Ethernet Provisioning Timeline
This document provides everything you need to know about the provisioning of your Fibre Ethernet order, from placement until completion. In it, we will cover the following:
Pre-survey checks
Before placing an order with our suppliers, we need to ensure that the installation premises are ready. If the site isn’t ready when engineers arrive, your order may be delayed, though we will do everything possible to avoid this. Here’s how you can help avoid delays:
- If the premises were built before 1/1/2000, please make sure you have the asbestos register certificate for the engineer when they arrive.
- Ensure the on-site contact can provide access to all necessary areas for the survey, including risers and intake areas.
- If there are any site specific access or security restrictions, ensure you make us aware as soon as possible.
- If the site requires an induction, let us know when we contact you to arrange an engineer visit.
- Ensure there is a main power socket available within three meters of the circuit termination point.
- Ensure the on-site contact has the authority to verbally agree the internal cable route.
- If the building is multi-tenanted, ensure you can provide access to all areas.
- Ensure the building/site will be accessible for survey.
- Ensure the termination is ready for installation.
Please be aware that an abortive visit fee may be charged if the survey has to be terminated for one of these reasons.
Fibre ethernet categories
Your order will be categorised based on the complexity of delivering the circuit. Here’s a breakdown of these categories:
| Category | Description |
| Category 1 | Infrastructure build already to site and existing duct. Fibre may already be present or there may be a requirement for new blown fibre into the building. |
| Category 1.1 | (No site survey required) ‘Quick Win’ – The provision of this circuit will progress straight through to the internal install. |
| Category 1.2 | (Site survey is required) Our suppliers are confident that existing infrastructure is present at site but feel a site visit is required to confirm this and ensure their records are fully up to date. |
| Category 2 | Cabling work and new blown fibre are required in the underground ducts. |
| Category 2.1 | Infrastructure records indicate that existing ducting can be used. |
| Category 2.2 | New ducting is required to site. This could be because there is no existing infrastructure served to the premises or replacement duct work is needed. |
| Category 3 | New core infrastructure build required (Spine cable) due to supplier capacity restraints. |
| Category 4 | New core connectivity required at the exchange. |
| Category 4.1 | If exchange tie cable is at capacity, an additional tie cable is needed. |
| Category 4.2 | Exchange network upgrade is required. |
Quick Wins
In many cases our supplier’s physical infrastructure is already set up to serve your premises and no building work is required to blow and terminate the fibre at a site. If initial planning records indicate that both ends of the circuit fall into this category then a visual site survey is not required and the order will progress straight to the internal fibre and Fit & Test of the circuit. This is called a quick win.
We can’t guarantee that quick wins will always be successful, but in our experience they usually are. On rare occasions, engineers arrive on-site to complete installation work and encounter unexpected issues not shown by planning records, such as:
- Inability to access the lead-in at the site – often this is because it has been concreted over or obstructed.
- Site readiness – comms / server room may not yet have the necessary racks installed or power.
- Faulty infrastructure e.g. blocked duct / broken cable / faulty fibre.
- Site has undergone refurbishment or has been redeveloped since fibre was originally installed.
- SSRAMS: Site Specific Risk Assessment And Method Statement required.
- Fibre already in use – disparity with fibre records
In rare cases, the order might need to be rolled back for a re-plan, and a site survey may then be required. If so, we will do everything we can to manage your order through these additional planning stages pro-actively.
Key milestones
| Pre Order | Order form sent to capture customer requirements | On receipt, pre-validation activities take place | Credit checks take place (where applicable); order is entered into Packnet systems. |
| Day 1-2 | Provisioning Co-ordinator assigned. | Order Validation and network capacity checks. | Order submitted to the carrier. |
| Day 3-15 | Carrier order acknowledgement | Desktop planning determines whether a site survey is required | Site survey booked with customer (or internal fibre if quick win) |
| Day 16-30 | Site survey results received and remaining planning activities completed | Job packs issued to engineers for external / internal fibre work | Customer delivery date confirmed by carrier |
| Day 31-55 | Engineers carry out all external work and civils if required | Internal fibre and cabling work arranged | ‘Fit & Test’ at customer site and exchange with final remote commissioning |
| Day 56-65 | Receive handover from supplier | Managed Networks configure router and test circuit | Official handover to the customer |
| Day 65-67 | Circuit handover details sent to Managed Networks | Contact to the customer to arrange the hardware install date/time | Book engineer for requested date |
Please note the delivery lead time can vary depending on the ethernet category. All timescales are subject to planning, surveys and external works (if applicable). We will provide frequent updates throughout your provisioning journey.
