Possibly Leaving, what happens to email account?

[sparky]

Hi All,

Just wondered what the current situation is. I currently get only 28mbs download as i'm a long way from the cabinet, but there is a chance of FTTP from a local provider. If I leave IDNET will i be able to access my idnet.com email address (I guess via webmail only) for a period of time afterwards?

Thanks.

[Simon]

To my knowledge, unless something has changed, they have always allowed existing email accounts to remain active after an account has been closed, but you may have some limitations such as storage, file sizes, etc.  You should be able to access it from any email client, but you may need to reset the SMTP for sending to that of your new broadband provider.

[sparky]

OK. Thanks Simon.

I think that i'll buy a domain and use an email provider if I move, makes life easier in the future.

I don't really want to leave idnet, I think that they are an excellent ISP. Problem is that in our village Openreach don't seem interested, probably even less so if possibly two other providers (Wessex Internet and Gigaclear) compete for business and as neither allow you to switch to another ISP, other than a partner, after your initial sign up it's a case of take what you can get. I also have a problem in that the fibre will need to traverse a tarmac drive and a paved footpath to reach me, but I've been told that as there are government vouchers to cover installation that it will still be free. So if it goes ahead I might have to go with first build to take advantage.

[Simon]

You may be able to set up a forward from your old IDNet email account to your new email, so mail sent to the IDNet address will still reach you but you won't have issues with storage.

[nowster]

I don't really want to leave idnet, I think that they are an excellent ISP. Problem is that in our village Openreach don't seem interested, probably even less so if possibly two other providers (Wessex Internet and Gigaclear) compete for business and as neither allow you to switch to another ISP, other than a partner, after your initial sign up it's a case of take what you can get. I also have a problem in that the fibre will need to traverse a tarmac drive and a paved footpath to reach me, but I've been told that as there are government vouchers to cover installation that it will still be free. So if it goes ahead I might have to go with first build to take advantage.

What often happens is that where there is new competition offering FTTP, OpenReach suddenly get interested in that area. Strange that...

The other side of my town has new FTTP infrastructure from OpenReach but they haven't reached my bit yet. A new FTTP provider (netomnia) has recently been digging the pavements on my street. I fully expect my local telegraph poles to receive OpenReach FTTP distribution frames in a few months.

This is academic to me at the moment as my current Virgin cable contract still has over a year to run. (My parents are the iDNet customers.)

[zappaDPJ]

My daughter has just bought a flat converted loft space in central London and we were surprised to find the best Openreach connection on offer was a really poor quality ADSL. Luckily Virgin Media saved the day with a 132Mbps connection which compares rather well to the flat below running at approx 1.5Mbps on Openreach. Apparently it's much the same for the surrounding area so it's not just remote parts of the country still living in the dark age.

[Simon]

VM have apparently just announced a 13% increase in their prices.

[zappaDPJ]

I believe my daughter is on a 18 month contract so that shouldn't affect her and I would like to think FTTP will be installed sometime soon. To be honest even with those price rises Virgin Media @£26.50 per month for 132Mbps is still cheaper than similar packages from the majority of Openreach based FTTP providers although you do have to have a land line phone to get the best price which I don't quite understand.

[Gary]

I have FTTP being installed in our road by Giganet, I could get 900 symmetrical for what I pay now, but I don't really want to leave IDnet, also giganet dont offer a email service, so no SMTP servers so I cant use my email domain I have with IDNet of my email addresses, although the speeds would be great as im only getting about 49Mbps now down and with my PS5 and streaming services I could do with a bigger pipe so to speak I don't want to install an email server, or have to try and forward email from idnet to say Gmail, I'm hoping Openreach will run their own fibre now, as having a great symmetrical speed but no email client seems ludicrous. Either that or as everyone moves across to FTTP my crosstalk goes down and my throughput goes up again 

[Postal]

What often happens is that where there is new competition offering FTTP, OpenReach suddenly get interested in that area. Strange that...

By way of explanation, something I posted on another Forum a couple of days ago:

"Overbuilding based on business realities. Let us say that you are BT and have lots of customers in an FTTC area for VDSL and ADSL services. You are also making money from other ISPs using the Openreach infrastructure to get their versions of VDSL or ADSL to the end customer. Along comes an AltNet offering FTTP and looking to take all of those VDSL/ADSL customers off your network substantially reducing your income. The only way you can mitigate that loss of customers is to give the same offering of FTTP (either through BT or sub-contracting ISP) as the AltNet is providing. That maintains the BT income stream in an area where there is competition. If there is no FTTP competition, BT have a "guaranteed" income stream from the VDSL/ADSL service which will not markedly change if they spend money in putting in FTTP. There is no commercial imperative to use their resources doing that when they can be defending their business by overbuilding. "

[sparky]

Interesting. I'd be very annoyed if Openreach came along and started putting in fibre cables as well, but if I wait to see what happens I run the risk of my 29mbs degrading further on buried 1980's phone lines, but more importantly the government subsidy scheme/vouchers or whatever you call it, being withdrawn and a fibre installation costing me a large amount to get to my property.

Wessex Internet do not provide email accounts, but do allow access to an smtp server. But by moving my phone over to them as well to work as a VOIP solution, I save enough money to buy a domain and email from ECO Hosting. I'm only looking at a 100mbs download though, but can always upgrade to faster should I need to or have the finances to.

[nowster]

I save enough money to buy a domain and email from ECO Hosting.

One you might consider is Gandi.net. A .uk/.org.uk/.me.uk/.co.uk would cost just under £10 per year (inc VAT) with email service included.

[sparky]

Its French!  My emails would be on a server in France !!! Non Non Non Monsueir 

[nowster]

Its French!  My emails would be on a server in France !!! Non Non Non Monsueir 

My own email is hosted in Germany (on a virtual server I run).

Eco Hosting is £18 (inc VAT) per year for the same product, and they subcontract from Enix Ltd (trading as HostPresto), all running on Linode (a US company) virtual servers.

[sparky]

   OK. Thanks for that. Useful Info.

[Gary]

Sounds good sparky, I spoke to Giganet and they say no one has asked for SMTP access and they don't plan to implement it anytime soon, so FTTP from them will be of no use for myself. 

[peasblossom]

VM have apparently just announced a 13% increase in their prices.

Reading other's experience, many on a VM contract seem to pay differing amounts for the service they get. (You can, if you're able, pay for the whole year in advance and get a discount.) I would never move back to them though. Ever.