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Broadband network resilience to rota disconnection

With a real risk of rota disconnection this winter, I have been looking into UPS and home battery backup solutions (which would also enable me to utilise off-peak tariffs). However, I have been unable to find out whether the broadband distribution cabinets in the road have a priority mains supply which would not be affected by rota cuts. There is no point in providing backup power for computers and routers if the broadband network shuts down. I asked an openreach technician and he didn't know. Can anyone give an authoritative answer?
Since FTP services remove the old analogue phone lines - and hence the ability to make emergency phone calls - I'm assuming a high level of resilience. But FTP subscribers would need mains power to their handsets in such a case, so maybe it's assumed that we will use mobile phones in any emergency during a blackout.
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  • Yes, but indoors the optical network termination needs a power supply, so as you say if you have some form of UPS, you may be all right.

    It seems that BT has a battery option for their ONT (Fibre interface box) - and you can connect a conventional phone direct to the ONT. https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/images/news-and-opinion/articles/2018/02/ONT%20Factsheet.pdf

    The problem seems to be that the battery only last for a short time (tens of minutes) so is useless for longer power cuts (as often happens after major storms, or as in my case when the old PILC cable in the street went phut) - so failing to provide a proper means of being able to make emergency phone calls during a power cut.

    So as a minimum could we have a small battery (perhaps kept charged while the power is on, or just a simple long-life battery) which was available, but not actually used immediately the power fails - and then the procedure for making an emergency call using a conventional corded phone during a power cut would be 1) throw a switch to connect the battery, 2) wait for the ONT to re-establish a connection with the exchange, 3) dial as normal.

       - Andy.

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  • Yes, but indoors the optical network termination needs a power supply, so as you say if you have some form of UPS, you may be all right.

    It seems that BT has a battery option for their ONT (Fibre interface box) - and you can connect a conventional phone direct to the ONT. https://www.openreach.com/content/dam/openreach/openreach-dam-files/images/news-and-opinion/articles/2018/02/ONT%20Factsheet.pdf

    The problem seems to be that the battery only last for a short time (tens of minutes) so is useless for longer power cuts (as often happens after major storms, or as in my case when the old PILC cable in the street went phut) - so failing to provide a proper means of being able to make emergency phone calls during a power cut.

    So as a minimum could we have a small battery (perhaps kept charged while the power is on, or just a simple long-life battery) which was available, but not actually used immediately the power fails - and then the procedure for making an emergency call using a conventional corded phone during a power cut would be 1) throw a switch to connect the battery, 2) wait for the ONT to re-establish a connection with the exchange, 3) dial as normal.

       - Andy.

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