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iot5g. As said by ianfm, BT has to look after the whole of the UK network and every premises that uses its network for services. Vod only needs to look after its plant on site and not the network feeding it in most cases exemption being the old C&W network in the UK but most customer premises still use BT network to connect to the C&W network.
BT staff cannot use there vehicles for personal use, only management and that is a benefit in kind and is taxed. For the privilege of parking at home engineers have to start before there paid start time to travel to there first job and the same at the end of the day. Hope this makes things a bit clear for you and the need for the number of vehicles and there usage…
“ he connected to plusnet. “
So another customer using a BT product, well done. As I have posted recently, BT finished there FTTP rollout in our semi rural area around a month ago. The pole we are served from serves a total of 10 homes, the number now connected to FTTP via BT or another wholesale provider ready to go with fibre is 5. 3 of the other homes are elderly and likely happy with whatever service they have, at least one only has a phone line not interested in broadband. Now the thing is, Trooli has had there FTTP connection on the same pole for almost a year now. Guess what, when you put our postcode in there site, Sorry no service at present to your postcode !!!
There may be several providers at a location but not necessarily in a position to offer service. Build it and they will come, or is that, Build it but we can’t afford to get it working…
Carltt. On behalf of all the investors in BT on this sight, I would like to thank you for continuing to add to BTs income stream by moving your broadband to Vod, due to the fact that it is almost certain that it is being delivered over network owned by BT. Again many thanks…
Porsche. Living with you must be a barrel of laughter. Every post is doom n gloom. Still Christmas is coming so that may lighten your mood, well at least for part of one day a year…
Poker. “ not only current person-power, but retired person-power ..both of which are a big expense , one way or another”
So what is wrong with being a person in receipt of a BT pension. Just remember the employees payed in not just the company. And remember it was the company effectively taking a payment holiday in the past that in part helped cause a deficit in the fund meaning the company is having to continue its funding. Also the payments from the employees had to rise to also help fund the deficit in the last few years the BTPS ran until it was replaced by a career average one.
From the original link.
“ A primary goal of the programme is to boost Digital’s capacity and focus to build its new strategic technology architecture faster, supporting the Group’s growth. It will also de-risk and accelerate the Group’s transition from legacy systems”
Now a system can compromise of many parts, network ,infrastructure,hardware,software,applications,devices
BT digital is working with partners at present to develop , “ Intelligent Drones for Port and Highways Technology' (InDePTH) ”
So legacy estate is likely to cover all aspects of older delivery be that network based all the way through to the end user. Looks like a good solution to concentrate on the new and let someone else deal with integrating old into new to reduce overall costs.
From CWU. 6-12-22.
“There’s absolutely no doubt in my mind that that this is BT’s ‘final’ offer and the very best that can be achieved through negotiation.
“We are recommending acceptance and members need to be clear that, if this proposal is rejected, we would have no choice but to run new statutory industrial action ballots and then undertake further strike action in the New Year.
“Our strong recommendation to members is therefore to vote to ‘Accept’ this deal which stacks up very favourably against the best being achieved anywhere in British industry at the moment,” Karen concludes.
https://www.cwu.org/news/bank-the-money-and-our-collective-strength-bt-group-members-urged-as-ballot-begins-on-companys-final-pay-offer/
Hopefully this will be the end and both sides can move forward together and get that FTTP rollout back on track…
Oh dear Pratt. It appears that maths is also not one of your strong points, 1998 to 2022 is 24 years not 25 !!!
I also will be getting a pay hike on my pension in April, 10% while your section C pension will only increase by 5%. Shame you are loosing out perhaps you could withdraw your labour to fight for the other 5%.
Get a grip man, this fight is over, give yourself another 24 years and you will be ready for the next round of industrial action…
As has been mentioned, he will be gone by Christmas as I can see this settled quickly now. It is rather a lot of noise from one person, others that are CWU members have voiced there side of the situation without having to resort to Pratt’s comments. Shame on him for putting his union in such a bad light, at least they are prepared to compromise to the betterment of all…
It could be an acceptable way to reduce head count to all. In the past people would put there hand up to take a leavers package. Management would have a target in a department to reduce to over a geographic patch. The problem was there tended to be more volunteers than spaces, so people kept getting turned down. Those who got the ok would all leave over a fairly short period of time that caused staffing issues short term. With agreement to leave on a given date, say 12-24 months ahead, it allows for a better managed reduction that allows the day to day operations to continue. When leaving offer say between 9-12 months tax free payment, 9 months being equivalent to a years pay after deductions give or take a bit. Target the senior people likely as said, C3 and above who are likely to be in the rolls that will need to be lost. That would take things to 2025-2027 when the majority of losses would need to be done by. Those would also be members of the BTPS pension so would get a good pension the day after leaving. Something like this would be likely acceptable to all and in well managed professional way, everybody wins…
I would suspect that to accelerate the lowering of the head count BT may well offer some good packages for staff to leave. As has happened in the past, likely this would target the older more senior staff, possibly similar to the packages recently where you agree to leave on a predetermined date with a lump sum. This helps to reduce staff in a manageable way so both sides gain. As I have said before, BT and the CWU have a long history of working together and at the end of the day, they still are.
“ CWU is such a good deal why do they strike so often”
From memory, happy to be corrected, there have been 4 strike dated this year. The last strike in BT was in 1987 so that is an average of, almost 1 day every eight years. Not a bad ratio me thinks…
“ The fibre network will only be PARTLY complete by 2026 . It’s a milestone, not a completion date. ”
That is correct, BT hope to have 85%FTTP coverage by that date. But by then the PSTN will be switched off . In 2023 BT will no longer sell wholesale non IP enabled products, ie a traditional phone line. Locations at switch off that are not by then covered by FTTP will be served using there existing copper connection back to a FTTC street cab and will use a broadband service to provide voice products. From 2023 customers will have there traditional phone service converted to VOIP by either conversion to full fibre or conversion of there copper service as previously mentioned. The conversion is already well underway, new FTTP service includes a conversion to VOIP at installation making the copper connection redundant at that time.
So after the PSTN switch off, 3years away, staff numbers will start to fall, none will be needed to maintain the PSTN equipment in eaxhanges, core transmission equipment relating to PSTN, people to make the connections in exchanges, jumper runners, many smaller exchanges will be decommissioned in the first year as all other services will already be in the process of conversion to an IP product.
The point you, and many others are missing is, from 2026 all services will be digitally delivered vastly reducing costs for BT year on year after. Do you not remember the conversion from analog TV to Digital just a few years ago now, they said, you can’t do it, it will take years to do. Well it didn’t people bought digital TVs or boxes others were provided with boxes free such as those who could not afford a box by the government or charity’s. This is the Same, it will happen by end of 2025 . Then it’s cash cow time. Remember the parable of the Tortoise and the Hare…
Reducing staff numbers before the copper network is retired is not as simple as it sounds. Each person in the field has staff behind them supporting there role. HR, logistics, vehicle, equipment calibration and safety testing, remote network support, IT support, training, safety and quality checking and other minor but essential staff. Call center numbers, these were brought back from overseas due to poor service and performance not to mention customer complaints about them. There were also outsourced internal call centres that were even worse. Today a retail customer can expect provision or repair work to be done during the normal working hours. These include Saturdays and depending on the time of year and skill set any where between 7.30 to 21.00 . To achieve this there are staff working various patterns from 3 day week to 14 day 3 week. If you cut the frontline numbers at present you would not be able to cover 6 days a week from 7.30-21.00. It will reduce but only once the copper network is retired so at least another 4-6 years maybe longer…