Ive been with plusnet continuously since the days when fixed price dialup was a big deal. Never had any reason to consider leaving them, however I'm currently living out in the sticks with a single figure MB download (It's FTTC but the cabinet is in the next village so it effectively performs like ADSL). FTTP has recently gone live, is now showing as available and I'm keen to switch to it however Plusnet have repeatedly said that they have no plans to offer an FTTP product so I guess it's time to move on.
What is the current state of play with ISPs for residential openreach FTTP? I know that for a long time BT have been almost the only viable option but there seem to be a growing number of other choices, mostly names I dont recognise and some fairly variable pricing. Is there anyone out there that's considered a good alternative?
What is the FTTP installation process like these days when converting from FTTC? Will the fibre come into the house in the same place as my current copper line, if not will I have any input into where/how it is terminated or do they just do whatever works for them? It's all poles and overhead cables out here so the current line attaches to the house on the first floor and runs down the front of the house before entering into the living room. I'm wondering whether coming straight into the room upstairs might be better for me.
Also what can I expect in terms of hardware? I've currently got a fairly recent Draytek (2862) router, will the FTTP installation just give me a box on the wall that my draytek plugs into as currently or will there need to be some other hardware between the wall and my router?