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Pre-Registration FAQ

Is there a local registration campaign for my area?

Even though the ADSL registration scheme is ended, many campaign sites are continuing to help with local issues, both for broadband and other topics, therefore we have left our list of campaign sites in this FAQ.

People around the country are setting up campaign sites, the ones we are aware of are:

If your campaign site is missing and you want it listed email team@thinkbroadband.com with your URL, town/city and county. Please do not e-mail on behalf of someone else's site.

I've got a question on the registration scheme where can I ask it?

The ADSLGuide forums are one good place to start, a specific registration forum does exist here.

Additionally BT Wholesale run there own forum where registered campaigners can ask questions, this is accessed via the Campaign Information website.

Why do the trigger levels vary so much?

The trigger level is related to the cost of the work that will need to be done to ADSL enable an exchange. This includes the cost of connecting the exchange to the existing BT Wholesale ADSL network and installing the actual DSLAM unit into the exchange.

The trigger level reflects roughly half the number of users BT Wholesale will require as customers on that exchange at the end of three years. The three year period is the set time period when BT wants all the initial capital expenditure to have being paid back.

I have heard about subtending - what is it?

Subtending is a method of linking a child exchange to a parent exchange, and therefore reducing the costs of the back-haul for the child exchange. BT will generally only subtend two child exchanges from a parent.

The network engineering to provide this linked backhaul solution is complex and each exchange is considered on a case by case basis.

There is not a simple formula which dictates where this linked backhaul approach might be appropriate but in each case the requirements include: The existing enabled exchange must have sufficient bandwidth back to the ATM/IP core network to carry its own broadband data as well as that from any linked exchange. The secondary linked exchange must have a high bandwidth link which can be dedicated to carry the broadband data to the primary ADSL exchange. The availability of existing network plant to create the exchange to exchange link - not all exchanges are interconnected.

My exchange is listed as not viable what does it mean?

Exchanges listed as not unviable have being reviewed by BT Wholesale to determine the appropriate trigger level, but BT has determined the trigger level would be too high to ever be achieved. In other-words the trigger level is higher than the number of lines on the exchange, or higher than the number of likely internet users.

During the periodic reviews BT carry out the not viable exchanges are also reviewed to see if the circumstances have changed and the costs are now lower. An example of this would be if a nearby exchange is now enabled and the not viable exchange is now able to subtend its back-haul connection.

How often are trigger levels published?

Since the long list of 2300 triggers was published, the remaining 600 exchanges have no set calendar for reviews.

Why does our exchange have a high number of registrations but no trigger?

Exchanges with over 150 registrations are either currently being reviewed, or are about to go into the review process. The review process results are published several times a year, and the online demand trackers will show whether a trigger level is set, or whether BT Wholesale deem the exchange to not be commercially viable at this time.

My exchange doesn't have a trigger level?

BT in November 2003, released around 2300 trigger levels. This left 500-600 exchanges still without a trigger but as of March 2006, only 38 of these have not been activated or given a service date. Most of these 500 exchanges that have now had a service date have been due to the activities of the various Regional Development Agencies around the UK.

I've registered my interest, but the demand tracker hasn't updated?

The tracker takes around 24 to 48 hours to update from the time an ISP enters the data into system. Some ISPs enter the data daily into the system, others generate spreadsheets of data that are periodically sent to BT.

Also only those lines that show up as possibly being able to receive ADSL are countered, lines that are too long or out of range will not be counted. Additionally if the phone number is submitted a second time it will not increase the count.

What happens when the trigger level is reached?

Once the trigger level is reached for an exchange, BT will spend a few days checking the registrations to ensure they are genuine. If so, the exchange will be added to the build list.

The build list is a list of exchanges that are due to be ADSL enabled. It will generally take around 3-4 months for the exchange to be ready for service.

Does registration mean I have to order ADSL?

Registering your interest in no way ties you into any contractual obligation. Obviously BT will be looking for most people who register to actually order the service, but there is no obligation.

How do I register?

There is no need to register anymore if you want to express your interest in an ADSL service. It is simply a matter of waiting for your exchange to pass its RFS date and be enabled.

For people and business's interested in the SDSL product range that BT Wholesale provide, a smaller registration scheme does exist. This is to allow BT Wholesale to determine which exchanges to roll-out SDSL on. For this reason we have left the list of ISP's.

SDSL is a symmetric service, offering upto 2Mbps in both directions, and is used by many businesses as a low cost replacement for a leased line. Pricing for 2Mbps services are in the £300/month area.

Not all ISPs are setup to deal with registration of interest, we have listed below the ones with online forms.

List is in alphabetical order, if an ISP is missing from the list and they are accepted SDSL registrations email us at andrew@thinkbroadband.com. Also if an ISP is listed and not handling SDSL registrations then contact us to let us know.

How often does the ADSLGuide demand tracker update?

Since there is no need to monitor the registration level increases, we do not run the checker software so frequently. The software is run generally once a day, or more often if we notice changes in the BT systems.

The checker also now shows whether an exchange has had the upgrade to allow it to offer the Max (up to 8Mbps products).

How was the trigger level calculated?

The trigger level is not important now, beyond your exchange been part of the planned roll-out scheme or not.

For the 2300 trigger levels released in November 2003, the level was set at around 25% of the number of households in the exchange area. Prior to November 2003 the trigger level was based on the cost of enabling a specific exchange. The costs include installation of ADSL termination equipment as well as the back-haul circuits and may be affected by existing connections to the exchange and physical space, availability of power, etc. at the exchange. The back-haul is usually the most significant part of the cost and explains the variety in trigger levels on different exchanges.

Does our exchange have a service date yet?

Click here to see our list of exchanges. The categories used still reflect the previous registration scheme, but by the end of June 2004 all of the exchanges with a trigger level should have had an RFS date released. This means if you have a trigger level and no RFS date currently, you should hopefully have ADSL working on your exchange sometime between July 2004 and Summer 2005 (pending perhaps a few exceptions).

Why is there a registration scheme?

The registration scheme that BT launched in June 2002 replaces the previous rollout programme for enabling exchanges for ADSL technology.

Now, rather than just estimate which exchanges have a sufficient level of demand to be economically viable with regards to ADSL, BT Wholesale are asking users to register via an ISP and once a trigger level is reached the exchange will get ADSL. It is important to note, that sophisticated checks are done on registrations to ensure that cheating does not result in exchanges getting enabled without real evidence of demand.

What has happened to the registration scheme?

BT has replaced the registration scheme that ran from July 2002 till Monday 26th April 2004, with a planned roll-out scheme.

Our news item covering this change can be found here. The BT press release for those interested is here.

This FAQ on the registration scheme is currently undergoing a rewrite to reflect the new process, and hopefully answer some of the simple queries that people have.