Six weeks and waiting for UFB install

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Six weeks and waiting for UFB install - is this normal?

pedrogarcia

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#151431 25-Aug-2014 13:55

I was set to have UFB installed at my new house in Wellington, but a day or two day before the install I was told the local lines company first needed to give consent to have equipment placed on a power pole outside my property. I was told this would take up to two weeks, but it has been six weeks now and no matter who I call - the ISP, Chorus, the lines company, no one will give me an answer.

Is this normal? Has anyone else found themselves in this deadlock and managed to sort it out?

timmmay

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#1115181 25-Aug-2014 14:27

Mine was on hold for about six months, in Wellington, same reason. I eventually called my MP, I'm not sure that helped but around that time Wellington Electricity and Chorus reached some kind of agreement and things started happening. Once it started it still took ages. Thread here.

Good luck!

pedrogarcia

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#1115187 25-Aug-2014 14:35

Dear god - that thread made for some depressing reading. I might give Grant Robertson a call.

sbiddle

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#1115193 25-Aug-2014 14:40

"Is 6 weeks normal"

The simple answer is yes. At present even 6 months can be quick for a UFB install.

There are lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots and lots of consent related issues that all cause delays.

pedrogarcia

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#1115201 25-Aug-2014 14:45

OK all this is good to know, thanks. I'll just massively lower my expectations.

Brumfondl

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#1115394 25-Aug-2014 17:53

I had the exact same issue at the beginning of the year. It took just over 2 months. Apparently the pole usage is approved in batches. I huess that your batch just hasn't come up yet.

Brumfondl

pedrogarcia

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#1115412 25-Aug-2014 18:22

Finally got an answer from the lines company. They assessed the pole and concluded...it wasn't one of their poles. FML.

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Glassboy

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#1115465 25-Aug-2014 20:28

pedrogarcia: Finally got an answer from the lines company. They assessed the pole and concluded...it wasn't one of their poles. FML.

Whose was it? Do we have rogue poles?

pedrogarcia

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#1115471 25-Aug-2014 20:40

Worse - this ones owned by the trolley buses. Can only imagine the scale of bureaucracy.

Glassboy

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#1115531 25-Aug-2014 21:52

I'm so happy the Trolley buses are on their way out. If there's one thing worse than the stupid vehicles that break down and block traffic, stupid vehicles belonging to the most moronic council in the region.

raytaylor

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#1117176 28-Aug-2014 11:44

I had a point to point fibre connection installed (one of the more costly business options in the UFB pricebook) and it took about 3 months.

But for us, it was worth it

Ray Taylor

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timmmay

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#1117179 28-Aug-2014 11:46

What do you do with a connection that fast?

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wongtop

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#1117186 28-Aug-2014 12:05

timmmay: What do you do with a connection that fast?

He runs a WISP I believe.

Amosnz

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#1117208 28-Aug-2014 12:58

I like how that speedtest is using the NP server, which is hosted by another Wireless Provider.
Since theres no direct path from Hawkes Bay to Taranaki I'd have thought that a closer server would give even better results?

Speedtest

raytaylor

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#1117267 28-Aug-2014 14:24

There is another ISP in hawkes bay but we dont peer direct - it all goes via APE.

Anywhoo my point is that the chorus guys told me the Point to Point fibre was a higher priority than residential gpon installs, but it still took 3 months. So I imagine a 6 week wait for the op is still quite acceptable.

Just think... if you were a farmer in the 40's, your telephone only came as fast as your husband and his mates could put up the poles.

Ray Taylor

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Jaxar

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#1119720 1-Sep-2014 16:36

Hi all,

I've dealt with a lot of NGA business fibre installs and figured I could add some details here around what to expect.
Unfortunately the first expectation anybody looking at install should let go of is some sort of realistic estimated timeframe. While this is pretty poor service relative to an install on the copper network it will probably make sense to the people where once you get some of the the details of what can be involved in an install.

I have seen installs go as fast as three working days and as long as 11 months.

The process in its simplified form goes:

ISP submits job.
Chorus check consent.
Consent is obtained.
Scope/Design.
Build.
Installation.

Your two key challenges in this is consent and build.

Consent is great fun because unlike with a copper install you are now involving a party in the equation who is not motivated to get the customers services installed.
Customer wants services installed asap for obvious reaons.
ISP wants install completed asap so they can start making money.
Chorus wants services install asap so they can start amking money.
People giving consent simply might not care. In consumer you have to deal with right of way driveways and neighbours who might see the concsent form as junk mail and just throw it out.
In business you might be dealing with Body Corps.
There are potnetially other wacky issues than the two examples I mention but you get the idea.

Lets say you get past the consent hurdle.
Scope/Design. For Chorus this might be as simple as working out how to dig a trench down a short driveway or they might have to do something more extreme like get a traffic management plan from the local council due to the build work they need to do.

Build. Again this might be fairly simple if a bit time consuming work or it may face additional complexities due to enviromental or other unforseen factors. As an example maybe the pipe they intended to thrust the cabling down is unexpectidly blocked and thus adds additional time.

The good news here is as Chorus gets nearer the end of build they can usually provide an ETA on a build date.

Next comes the installation. Tech turns up and installs the ONT and you a generally home free from this point however I have seen jobs that have had to go right back to consent due to where the customer has requested the ONT to be installed.

Hopefully the above gives you some idea about the complexity and variables that can lead to such potentially long and unpredictable install times.

Please note: I have a professional bias towards Vodafone.