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The Oldham-based Constant Group, which is a British single source solution provider for sheet metal fabrication – from telecom / broadband cabinets to POS displays, has secured a contract from Openreach (BT) to develop and deliver secure external enclosures as part of the operator’s nationwide Exchange Exit programme.
Just to recap. Openreach are currently gearing up to close around 4,600 of their 5,600 UK exchanges as part of their Exchange Exit Programme, which is occurring (mostly after 2030) because only c.1,000 of these are needed to provide nationwide coverage of modern “fibre broadband” services (FTTC / SOGEA, FTTP etc.) – the Openreach Handover Points (OHPs or “Super Digital Exchanges“). The rollout of full fibre (FTTP) technology, combined with the retirement of copper lines and legacy services (ADSL, WLR, PSTN etc.), will soon make it economically unviable to support both the old and new exchanges.
The “world-first” solution that the Constant Group has developed to assist this enables fibre circuits to be migrated from traditional exchange buildings into secure external enclosures through a highly controlled, plug-and-play process. The solution is intended to simplify and accelerate deployment, allowing pre-prepared units to be delivered directly to site for rapid installation.
“The solution has successfully passed and exceeded all rigorous testing requirements set by Openreach, with installations and deliveries now underway,” said the announcement.
David Gilligan, CTO at Constant Group, said:
“This project represents a huge milestone for our business and a major step forward for UK telecommunications.
We are proud to have developed a world-first solution that supports Openreach’s long-term fibre network transformation strategy. The collaboration, innovation and engineering expertise behind this product has been exceptional, and to see deliveries and installations underway is a fantastic achievement for the entire team.”
Sadly, they didn’t include a picture of the new enclosures.