanding is that the Ledaig exchange is to be upgraded to have access to BT's "21st Century Network" Wholesale Broadband Connect (21CN WBC), and this is how the internet traffic from the new 'superfast' broadband connections is distributed to the core BT network and on to its final destination via your chosen ISP.

IF the exchange is upgraded to 21CN WBC, then there is the possibility that existing ADSL connections that choose not to migrate to FTTC will still be migrated to the new 21CN BT link anyway, in order that the old '20CN' network can be retired. This won't affect your current ADSL connection or voice service.

If this is the case, then it is possible that the equipment in the exchange is upgraded to allow connections using ADSL2+

IF this were the case, then end users on Exchange-only lines, or those who do not wish to take up FTTC connections, can benefit from ADSL2+ speeds (IF you are within around 4km of the exchange)  and stability over their existing ADSLMax connection.

However, there are many unknowns still, and I reach the end of my current knowledge:
1) Just because the exchange is being upgraded to 21CN WBC in order to handle the new FTTC traffic, doesn't mean that they will automatically install new ADSL2+ MSAN/DSLAM in the exchange as well. This used to be the case before FTTC - an exchange would simultaneously receive 21CN and ADSL2+ compatible MSANs in the exchange, therefore users would have both their voice and data moved onto the new 21CN in one foul swoop. I hear that some connections in Oban town centre are still on 20CN, even though 21CN and ADSL2+ is available, so BT appear not to be in such a great rush to migrate people off 20CN afterall.

2) There is a possibility that the 'point of handover' for the FTTC data to enter the 21CN WBC is not actually in the Ledaig exchange, rather at some other exchange larger exchange. In which case there will be no 21CN WBC at Ledaig, and no possibility of ADSL2+ MSANs at all. This source mentions several scenarios of small exchanges 'receiving' FTTC, but without the actual exchange being upgraded to 21CN WBC (e.g. Innerleithen exchange's FTTC terminates at Peebles Exchange, Falmouth exchange is the termination point for 8 smaller exchange's FTTCs in the vicinity)

3) [added 23/3/15]. BT are performing an 'SDH bypass' at the exchange, where traffic from each ADSLMax DSLAM will be ported over the 21CN backhaul, instead of leaving the exchange over the 20CN network. This effectively extends the life of the ADSLMax 8Mbps connections as the ADSLMax DSLAM data can be ported over the new 21CN backhaul.

In summary:
IF the Ledaig exchange is to be upgraded to 21CN and IF the point-of-handover for the Benderloch FTTC is at the Ledaig exchange and IF existing DSL/20CN connections are also being migrated to 21CN and IF you live within 4km of the exchange, ONLY THEN will you receive an improved broadband speed over your existing connection.


Existing ADSL:
Home -->[via copper]-->Exchange DSLAM -->[via BT 20CN network]-->BT Core node and the rest of the internet

ADSL2+
Home -->[via copper] --> Exchange MSAN --> [via 21CN WBC] --> BT Core node and the rest of the internet

FTTC (via BT WBC)
Home -->[via copper] --> Street cabinet DSLAM -->[via fibre] --> Exchange Layer 2 Switch -->[via 21CN WBC]-->BT core node and the rest of the internet