SIRO - ESB/Vodafone Fibre To The Home

KOR101

9726_9726 wrote: »

65,000 to be passed in Cork City.

Airwire: MartinL wrote: »

SIRO have announced, that the Cork rollout is starting, including with 10000 premises in Carrigtwohill, Midleton, Blarney, Tower and Charleville.

The announcement can be found on their facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/SIROIreland

Just wondering how that tallies with the original list.

https://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showpost.php?p=91093561&postcount=320

Carrigtwohill, Blarney, Tower and Charleville weren't on the list. Midleton was, God love them. Seems like a big number for Cork City.

Marlow

KOR101 wrote: »

Carrigtwohill, Blarney, Tower and Charleville weren't on the list. Midleton was, God love them. Seems like a big number for Cork City.

A lot of the extra villages were only added internally in Q1/Q2 this year. That list you are referring to is 4 years old.

/M

TheDriver

How can charleville be part of the Cork city roll out??

KOR101

TheDriver wrote: »

How can charleville be part of the Cork city roll out??

It isn't -they announced 5 new towns as well as Cork City.

Marlow

TheDriver wrote: »

How can charleville be part of the Cork city roll out??

It is because SIRO groups a couple of areas and hands them off to the providers in one lot.

It's the same for Sligo, which will include Roscommon, Longford, Carrick-on-Shannon under the same group.

Or Castlebar, which includes Westport and Claremorris.

Or West-Dublin, which includes Carrickmines (Clay Farm), Maynooth, Leixlip and Kilcock.

/M

TheDriver

Sorry, I thought they grouped charleville in Cork city.

Marlow

TheDriver wrote: »

Sorry, I thought they grouped charleville in Cork city.

It's not. It's not even on the radar. Carrigaline and Carrigtwohill are.

/M

9726_9726

Huawei are build contractor for Cork City. TLI are for Carrigtwohill and some of the other county towns.

In the city, Huawei have the design work more or less completed and all road opening licences (3,000 of them) in. ESB are doing "make ready" works. The build will commence in Q4 2018 and will take 3 years to complete.

They will have one point of interconnect in Kilbarry and the city network will have 9 sub substation POPs on a metro ring, serving 55 areas of the city. Certainly the biggest urban fibre access network in the history of the state. Exciting stuff.

KOR101

9726_9726 wrote: »

Huawei are build contractor for Cork City. TLI are for Carrigtwohill and some of the other county towns.

In the city, Huawei have the design work more or less completed and all road opening licences (3,000 of them) in. ESB are doing "make ready" works. The build will commence in Q4 2018 and will take 3 years to complete.

They will have one point of interconnect in Kilbarry and the city network will have 9 sub substation POPs on a metro ring, serving 55 areas of the city. Certainly the biggest urban fibre access network in the history of the state. Exciting stuff.

They did list Cork City from the outset years ago, but just wondering, given the size, whether this is a change of tack on their part to more out and out urban locations.

9726_9726

KOR101 wrote: »

They did list Cork City from the outset years ago, but just wondering, given the size, whether this is a change of tack on their part to more out and out urban locations.

Well, I think it a few factors are at play:

1) big pond, big sales, big return
2) out of NBP, resources to spare
3) REALLY stick it to Openeir

Xavier Neil will not be happy, as he has to plough on with low-density while a competitor beats him to deploying FTTH in the second city. It really is a very significant rollout for SIRO. Sh#ts in Virgin's bed too, big time.

KOR101

https://www.siliconrepublic.com/comms/siro-cork-broadband-plan

opus

This article in the paper about the Cork rollout was very interesting to me cause I live in the said Northside! The wait begins

Northside of city will see Siro plan first

kao123

So, I had 2 engineers from Actavo call today to install the Fiber as agreed by Vodafone only to be told after about 5 minutes that they can't install it today as there is no sub-duct exposed to my house, despite being told by Vodafone everything is good to go.

So SIRO now have to call and do more digging in order to get this sorted - according to the Actavo engineers.

Has this happened to anyone else?

I'm in the Limerick city area.

