This is the communications pit out the front of my house. It's extremely run down. Observed perversions include:
- The cover for junction between my home's twisted pair and the street went missing, so they replaced it with that white plastic thing which provides little to no protection from the elements.
- The large white looking conduit is a lead pipe dating back to the early 20th century.
- The pit is made of healthy asbestos cement.
- The cables are direct buried in the ground under the footpath, unprotected from moisture and tree roots.
I've been advised that a technician is out fixing something related to this setup at least once a week. Telstra has ignored any sign that they needed to replace the cable, dig new pits and build a new conduit for the past 6 years. They'll probably have to do SOMETHING soon as the NBN will be rolling through some time.
I have also been advised that I have been switched onto the last remaining good pair inside the cable. The state of this infrastructure is so bad that almost every single house down my street has had multiple callouts. The next time something fails in this cable, people will have little or no connectivity on their phone line and internet.
Also went to the other end of the street to see how things were faring on the other end of the cable. What I saw could frankly be described as a mess rat's nest of exposed pairs, enough rain at the bottom of the pit to go for a swim and no ladder in case you wanted to climb up after going for a swim.
Telstra - It's how we connect.
