FTTC goes mainstream

[troesma]

Is that why we have had so much trouble? BT have been running on a golfing score system? The lower your connection speed the better!

Epic..! 

[zappaDPJ]

Hmmm, BT have just rang me and offered a BT Infinity package (option 2). I'm now totally confused. I know we have an FTTC enabled exchange but neither BT (via the web) or IDNet via 3 sources can confirm that my line is FTTC ready.

FTTC via BT would solve a potential bandwidth allowance issue I'm going to have from now on but I'll be damned if I'm moving away from IDNet.

[Rik]

BT's systems do leave a lot to be desired, or is it to the imagination?

[bobleslie]

Hmmm, BT have just rang me and offered a BT Infinity package (option 2). I'm now totally confused. I know we have an FTTC enabled exchange but neither BT (via the web) or IDNet via 3 sources can confirm that my line is FTTC ready.

FTTC via BT would solve a potential bandwidth allowance issue I'm going to have from now on but I'll be damned if I'm moving away from IDNet.

Oh go on. Someone's got to be first. 

[zappaDPJ]

I'm sure the same thing was said when they invented the guillotine 

[Rik]

Not to mention the electric chair...

[zappaDPJ]

I thought the guillotine analogy more apt Rik. Afterall, both the guillotine and BT are rather adept at servering a perfectly good connection 

[Rik]

While the chair may not make one.

[johnny5]

I thought the guillotine analogy more apt Rik. Afterall, both the guillotine and BT are rather adept at servering a perfectly good connection 

Thats worth a sid james! 

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[Simon]

That reminds me, when's the new series of The Apprentice? 

[colonelsun]

I don't get BT. They're late in understanding the potential of the web and appeared to think everyone in the country would be satisfied with dial up, broadband then arrives, or their version of it, and again they seem to think the public will put up with anything and now super fast broadband is on the horizon for some and their business plan appears to be replicating Virgin Medias' footprint for a quick profit and upsetting every other potential customer in the UK by limiting the spread of this product to those who already have multiple broadband choices.

I'm not sure but isn't a business supposed to make a profit once in a while....i cannot see the point of excluding potential customers, lots of them, that's no way of ensuring a revenue stream now that landline rental isn't their main earner.

[dujas]

Your comments don't really make much sense as BT Openreach generated the 2nd highest operating profits of the BT Group, for the first six months of 2009. The group's current issue is with the continued losses made by BT Global Services and the pension deficit.

I imagine FTTC roll-out is largely influenced by where BT Retail/Wholesale can best maximise a return from it.

[Rik]

Which, of course, it shouldn't be as a result of the separation of OR from the rest of the business. Well done, Ofcom. 

[dujas]

I think it's partly unavoidable because they have overlapping interests.

BT Retail the ISP and phone company must be BT Wholesale's biggest customer, so what is best for one member of the group is also helping boost the profits of another. It wouldn't surprise me if they were targeting VM cable customers, now they are allowed by Ofcom to offer more competitively priced broadband, phone and TV bundles, combined with matching (on paper) broadband speeds via FTTC.

[Rik]

I tend to agree, but I don't think that's what Ofcom intended to happen, for all that.

[dujas]

Perhaps BT needs to train its FTTC install engineers better... 

This is a report from a customer and not something that was recorded so on here not the A&A status pages. It is however totally unacceptable...

It seems our favourite telco are not playing fair, or at least one engineer is not...

Turned up at customer to install FTTC, and refused to!

He insisted that "only BT Retail and Carphone Warehouse were capable of doing FTTC".
And went on to "take ISP name to report to his manager".

He refused to install saying that as the customer "has no homehub then he can't continue the install".

Our customer reports "After I insisted - strongly - that he was wrong about the need for a homehub he tried to blame the whole thing on AAISP who, apparently, were lying to me...", "Oh, and the last time the engineer left he had also gone to 'phone his manager' but merely f..ed off with his van" and "He said he'd have to pass the job 'back to BT retail sales'"

I rather suspect some sort of audio recording device will be deployed for the return visit.

Oh, to add to the fun, the end users line has been configured somehow in the exchange in such a way that it has sync but PPP links are dropped a few seconds after they start. So his ADSL no longer works!

Source

[Rik]

What a stupid way to behave, but totally believable, unfortunately. BT Retail can't possibly be involved in this.

[OllB]

Broadband option     Estimated connection speed    When you can get it 

BT Total Broadband      0.256Mb download             Now



At least i found that i can get a general idea of my line status without having to run the bt speed test but it also makes me feel that someone somewhere at BT is mocking me.

[Technical Ben]

What a stupid way to behave, but totally believable, unfortunately. BT Retail can't possibly be involved in this.

Oh, but I would put money on the new "fibreoptic broadband" being the new "unlimited broadband". In the same way that unlimited is not, I think the fibre will not be either!
Think of it this way. All they need to do is put one big advert up like this...

Super Fast Fibre Optic Broadband*!

*For thouse who cannot get FTTC, you get the next best connection**
** For those who cannot get ASDL2+ you get the next best connection***
***For those who cannot get ASDL you get the next best connection****
****For those who cannot get Dialup, a BTpigeonHub will be installed...

Hmmm. Think I could copyright that and sell it to BT!? 

[Simon]

 

[Sebby]