Marlow

kao123 wrote: »

So, I had 2 engineers from Actavo call today to install the Fiber as agreed by Vodafone only to be told after about 5 minutes that they can't install it today as there is no sub-duct exposed to my house, despite being told by Vodafone everything is good to go.

So SIRO now have to call and do more digging in order to get this sorted - according to the Actavo engineers.

That can happen. The providers only have limited data on what's on site. It's SIRO that makes the decision, if a premise is passed or not.

Some premises are "ducted", but "no survey", so things can crop up.

I wouldn't worry about this. SIRO takes ownership of whatever issues there are and will see it through to get you a connection.

/M

kao123

Marlow wrote: »

That can happen. The providers only have limited data on what's on site. It's SIRO that makes the decision, if a premise is passed or not.

Some premises are "ducted", but "no survey", so things can crop up.

I wouldn't worry about this. SIRO takes ownership of whatever issues there are and will see it through to get you a connection.

/M

I've no doubt I will get connected, the whole day off work thing and another 2 - 4 weeks for SIRO to correct what was not done is the issue.

Omitting the other parties SIRO and Actavo, Vodafone are the sellers of the product and they advise that all is good to go and it will take 40 mins to be connected, so they are at fault really.

My neighbor is expecting a similar install tomorrow so he now has no idea if he is going to connected or not.

Marlow

kao123 wrote: »

I've no doubt I will get connected, the whole day off work thing and another 2 - 4 weeks for SIRO to correct what was not done is the issue.

Omitting the other parties SIRO and Actavo, Vodafone are the sellers of the product and they advise that all is good to go and it will take 40 mins to be connected, so they are at fault really.

My neighbor is expecting a similar install tomorrow so he now has no idea if he is going to connected or not.

Erhm .. I don't know what porky pies the sales man told you. Here a few facts:

- an average SIRO installation is 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. At least that's what you should calculate with. IF !! it's ducted. An overhead installation requires multiple visits by several crews and can take a month (due to Actavo not being allowed to work on power lines).
- I don't know, how you'd be the entire day of work, when you can pick AM or PM for your installation.
- There are way too many factors, that can go wrong, that you can expect to get the installation done the first time around.

If the fiber was there and it was already installed and the ONT was in place, then sure. But if the fiber first has to be brought in, then there's no way that's going to happen. Common sense would have dictated, that murphys law is something that can happen.

/M

kao123

Marlow wrote: »

Erhm .. I don't know what porky pies the sales man told you. Here a few facts:

- an average SIRO installation is 1 1/2 hours to 2 hours. At least that's what you should calculate with. IF !! it's ducted. An overhead installation requires multiple visits by several crews and can take a month (due to Actavo not being allowed to work on power lines).
- I don't know, how you'd be the entire day of work, when you can pick AM or PM for your installation.
- There are way too many factors, that can go wrong, that you can expect to get the installation done the first time around.

If the fiber was there and it was already installed and the ONT was in place, then sure. But if the fiber first has to be brought in, then there's no way that's going to happen. Common sense would have dictated, that murphys law is something that can happen.

/M

Vodafone offered a service, I accepted.. delays and the correct facilities/infrastructre being put in place should not really my concern when ordering a product or service, the service provider should.

I was first given an engineer arrival time of between 09:00 and 13:00, I got a phone call at 12:57 to advise this has changed to between 13:00 and 18:00 - hence the full day off work.

If you are in the know about what kind of delays and obstacles are going to cause issues and put up with them as they arise that's well and fine, however I expect at the very least they would have these sorted before offering the service, they have surely done enough installs at this stage.

I appreciate your advice but this is directed at SIRO/Vodafone

Marlow

kao123 wrote: »

I appreciate your advice but this is directed at SIRO/Vodafone

There are 8 providers on the SIRO platform. Vodafone is only one of them. The list is here: https://siro.ie/siro-broadband-partners/

Your situation is basically, that Vodafone didn't get you the right information and/or didn't keep you in the loop.

