Go Back   The 75 and ZT Owners Club Forums > Social Forums > Social Forum
Register FAQ Image Gallery Members List Calendar Mark Forums Read
Notices

Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
Old 11th July 2022, 08:31   #1
macafee2
This is my second home
 
Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 14,890
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts
Default BT/Openreach

Just reading something about Openreach, they own the Telephone exchanges, equipment inside and almost all the cable from the exchanges to our homes.

Clive Sealy the Openreach CEO has said roundabout December 2021 :-
Today we have about 5,500 exchanges in the UK. In the future, and particularly beyond 2026, we will only need about a thousand.

If it were not for fibre I doubt they could do this. The main problem is where all the phone numbers connect to the cables in the road, the MDF, Main Distribution Frame. Moving one of these is mammoth and has been the reason for not having gotten rid of telephone exchanges in the past.


Lots of copper cables to be recovered from the road, lots of equipment from exchanges to sell and lots of real estate to get rid of.
For a long time I have wondered, should "BT" set up a new company to convert telephone exchanges into shops, housing, offices etc. There must be money in it as other companies buy BT property and make money on it so why not BT make more money and do it "themselves"?

There was talk a few years ago of any office below a London to Bristol imaginary line was to go. No idea what happened.


macafee2
macafee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th July 2022, 08:47   #2
MSS
This is my second home
 
Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7,078
Thanks: 283
Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts
Default

A lot of old BT exchanges were converted into office space. Also, a lot of expensive office buildings have been sold off.

The Mayfair exchange being one example that has exchange equipment but some of the floors were converted into offices.
__________________
Member of the Peasant Underdog Class, Grade 1
MSS is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th July 2022, 09:39   #3
macafee2
This is my second home
 
Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 14,890
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by MSS View Post
A lot of old BT exchanges were converted into office space. Also, a lot of expensive office buildings have been sold off.

The Mayfair exchange being one example that has exchange equipment but some of the floors were converted into offices.
Willesden exchange had I think the front part sold off and may be a new rear added.
Many of the exchanges will be worth a fortune due to their location, Shepards Bush being one.

When I retired I visited some of the Exchanges I had worked in during the 35 years previous, wow how they had changed.
No exchange maintenance staff, lots of Strowger Equipment laying idle, stuff I had put in had been removed, facilities no longer used, rooms converted in to equipment areas, equipment removed and new equipment installed.
In some places it looked as if people had just upped and left leaving everything in situ.

macafee2
macafee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th July 2022, 10:29   #4
Borg Warner
I really should get out more.......
 
None

Join Date: Feb 2010
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 2,578
Thanks: 494
Thanked 657 Times in 402 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by macafee2 View Post
Just reading something about Openreach, they own the Telephone exchanges, equipment inside and almost all the cable from the exchanges to our homes.

Clive Sealy the Openreach CEO has said roundabout December 2021 :-
Today we have about 5,500 exchanges in the UK. In the future, and particularly beyond 2026, we will only need about a thousand.

If it were not for fibre I doubt they could do this. The main problem is where all the phone numbers connect to the cables in the road, the MDF, Main Distribution Frame. Moving one of these is mammoth and has been the reason for not having gotten rid of telephone exchanges in the past.


Lots of copper cables to be recovered from the road, lots of equipment from exchanges to sell and lots of real estate to get rid of.
For a long time I have wondered, should "BT" set up a new company to convert telephone exchanges into shops, housing, offices etc. There must be money in it as other companies buy BT property and make money on it so why not BT make more money and do it "themselves"?

There was talk a few years ago of any office below a London to Bristol imaginary line was to go. No idea what happened.


macafee2
Do they remove the old copper cables then? Interesting if they do, would guess they are in ducts so easy enough. Lecky cables are usually left if they are laid direct, too expensive to excavate then reinstate.

Getting rid of all those exchanges, lose one could lose a lot of customers. Hope the interconnection/back-up is resilient.
Borg Warner is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th July 2022, 10:45   #5
macafee2
This is my second home
 
Rover 75 Saloon & Tourer

Join Date: Sep 2012
Location: Lincoln
Posts: 14,890
Thanks: 1,630
Thanked 3,032 Times in 2,181 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Borg Warner View Post
Do they remove the old copper cables then? Interesting if they do, would guess they are in ducts so easy enough. Lecky cables are usually left if they are laid direct, too expensive to excavate then reinstate.

Getting rid of all those exchanges, lose one could lose a lot of customers. Hope the interconnection/back-up is resilient.

copper cables will be removed, copper has quite some value. Air was pumped into the cables to prevent water ingress.

The change over method is very very good and while some customers do go out of service it is very few.
I have been in exchanges where they test "every pair of wires" going to the road, to check what phone number is on it.

macafee2
macafee2 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11th July 2022, 11:06   #6
MSS
This is my second home
 
Rover 75CDT, Jaguar XF-S 3.0V6, V'xhall Omega V6 Estate, Twintop 1.8VVT, Astra Estate and Corsa 1.2

Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: Suffolk
Posts: 7,078
Thanks: 283
Thanked 624 Times in 440 Posts
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Borg Warner View Post
.........Hope the interconnection/back-up is resilient.

These days it's not the exchanges but the core routers that carry the largest numbers of subscribers and traffic. I don't think most people could imagine the planning, due-diligence and back-up/recovery and resilience mechanisms that are in place to protect serice.
__________________
Member of the Peasant Underdog Class, Grade 1
MSS is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off

Forum Jump


All times are GMT. The time now is 01:13.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.
Copyright © 2006-2023, The Rover 75 & MG ZT Owners Club Ltd