Potential delays
Occasionally, orders are subject to unavoidable delays, which we detail below.
| Type of delay | Description |
| Noticing / Traffic Management | Our supplier may need to work with local authorities/ councils to carry out any physical work as it may involve a temporary road closure or parking bay suspension. This is referred to as ‘noticing’ because they require permission from the local authority before proceeding. The time frame for these approvals varies regionally and can be up to three months. |
| Wayleave | A wayleave is the consent in writing that allows our supplier to carry out work on privately-owned land. It’s a written legal agreement between the supplier and the land/property owner that grants access to install, maintain or repair equipment. This requirement is bound by UK Law before starting any physical work. |
| Driver Circuit | When another circuit is the first one to be provisioned within the same local area. Any core dependencies will be carried out on the driver circuit along with any ECCs. Our circuit is reliant on ECC acceptance and all external work being completed before your order can progress. |
| Excess Construction Charges (ECCs) | These may be incurred for your wayleave (if required) and for the provision of physical work. They are identified after the site survey and presented to us in the planning results. |
| Permission to dig/work (PTD/W) | This is a document that needs to be signed by a private land owner in the event that an official wayleave document is not required. |
| Force Majeure | Any circumstances beyond our control such as extreme weather conditions, power failures and natural disasters. |
Requirement for supplier /core infrastructure build |
Spine cable / core cable. |
| New customer lead-in requirement | If existing lead-in at the customer site is blocked or at full capacity, a new customer lead-in will be required. |
Please don't worry, if an order is delayed, we work proactively to get it back on track.
Engineering activities
| Activity Name | Description |
| Test Rod & Tube (TRT) | If an existing duct is planned to be used, then engineers will use a rod to check that there are no blockages or damages to the duct. There may be a need to repair or replace the duct if so wayleave or traffic management may be required which could significantly delay the order. |
| Cabling | Once blown fibre/TRT/tubing is completed, suppliers can then carry out the cabling as required. If any damages are found and replacements are required then Traffic Management (TM) may be needed. |
| Internal concrete* | Required in the installation property. A hole will be drilled through a concrete wall to feed the through the cabling. |
| Internal non concrete* | Required in the installation property to drill a hole through a non-concrete wall to feed the cabling through. |
| Internal cabling* | Required in the installation property. To provide the cabling internally, wayleave may be required. |
| Tubing | Suppliers install new tubing where it has been highlighted as required. |
| Civils | A requirement for new ducts, joint boxes or to repair underground infrastructure. |
| Splicing | Where fibre cables need to be fused together. |
| Street works | Dependent on the location, the Local Authority can require up to three months’ notice. Utility works will always be prioritised so confirmed dates for orders can on rare occasions be pushed back. |
| Pole Installation | A new telegraph pole may be needed to feed overhead cables. This is uncommon and usually only required when there are issues providing the fibre underground. |
| Duct Footway /Carriageway | If ducting is required on a path or track for pedestrians or under a road, Traffic Management (TM) may be needed. |
| Blown Fibre | Fibre is blown through a ducting pipe from the nearest source of fibre through the customer site lead-in. |
| Internal Fibre Jointing | Engineers complete the internal fibre work by pulling the fibre into the premises to the termination point. |
| Ethernet Single Visit (ESV) | Engineers install the fibre, NTE (ADVA) and perform the Fit & Test in one single visit. |
| Fit and Test (F&T) | Engineers attend site and the serving exchange to carry out a full end-to-end test of the circuit. Engineers install the Network Terminating Equipment (NTE, usually referred to as ‘ADVA’) at the customer site and terminate the tail end of the fibre in to this equipment. The Cisco router will also terminate in to the ADVA. |
| Blockage / De-silting | Engineers may need to clear existing ducting before fibre blow. This is referred to as blockage clearance, and de-silting activities will be carried out where needed. |
*All internal works are carried out by contractors
Ethernet abbreviations
| KCI | Keep Customer Informed | ADVA | Providers of NTE |
| KCI1 | Order Acknowledged | Section 58 | Request to dig up a road or path that has recently been disturbed can cause lengthy delays as they may not be able to disturb the road again for a set time. Eg. 2 years. |
| KCI2 | Site Survey Results | A55 | Design plan for work to be carried out to remove an obstruction or issue. Primarily for blockage clearance or traffic management. |
| KCI3 | Confirms CDD | SSRAMS | Site Specific, Risk Asses and Method Statement |