You might want to raise that in their support forum here: https://www.boards.ie/ttforum/1270

But your situation above, apart from the late notice of change of your appointment, is not that bad. That could have been a whole lot worse, if you had to deal with another network.

/M

kao123

Marlow wrote: »

There are 8 providers on the SIRO platform. Vodafone is only one of them. The list is here: https://siro.ie/siro-broadband-partners/

Your situation is basically, that Vodafone didn't get you the right information and/or didn't keep you in the loop.

You might want to raise that in their support forum here: https://www.boards.ie/ttforum/1270

But your situation above, apart from the late notice of change of your appointment, is not that bad. That could have been a whole lot worse, if you had to deal with another network.

/M

Vodafone did advise that my property is 100% ready for their service, so I guess according to them they did give correct info, if there are multiple providers involved it's not really something I have to deal with, my dealings are with Vodafone who offered a service they can't provide.

I do think it is that bad from a customer perspective, they set an expectation they failed to meet.

But not as bad as this - https://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2057891688/1#post107980118

I have already taken it up with them and we shall see what happens.
I posted on here to see if anyone else had / is having similar issues.

Marlow

kao123 wrote: »

if there are multiple providers involved

No. You read that wrong. There is SIRO .... and then there are 8 providers.

Vodafone is one of them, which is what you went with.

What experience you get is down to the provider that you pick. And I already outlined in my first post, that Vodafone had no way of knowing, if your premise was 100% ready unless it was pre-installed. So if they told you that, then they gave you wrong information.

They don't get that detail of information from SIRO. All they are told by SIRO is that the premise is ready for connection and how it's going to be connected. No less, no more. And when I say ready for connection, that means that the fibre network outside the premise is live. That's all.

So either they gave you wrong information or you misunderstood them.

If the premise is yet not installed, then there is no way of knowning, what challenges may arise. For any of the providers.

/M

kao123

There was no misunderstanding on my part, I was offered 1Gb fibre broadband from Vodafone, I was advised that my home was 100% ready and the installation would take no more than 40 minutes (I am very close to the source box).

Ready to avail of this service is what I was told, not ready for connection so based on that information I made my choice.

The fact is they offer a service without advising there may be additional work which is not mentioned anywhere.

You are well informed and up to date on the possible setbacks and potential delays, not all of us are.

I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

tsue921i8wljb3

kao123 wrote: »

There was no misunderstanding on my part, I was offered 1Gb fibre broadband from Vodafone, I was advised that my home was 100% ready and the installation would take no more than 40 minutes (I am very close to the source box).

Ready to avail of this service is what I was told, not ready for connection so based on that information I made my choice.

The fact is they offer a service without advising there may be additional work which is not mentioned anywhere.

You are well informed and up to date on the possible setbacks and potential delays, not all of us are.

I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar experience.

Yes other people have had issues. Some have not. It is unfortunately a reality that when dealing with old infrastructure that was never built with broadband in mind, you will sometimes run into such issues.

I agree with you that this should be made clearer to potential customers on ordering but I suppose certain ISPs may err on not overwhelming customers with information for fear of losing business.

thehamok

I'm very interested in these latest posts re SIRO versus Vodafone.
I can say its nigh on impossible to get Vodafone to give you information. You're dealing with Sales people who don't have a clue when it comes down to the nitty gritty. They are there to sell you a product.
Vodafone technical people are almost impossible to contact.
I was in discussion with Vodafone over a letter I received which gave me totally erroneous information - this was agreed by a representative of Vodafone. The letter was supposed to be directed to people who were on total copper internet as against fibre to the control box and copper to the house.
I'm interested in upgrading but I'm in dread of having to deal with crap information.
I need Vodafone to answer a few questions and they can't do that over the phone. They say the 'Engineer' on the day of an installation will answer all my queries. That to me is useless.
Is there any Vodafone Technical people looking at this forum I wonder?

tsue921i8wljb3

thehamok wrote: »

I'm very interested in these latest posts re SIRO versus Vodafone.
I can say its nigh on impossible to get Vodafone to give you information. You're dealing with Sales people who don't have a clue when it comes down to the nitty gritty. They are there to sell you a product.
Vodafone technical people are almost impossible to contact.
I was in discussion with Vodafone over a letter I received which gave me totally erroneous information - this was agreed by a representative of Vodafone. The letter was supposed to be directed to people who were on total copper internet as against fibre to the control box and copper to the house.
I'm interested in upgrading but I'm in dread of having to deal with crap information.
I need Vodafone to answer a few questions and they can't do that over the phone. They say the 'Engineer' on the day of an installation will answer all my queries. That to me is useless.
Is there any Vodafone Technical people looking at this forum I wonder?

