Broadband for Milton Keynes

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BT Meeting

Here's my report from our meeting with BT, held on 20th February 2004 at Phoenix House.

BT Attendees:

Bradley Borum

BT's Milton Keynes Broadband Champion

Serena Shukla

Customer Satisfaction Business Analyst, Milton Keynes Broadband Single Point of Contact

Keith Lawton

Head of Broadband Complaints Process - BT Group

Colin Strong

Manager Access Infrastructure and Technology Solutions - responsible for developing and introducing new network technologies and architectures - much of it to deliver future broadband products.

Kostas Rigas

A member of Colin’s technical Access Network Solution Design Team, currently seconded to Bradley. He is working on the detailed analysis of the MK copper cable network.

We had apologies from John Small who was unable to attend. We know John is very concerned with the issues we have.

MK Broadband Action Group Attendees:

John Bint

Business Development & Strategy Consultant. Various links with MK's business community. Involvement in local politics as Middleton Ward spokesman and recent Conservative candidate for MK Council. Representing Broughton and Middleton.

Colin Bradnam

Responsible for IT operations in a local Bio-tech company. "It would be so nice to be able to use a remote desktop from home!"

Nick Hubbard

Milton Keynes Broadband Group Coordinator.

Report Summary

The MK situation is on BT's national agenda. This is a significant achievement.

BT is genuinely keen to solve the Broadband problems we have in Milton Keynes. Bradley has completed a technical evaluation of the "Bradwell Abbey" telephone area that covers most of Milton Keynes.

However, there is no quick fix.

Meeting Details

Bradley's report

BT has devoted substantial resources to analysing why there are gaps in the broadband foot print in Milton Keynes. The focus of this work has been on the Bradwell Abbey Telephone Exchange, the exchange which serves most of Milton Keynes. Bradley has now completed a highly detailed analysis of why some telephone lines are unable to serve broadband. In fact the analysis is so detailed, thanks to Kostas’s modelling of the signal attenuation characteristics for all the red and amber lines, that the company are using Milton Keynes as a case study nationally.

Essentially the gaps in BT’s broadband coverage for Milton Keynes are due to very long cable runs. One reason for this is that some of the main grid roads didn't exist when the cable infrastructure was laid down, so telephone cables may go round "3 sides of a square" in some cases. This "erratic" cabling can be explained by the growth of the estates with the New Town. Some areas were developed over a number of years, and the routing to each phase of a particular development may be different from earlier or later phases.

The position as I write this is that Bradley has outlined and done initial costings for a number of long term and tactical solutions. She will have presented this in a day long BT internal workshop dedicated to Milton Keynes. (The workshop was held on Monday the 23rd of February.) The decision makers at this workshop will have determined which solutions are most viable technically and commercially.

The next step will be the presentation of these recommendations to the top broadband team in late March.

Bradley will be reporting back to us after this March meeting.

Given the confidential nature of BT’s technical research work coupled with regulatory issues, it is very difficult for our champion to provide us with anything more than a “please bear with us a little longer.” BT are pledged to the principle of what they do for one community they must do for all. Working through the implications of any given solution takes time. In addition, any given solution must be tested, trialled and piloted before we turn it loose on the public.

"One of our other guiding principles is that we only provide reliable products."

Conclusion: there appear to be no quick fixes on the horizon but BT seem optimistic.

We also briefly discussed public private partnership funding to try and facilitate matters.

Expectations

We discussed how the group monitors BT activity and how the meeting would be reported on the web. "There must be 100% accuracy on the web. Do not raise false expectations."

(I totally agree with this. If anyone finds any inaccuracies on this web site, let me know.
This is a campaign web site - not an organ of the BT where every utterance for public digest has to be passed by the relevant departments. We are engaging with BT. They don't have to engage with us - but they are.
The content on this site is as accurate as possible.)

There is no quick fix.

Colin stated that it will be 12 to 18 months before BT knows the outcome of technical evaluations of broadband such as extending the reach, and other projects. Once these evaluations are complete BT may be able to do something for those people who currently cannot receive broadband because they are beyond the limit of reliable broadband service.

Bradwell Abbey

Bradley is focussing solely on the telephone area served by the Bradwell Abbey exchange in Milton Keynes. There are approximately 59 estates served by this exchange, which is sited in Fishermead. BT currently believe that only 76% of the lines are capable of providing a broadband service. The remaining 24% lines have too much loss to provide a broadband service.

The close examination of this one telephone area will provide the structure for further analysis of other exchange areas, not only in MK but the rest of the UK.

Finance dictates the solution

BT's problem is a business one: they have to make a sound financial case to their board / shareholders.

They have technical solutions – but costs are key. There is continuing technical research. Keith is well informed: he is abreast of all worldwide 'Telco' developments.

The solution for MK will cost £"many millions".

