Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group

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Thursday 1st April 2004 

BT Announce DIY Local Loop Unbundling Trial - Broadband for MK NOW!

This BT trial is now closed. In fact it closed at 12 o'clock today, a few hours after starting.

After pressure from Milton Keynes Broadband group and OFCOM, BT have allowed Milton Keynes residents immediate access to broadband.

This is a collaborative approach that removes all need for planning, paperwork or any type of approval.

(BT and OFCOM acknowledge that adherence to telephony regulatory requirements has been an undue financial burden to all parties involved. Rules of physics can't be disposed of, but regulations can be.)

How to participate.

You must participate NOW! Do not delay.

1, You will need to supply your own cable.

Any cable will do. Cooker cable, speaker wire, anything will do. Thicker cable should provide a higher speed. It must be long enough to reach the exchange in Bradwell Abbey from the house where you live.

Any joins on the cable are bad news. Use one single run if you can.

Don't use any aluminium cable you may have. This is a false economy. Use copper.

You may want to collaborate with your neighbours and use some multi-pair cable. The advantage is only one cable to lay. The disadvantage is you won't know which wire is used by whom, especially if you are colour-blind.

Here's the colour coding for a 10 pair cable. This will get you and 9 of your neighbours broadband.

2, Laying the cable

Just let the cable spool out of the back of your car as you're driving along. The actual exchange building is in Bradwell Abbey.

Keep the cable length to under 6km.

As soon as you reach the telephone exchange, use one of the free phones there to call the council. The Council, also participating in this trial, are happy to help: they're frustrated that its citizens can't get broadband.

The council staff will do the work for you - but, if you like, you can to the Council depot yourself; hop on to one of the Councils' road laying vehicles and cover up your cable in a inch of tarmac.

3, Access to the Building

All buildings use the same access pass code: 1471.

Wipe your feet. Dirt and dust are a killer to electromechanical switches. Although electromechanical switches aren't used now, BT still don't like dirty shoes, and will not clean up after you.

You'll be approached by one of the tea ladies. Ask for a cup of tea and 2 Jaffa cakes, and you won't be challenged further.

(The tea ladies, the wooden Parquet flooring, and the dark walnut panelling are the last remnants of the good old days of the GPO and the civil service.)

The actual telecommunications switching equipment will be hard to find. Modern advances have miniaturised everything down to the size of a shoe box.

You will find the former equipment hall is empty; it's now marked out as a squash court.

There are rooms allocated for staff canteen, staff restroom, staff sick room; similar for management and contractors; you won't find any equipment there.

All the equipment is in the cupboard under the stairs.

4, Connecting to the M.D.F.

The Main Distribution Frame (MDF) is one big patch panel. Choose the phone number you want. If it's already in use just simply pull off any wires you see there. You must use a Krone insulation displacement tool to make the electrical connection. Use of any other type of tool will invalidate the entire exchange; a new exchange would cost several £ million.

5, Tying to the DSLAM

One of the tea ladies will show you where the DSLAM equipment is. She will probably make the tie connection for you if you ask her nicely.

The connection to the DSLAM is vital, otherwise you won't have broadband. The DSLAM is your connection to the Internet.

6, Testing

Drive home. Connect the other end of the cable to a Master Socket and ADSL Filter complying to SIN 346.

Dangerous voltages exist on telecoms circuits. Do not tamper with any part of the telecoms wiring on the house side of the Master Socket.

Plug in your ADSL router, and you should be on the Internet!

Conclusion

The trial is in force now, although rumoured to close at midday.

I have used this method since April the First 2003. It's...

• Reliable
• Cheap - no billing (Nobody seems to know!)
• No paperwork

Depending on how far from the exchange you live, and how busy the roads are, this should take no more that 15 minutes to complete the wiring.

(If one of the tea ladies starts talking this could you take several hours.)

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