No there are no Vodafone people here, at least none who are going to identify themselves publicly.

thehamok

You'd think Vodafone, which is such a big organisation, would like to be on the ball and answer questions fairly and not hide behind the Sales Staff.

tsue921i8wljb3

thehamok wrote: »

You'd think Vodafone, which is such a big organisation, would like to be on the ball and answer questions fairly and not hide behind the Sales Staff.

They do have a Talk To forum, I think I've seen you post there.

However there are lots of knowledgeable posters here so if you wish to post your questions I'm sure they will try to answer them if possible.

thehamok

Navi, thanks. What I find is conflicting information even from Vodafone.
Telephones are one of these problems, some people say you must have a compatible IP or VOIP phone while others say no you don't.
I'm one of those people who don't like surprises when it comes down to getting something new. I like to research it to make sure when and if I get something new I know its going to work without additional problems or worries.
There is also a difference of opinion as to where 'they' put the control box. Some say they'll put it at the nearest power point while others say they'll put it where the customer needs it. Perhaps its a different installation crews do their own thing.

tsue921i8wljb3

thehamok wrote: »

Navi, thanks. What I find is conflicting information even from Vodafone.
Telephones are one of these problems, some people say you must have a compatible IP or VOIP phone while others say no you don't.
I'm one of those people who don't like surprises when it comes down to getting something new. I like to research it to make sure when and if I get something new I know its going to work without additional problems or worries.
There is also a difference of opinion as to where 'they' put the control box. Some say they'll put it at the nearest power point while others say they'll put it where the customer needs it. Perhaps its a different installation crews do their own thing.

You definitely do not need an IP or VoIP phone.

As for the location of the box I'll leave that to someone who has had the service installed.

booterboy

Had Siro installed 2 weeks ago in Kilkenny.
Ordered from Digiweb and was installed 6 days later.
2 guys from Actavo arrived 5 mins after stated time.
Were really nice to talk to and installed upstairs on landing exactly where I wanted it.
Did a really neat job tacking the cable up the gable end wall from the outdoor power box.
Install took just under 2 hours.
Really happy with install.

salnado

thehamok wrote: »

Navi, thanks. What I find is conflicting information even from Vodafone.
Telephones are one of these problems, some people say you must have a compatible IP or VOIP phone while others say no you don't.
I'm one of those people who don't like surprises when it comes down to getting something new. I like to research it to make sure when and if I get something new I know its going to work without additional problems or worries.
There is also a difference of opinion as to where 'they' put the control box. Some say they'll put it at the nearest power point while others say they'll put it where the customer needs it. Perhaps its a different installation crews do their own thing.

I had the service installed by Actavo on behalf of Vodafone yesterday in Carrigaline in Cork and can comment on my experience:
 
Phone - You can use your existing phone. Mine is more than 10 years old...about 5 minutes after the install was complete I got a text from Vodafone saying my number was ported to VOIP (previously was Vodafone over copper/FTTC). I plugged the phone out of the copper socket and into the back of the new modem and had a dial tone instantly.
 
Location: My copper master socket was at the end of the hallway and a convenient location for the router and the phone but an awkward location to get to from the ESB box. Despite that the Actavo guys worked out a route. They ran fibre externally to outside the utility room, mounted the ONT (fibre to ethernet converter) in the utility room (it needs power) and then ran an ethernet cable through two walls to get to the hall so that I could have the router and phone where I wanted it. It all took nearly 3 hours, which considering this is for a faster service at a lower price, is good service.