(Note : it is BT WHOLESALE (not BT Group) who receive £13 per month, which has to pay for the network infrastructure. The rest of the retail charge goes to the service provider, which could be BT Retail or Openworld or another company altogether, for providing the service over this network)

One of BT’s big challenges is to try and get more people to take up broadband – but in Milton Keynes that’s difficult because of the sketchy coverage. Public Private Partnerships are funding the roll out of broadband to many rural areas and this is an area Bradley is also involved in.

Milton Keynes - a special case?

Why's Milton Keynes been given special attention by BT?

1. We're conveniently sited being "Just up the motorway" and geographically central.
    
2. We're full of "Broadband Citizens." The IT critical nature of MK means more IT literate residents and a higher percentage of IT businesses. Our demographics are not typical of other UK towns, but will be in a few year's time.

BT are looking closely at MK, but remediation for MK will not take priority over other Broadband starved towns in the UK.

Broadband Cable Rollout

Residents should not get overexcited when the see BT running in new cable. BT have a new internal rule in place: if copper cable has to be laid for any reason, make it Broadband friendly.

Yes, the cabling in Middleton put in last December used "good stuff" at 0.63mm gauge, but this is not to be misinterpreted as a re-cabling exercise for Broadband.

That Database

Keith is confident that the BT web online broadband checker is 98% accurate with its phone number Broadband Availability prognostications. He confirmed that postcode checks were 80% accurate but BT buy these from the Post Office – the most accurate source there is.

He said "Please use your phone number, not your postcode."

"Difficult in my scenario." I suggested. I moved house to a broadbandless area after relying on the over confident post code checker. Broadband tends to get very expensive when you take estate agent's charges, solicitor's fees and stamp duty into account.

The Group's representatives doubted the figure of 98% accuracy.

We presented the case of Mr Happy:

Mr Happy formerly from Stantonbury moved to the Broadbandless wilds of Willen Park.

Stantonbury is closer to the telephone exchange. The street where he used to live can get broadband. He never had broadband there as he moved from there several years ago.

He moved taking his telephone number with him. This is easy as both estates are on the Bradwell Abbey exchange.

He recently applies for Broadband in Willen, the database says "yes" and he gets it. His neighbours fume when their Broadband applications fail.

Keith said this could not happen - there was some different cabling used to Mr Happy's house; that's why he could get it.

He then reiterated the 98% accuracy figure. The database is trustworthy.

There was a lot of meeting time wasted with "Oh no it isn't!" from one camp and "Oh yes it is!" from the other.

Bradley intervened: "Yes, there are mistakes."

Colin wants the details of this case, assuring us that Mr Happy would not get disconnected.

The Broadband Action Group is concerned that we act carefully here. I asked for a clarification. Bradley emailed the following after the meeting:

Mr Happy is not Mr Happy's real name, and the estate details are also wrong, maybe. There goes my commitment for 100% accuracy!

Good neighbourliness takes precedence over campaign issues. I will contact Mr Happy - he may choose to help.

Single Point of Contact.

After being in place for 8 months the Single Point of Contact process is to be reviewed. This communication route between BT and the public has proved to be very successful.

BT is confident that the on-line database is now very accurate; Serena's "handholding" should not now be necessary.

If you want Broadband then I urge you to check availability by using BT's online broadband checker. Now.

Disappointment

The group has helped BT by providing a list of around 100 members interested in Broadband technology trials. See this page.

BT said their technology partners were not happy with involving the "public". Non Disclosure Agreements are common with commercial partners. Trials have started on the 16th February; they involve BT employees.

MK citizens could not be be involved. 

The list of members the group provided was put to one side.

Not even a "thank you."

This lack of common courtesy was noted - Bradley said BT will be thanking each member directly. She was sorry that BT's care over confidential matters made BT appear to be unduly secretive. (Bradley was most concerned about this.)

Bradley has emailed the group an apology. Participants will also be thanked directly.

Next Meeting

Our next meeting will be held in April 2004 (To be confirmed.)

Conclusions

We are still disappointed that there is very little of substance to report.

The majority of members want the answer to the straightforward question: "When are BT going to sort it, and how much will it cost me?"

We do not have that answer. They were unable to offer anything tangible for us to report. There is no quick fix.

We are still encouraged that BT are genuinely keen to solve our Broadband problems.

We sense that BT are trying to play fair. The affairs of the Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group are public - every move BT makes gets reported on the web. BT cannot be seen to be giving any undue favours to one particular town: whatever happens in MK would be expected to happen UK wide.

The Milton Keynes Broadband Action Group, with its 966 members, is having some sort of effect on BT.

If you want Broadband then I urge you to check availability by using BT's online broadband checker. Now.

Links

Follow these links for other BT meeting reports:

June 2003
September 2003
November 2003
June 2004

Pre-meeting questions and post-meeting answers.

Milton Keynes Broadband Home

Activities

If you live in Milton Keynes, and want Broadband, let us know!

100% accurate HTML?