200Mbps Broadband

zappaDPJ · May 07, 2009, 17:51:32

QuoteVirgin Media, the UK's largest residential ISP and provider of the country's fastest nationwide broadband service, has started a customer pilot to test real-world deployment of 200Mb speeds. Using its brand new ultrafast network, Virgin Media will be piloting blisteringly fast speeds four times faster than the 50Mb service currently available. The 200Mb pilot is believed to be the fastest implementation of DOCSIS3 technology in the world, running faster than services offered in Japan and the US, which currently reach 160Mb and 101Mb respectively.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/
(scroll down)

Rik · May 07, 2009, 17:56:46

Well, that's me out then.

Glenn · May 07, 2009, 18:01:31

Me too, by around 200yds

Rik · May 07, 2009, 18:03:24

Fancy digging a small trench, Glenn?

Sebby · May 07, 2009, 21:17:41

The problem with Virgin Media is that whilst they have the technology (i.e. fibre optic) their service is so appauling that it's of no use!

zappaDPJ · May 08, 2009, 00:12:34

It certainly seems that way. I know a couple of their customers that would settle for a reliable 2Mbps although I'd guess they are on ADSL rather than cable.

Gary · May 08, 2009, 07:50:27

Quote from: zappaDPJ on May 08, 2009, 00:12:34
It certainly seems that way. I know a couple of their customers that would settle for a reliable 2Mbps although I'd guess they are on ADSL rather than cable.

I can't see cable coming any time soon to where I live

but its all well and good advertising theses speeds but if the network is still over subscribed whats the point, I know of people who had appalling speeds even on cable Virgin. So many people in big cities like Manchester use it for Virgin media instead of Sky that people can't attain decent speeds because its massively over subscribed, a shame as its great seeing the technology implemented but also you need to watch the size of your customer base, ADSL is the worst but cable has issues as well as so many people want these speeds, if the UK had a rollout of high speed BB like Paris and Japan to name just two maybe the networks wouldn't keep facing these criticisms. In Paris we would be using handhelds with a city wide wifi network and fibre via the sewer system into every home in Paris almost now. They have made sure that their network is very future proof, well as much as you can really. Cant see that happening in London or with BT at all, 21 CN is out of date and its not even up and running properly yet nation wide, with no date at all for our exchange for example you wonder if the UK will ever catch up, by 2011 being the date for the switchover in the nearest big town to us the speeds on offer will be slow in comparison with many other countries. The thing is are people prepared to pay the higher price for that kind of speed? We pay more here at IDNet for a better service, and for the most part it works very well indeed, but so many want it all for nothing still, and in a recession that's not going to change in a hurry $:-\$

zappaDPJ · May 08, 2009, 08:22:49

I'm not that familiar with the way in which cable services work but you would have thought that if cable has the bandwidth sustain broadcast TV then Internet support should be a breeze in comparison or am I missing something?

Gary · May 08, 2009, 09:13:32

Quote from: zappaDPJ on May 08, 2009, 08:22:49
I'm not that familiar with the way in which cable services work but you would have thought that if cable has the bandwidth sustain broadcast TV then Internet support should be a breeze in comparison or am I missing something?

I think its done in zones a bit like exchanges, and each one can be over subscribed like a phone exchange, then you get issues with speed etc, especially when you are the only one in town offering that speed. The Virgin forums have bits and pieces on it.

Rik · May 08, 2009, 09:33:02

That's it, Gary. A given segment of fibre has a fixed capacity which is shared between everyone who's connected. The more people, the slower it goes.

zappaDPJ · May 08, 2009, 10:39:16

Interesting, I find that quite surprising or is it that Internet traffic is fed down a different cable? I assume then that there's no congestion issue with the TV side of things?

Rik · May 08, 2009, 10:43:45

The TV side is a bit different, since the same data is used by everyone connected, Zap, so the bandwidth is constant.

Gary · May 08, 2009, 11:33:36

I suppose its just like an all you can eat service, if you have a congested segment with a certain amount of users heavily downloading, the rest suffer as that section of cable slows to a crawl, al least it has better capacity to start with than adsl, I'm guessing it has no real line management system either, similar to how LLU works, Rik?

Rik · May 08, 2009, 11:37:46

I would think not, Gary.

Gary · May 08, 2009, 11:54:02

Quote from: Rik on May 08, 2009, 11:37:46
I would think not, Gary.

I wonder if we could siphon off from the French wifi networks, after all I remember French TV interfering with our broadcasts when I was young when it was hot and the right atmospheric conditions arose, never new how that really happened but it was really annoying. Probably as we are on the south coast its easier to pick it up on old analogue from across the channel, in places like Hastings if you checked your mobile sometimes you could manually find a French Mobile provider briefly that works on the Isle of Wight as well.

Rik · May 08, 2009, 11:54:47

Shame the bills still 'find home'.

Gary · May 08, 2009, 11:58:06

Quote from: Rik on May 08, 2009, 11:54:47
Shame the bills still 'find home'.

Indeed, last time I was away roaming had got a bit cheaper, O2 are not to bad in Europe but its still ridiculous what they charge you really, and as for Data, well you might as well forget that before you leave.

Rik · May 08, 2009, 11:59:44

I do, I do, I do, I do. To quote a song.

Gary · May 08, 2009, 12:04:26

Quote from: Rik on May 08, 2009, 11:59:44
I do, I do, I do, I do. To quote a song.

Niall · May 17, 2009, 00:17:01

I think this story is fantastic. When that network was using 5mb lines they were rock solid, then they went to 10mb lines and some people were having issues. A few months later they increased it again and it got worse with more and more people having issues with their previously rock solid stable, low ping cable broadband. Now they offer 200mb. Do they never learn? Being seen to have the biggest lines available is one thing, but when they rapidly turn to cr*p, which they will, who exactly will be happy?

Rik · May 17, 2009, 08:53:20

VM, because they like good headlines?

Glenn · May 17, 2009, 08:56:44

They have been spending a lot of cash, upgrading systems to cope with the bandwidth increase, as far as I'm aware.

Lance · May 17, 2009, 08:59:05

I seem to remember reading last week that they are going to spend some more cash laying some more fibre as well, concentrating on densely packed areas where a return can be made relatively quickly.

Niall · May 17, 2009, 10:48:49

Quote from: Glenn on May 17, 2009, 08:56:44
They have been spending a lot of cash, upgrading systems to cope with the bandwidth increase, as far as I'm aware.

Yeah but the thing is, that's what they did/said they did last time. Then they bought the crippled NTL network and took on that burden too. I know loads of people that left Blueyonder/Virgin because the connection constantly dropped or was extremely poor, and reverted to ADSL after years of bragging about how good it was. They still dont even do cable in my area, which takes the pee considering holes like St Helens get it!

It seems that the further north you go, the worse they are. My mate in Bristol had a fine connection, but bizarrely he moved to Preston and still has a good cable connection, where people I know in Liverpool and St Helens have awful connections.

Sebby · May 17, 2009, 12:56:22

It's the old broadband lottery again, though really that shouldn't be the case on cable.