New packages from IDNet

[Technical Ben]

I've often wondered why ISPs don't split their packages into "Connection" and "Data", eg for IDNet fibre:

Connection- Fibre Lite 1 (40/2), Fibre Lite 2 (40/10)¹, Fibre Pro (80/20)

Data- up to 25GB, 100GB, 200GB, 500GB, unlimited

Each priced appropriately and the customer could mix and match to suit their connection and usage patterns (eta- and pocket!). Shouldn't (afaics) be particularly complex to implement and the customers would have more choice.

¹ As an aside, I hadn't realised that IDNet don't do a 40/10 package

Sadly the majority of customers want "cheaper" without thinking of the consequences. There are often other companies willing to give the impression the customers are getting that.

[stevenrw]

I initially had high hopes of a very fast connection as there is a cabinet no more than 30m down the road. Sadly it transpires that it isn't the one that serves my house, my cabinet is about 2km in the other direction so I only get about 30mbps. Grrrr...

[Bill]

Sadly the majority of customers want "cheaper" without thinking of the consequences.

Not, I would venture to suggest, those considering IDNet

[sobranie]

A friend (locally) pays for 80/20 yet gets only 23. Reason, aluminium from the cab to the premises, less than 100 mtrs.
BT empatically state that they will NOT replace with copper and suggest he waits for FTTP in around 4 years time!! Yeahh, that's progress innit! 

[Tacitus]

You may be surprised, do you know how far from your present cab you are? Im about 360 meters and get a sync of 65Mbps and an upload of 17.50Mbps. On a clean line I should sync at 65Mbps so I'm getting what is expected, even after a year.

Going by the car's speedo, around 450/500m looks about right.  Th other problem is that all the lines are exceptionally noisy.  It could be the noise gets in before the cabinet and new cables will make the difference, but I think the problem is between the cabinet and the pole.  They did some work near the pole recently and spliced a new section of cable in, but so far that's made little difference - if anything it's made it worse.

I won't really know what to expect until they switch things on.  Still be (pleasantly) surprised if I get much above 40Mbps 

[Baz]

Im still on the old package with IDnet from before they changed them a few years back so if I changed providers i would be caught in the middle of both price brackets....i'm  on a BB/phone bundle with IDnet which has a discount for taking both...Zen dont do that I think.so if I was to stay with IDnet for phone but BB with another isp i would have to pay the normal phone price....if I took only fibre with Zen its an extra £5 plus I think...zen dont do discount and their line rental is a bit dearer than IDnet so im caught in between

thats if I read both sites correctly

[Gary]

I've checked with IDNet and they expect to 'refresh' the packages this Autumn. 

When's Autumn exactly, Simon as far as IDNet goes? I only say this as they have been promising new packages or a very long time now and nothing appears...

[Bill]

When's Autumn exactly

To the Met Office it's 1st September to 30th November, astronomically it's autumnal equinox to winter solstice (~20th Sept to ~20th Dec, it varies), colloquially it's sometime before Christmas

[stevenrw]

I will be really disappoined if it all turns out to be one of those "The cheque is in the post" situations. They've been promising this since before Xmas. Its becoming embarrasing, and there are mutterings starting amongst the troops...

[Simon]

They didn't give me a precise date for the announcement!  It is only just Autumn, so I guess it could be any time in the next two to three months. 

[Gary]

I guess if it stays warm it could be next year, as its not Autumn but an Indian Summer

[rmaciag]

I guess if it stays warm it could be next year, as its not Autumn but an Indian Summer

I hope not but it is 21st October already ...

Personally I would be very interested to know if there are any updates on this subject.

How to put it ... hmmm ...

Every half a year or so the same discussion kicks off at my home ... why do we still pay so much for the access to internet ...
So keep convincing my wife that IDNet provides good stable service, that their support was quick to sort out initial installation problems, that they know what they are doing (a term "VPN over IPSec" has not surprised their support person while old Freeserve/Wanadoo/Orange support staff did not know what I was talking about) ...