| SS | Site Survey | OOH | Out of hours work |
| ECC's | Excess Construction Charges | HA | Highway authority |
| CDD | Customers Delivery Date (Never Guaranteed) |
Dan Team | (Dig Auxiliary Network Control) will use the A55 document to produce an estimate for the contractor to complete the work |
| ECD | Estimated Completion Date (Used for individual tasks) | PTO | Precision Test Officer - Tests fibre tails to ensure no breaks or faults. |
| TRT | Test Rod & Tube | NTE | Networking Terminating Equipment (usually referred to as an ADVA) |
| PTW | Permission to work | LA | Local authority |
| PTD | Permission to dig | IFP | Internal fibre provision |
| TM | Traffic management | F&F | Fit and test |
Final setup steps
Circuit Handover
Once the circuit is complete and ready for handover, we will need to arrange for a hardware set-up call (Managed circuits only). During this call, one of our engineers will walk you through how to connect the hardware and ensure the circuit access configuration is up and running on your router. If you transfer details from another circuit or even upgrade your hardware, this will all be discussed on the call.
A member of the provisioning team will be in touch with you to arrange for these to take place, once your circuit has been handed over. If you do not require a hardware set-up call at the end of your order, please make a member of the team aware, as we will still need to run some internal set-up checks remotely.
FAQ's
| Question | Answer | |
| I’ve just placed my order, what happens now? | We will validate the order to see if we have all the required information to submit to our supplier, who will then carry out further validation. Once confirmed the order will then go through to the network planning team who will determinate whether a site survey is required. This process will take approx. 5-10 working days. | |
We’ve just received an update of a new delay. Why wasn’t the issue found during the survey? |
During a site survey the engineers will generally walk part/all of the distance from the exchange to the premises to ascertain what route this will take. Engineers base reports on infrastructure records and above ground site surveys. Unfortunately, damaged or blocked ducting or tubing can only be identified when work has started. This can occasionally lead to unforeseen delays. | |
We already have a circuit in the building, why do you have to do external works? |
During the site survey the engineer may find that the ducting/tubing/cabling is already used up by another circuit in the area, anywhere from the exchange to the premises that share the same route point. This may mean external work is required. | |
| When will the circuit be live? | Our supplier won’t normally commit to an overall delivery date until all the dependent tasks are complete due to potential delays with duct issues, third party permissions and/or traffic management. Once they are happy with progression they will then be in a position to provide the estimated delivery date and as soon as we receive it we will share it with you. | |
Why is the Traffic Management date booked in so far in advance? |
Our supplier will need to work with local authorities/councils to carry out any physical work as it may involve road closure or parking bay suspension. This is referred to as ‘noticing’ because they require permission from the local authority before proceeding. The time frame for these approvals varies regionally and it can be up to three months before any work can commence. | |
When will we receive our hardware? |
We aim to ship the hardware once we receive the appointment for the fibre install. It doesn’t need to be on-site before handover. | |
Why has the billing started already? |
Once we hand the circuit over to you the billing will commence as the circuit is now live and usable. Should you have any difficulties in connecting up your Cisco hardware you can arrange to have a remote set up call with one of our engineers. | |
An engineer has installed the fibre. Is the circuit now live? |
Not quite: 1. If the engineer installed the Network Terminating Equipment (NTE) during the visit the order will then be passed to the Fit & Test team who will carry out commissioning testing remotely from the exchange. Once testing has been completed they will then hand the circuit over. 2. If the engineer did not install the NTE (not a requirement on the first visit) this will require a further visit to the premises for a Fit & Test appointment. They will carry out the commissioning tests and handover the circuit. |
|
Is a backup circuit required for the leased line? |
We do advise that a failover SOGEA or FTTP circuit is installed/active alongside the Leased Line, for circuit assurance. This will provide a connection in the event of an issue with your leased line. Your business will be able to use the failover circuit whilst one of our engineers fixes any potential issues with the leased line. | |
When will I get my survey results? |
Following a successful survey the results will be reviewed by the planning team and sent through to us within 5-10 days from the survey date. We will share them with you as soon as they are received. |