And here we are again ...
My wife's friends from work "get their internet FREE" ...
Well ... so it prompted me to start searching around.
Nothing is that great as it seems at first BUT ... IDNet's deals with their current usage allowances start to look silly indeed ...

I can still wait a bit for new offers to come out but very soon I will need to make some decisions ... I may end up sticking with IDNet but moving our telephone rental across to them ... or ... well ... there are other options ...
I would love to stay with IDNet but it is getting pretty hard to convince myself and my wife ...

Regards

[stevenrw]

I have to agree. I really don't know why these "refreshed" packages are taking so long to come out. The weeks roll by and nothing appears. I fear the worst, that they are just stringing us along.
I for one would feel really bad if that proved to be the case, and, in truth, it would be out of character for IDNet.
But on the odd occasion I have to speak to somebody there I always get a similar response, to the effect that "they've had meetings about it and are planning something soon" or "something is coming in the near future".
Always non-committal, always very loosy-goosey. Never definite.
IDNet have always given great service, on that I think we are pretty unanimous, but, if this thread, and a couple of others on this forum are anything to go by, this is one thing that is giving many of us cause for grumpiness.
Come on guys, fingers out. Lets have a firm date.
...or 'fess up that there ain't gonna be anything anytime soon, so we can make our decisions.

[J!ll]

Other way round in our house! he pays the bill and moans. I am not moving, I don't want hassle which I've had so many times before. Simple e-mail and things get sorted.

[Simon]

I've had an update from IDNet.  The refreshed packages will be announced, "probably before December", but they cannot commit to a set date at this stage. 

[psp83]

IDnet probably have their hands tied at the moment with BT if they need more capacity to cover the new packages.

They might be waiting for it to go live before they announce the new packages.

[Baz]

"probably before December", 

   is that autumn or winter

[Technical Ben]

Well, I'll wait with baited breath. I saw the road being dug up outside the exchange last week. I can dream and hope it's a new cabinet for myself... right?


(Probably for the new estate 2 roads down instead. I wonder how many cups of coffee and bacon sandwiches are needed for an Openreach engineer to "accidentally" cut my cable and wire it into the new box?)

[Simon]

   is that autumn or winter

I was merely quoting what I was told, Baz.  Personally, I see Winter as December to February, inclusive.

[stevenrw]

Thanks Simon for trying to get some more information from IDNet, appreciate your efforts, but as they say, getting a commitment seems to be like trying to nail a jelly to a marble table...

[Simon]

To be fair, they said Autumn, nothing more specific, and they haven't broken that promise yet.  They probably just want to make sure they get things right, plus, as Paul said, there may be things with BT to deal with.  Obviously, they will want to make any package changes sustainable. 

[Gary]

Right now I'll belive it when I see it. I really think the day of the niche provider is almost over with the demands FTTC have brought. I'd love to be proven wrong but "before December" and no committal to a date feels somewhat to vague. 

[Tacitus]

I really think the day of the niche provider is almost over with the demands FTTC have brought.

I think there is still room for the niche provider but not in the consumer space, where price is pretty much the sole determinant of any transaction.  iDNet is not really oriented towards consumers other than those who regard quality service as worth paying for.   

Their real market is the business sector - Corporates and SME - where VOIP, hosting, possibly personal cloud services, and all round connectivity are important.  Back this with quality and reliability and the business sector will pay, especially if their business is built around communications and the internet.

[Steve]

I agree I think in the consumer home market there is little point in spending over the odds, the technology has matured , bell wires have disappeared , dare I say it comes down to value for money these days.

[Technical Ben]

I have practically been offered free fibre for a year by work, the package with "unlimited" for a tenner a month. But I can't get fibre, so that is the only thing that stopped me getting it. I could theoretically get ASDL for the same price, but I'd rather get a deal for fibre as it would save a lot more. The deal ends this week though. I really hate being exchange connected.

I'll have to look at my bills in the new year I guess.