Switching to EE confusion

[#1]

I’m currently on Plusnet Unlimited Fibre Extra with landline.  I’ve had the 30 day warning.  I would prefer to stay with Plusnet because of the support forums even if it means losing the landline - it looks as though with EE you have to make a phone call for any support which will just be a nightmare.  If I go to my Plusnet offers then I’m only offered a Fibre Extra package which is slower than my current package.  How can I stay with PN and keep my current speed if it is no longer offered as a service?

Secondary question, why are PN/EE dropping analog lines when at present there is no date for FTTP in my area?  Surely only then will the analog lines be obsolete. The latest tranche of areas that BTOpenWorld are committing to add FTTP does not include my area. 

[#2]

To answer your secondary question, you don't need to have FTTP (full fibre) in order to use VOIP. The withdrawal of analogue phone service & having FTTP are 2 separate issues. You can have VOIP on a FTTC connection.

[#3]

OK.  I’d assumed the scrapping of analog lines and introduction of FTTP were linked.  I don’t understand why analog would be scrapped ahead of FTTP, but anyway that was just curiosity. 

[#4]

I am even running VOIP over my ADSL connection, even the previous 2MB one worked fine

[#5]

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@mwwagain 

It will work because you have had little data traffic at the time. To avoid stuttering/buffering on slow lines you need a router that provides priority to voice traffic. This is built in to hubs designed for the purpose, such as those provided by BT/EE for their Digital Voice and can be set up on routers with QoS control. No such features exist on Plusnet provided hubs.

With the demise of ADSL, this becomes less of an issue but still needs to be considered by those on slow FTTC connections who are planning to stay with Plusnet and use a third party VoIP service.

[#6]

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@MikeBz wrote:

OK.  I’d assumed the scrapping of analog lines and introduction of FTTP were linked.  I don’t understand why analog would be scrapped ahead of FTTP, but anyway that was just curiosity. 

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The copper lines will remain to carry FTTC from the cabinet until fibre is available, the benefit to BT/Openreach is in removing the old analogue telephone equipment in the exchanges and then being able to decomission the old/uneeded exchange buildings... they will end up with fewer exchanges that are running digital (VOIP) exchange systems...  it should result in significant cost savings for BT/Openreach.

[#7]

Moderators Note

This topic has been moved from Broadband to My Account / Billing

[#8]

@MikeBz 

The new FTTC service is called SOGEA (FTTC without a phone). It uses the "last mile" of copper from the cabinet to your house.

When PSTN is finally withdrawn the copper from the Exchange to the Cabinet becomes redundant but not the lines to houses.

As you're not bothered about a phone you need to place an order with PN for a SOGEA service soon so you don't get transferred.

Brian

[#9]

The primary reason for my posting is the conflicting array of speeds offered.

My current contract is "Unlimited Fibre Extra" (+ landline):
39-44MB est. download, 35.7MB guaranteed 
8-9MB upload

If I log in to my account and go to offers (which is what the do-something-within-30-days-or- you'll-be-switched-to-EE email tells me to do), there is only 1 offer, which is worse than my current contract:
38-40MB est. download, 29.2MB guaranteed
7-8MB upload

If I pretend to be a new Plusnet customer there is only one offer, substantially different from what I'm offered as an existing customer:
45-65MB download, 40MB guaranteed
9-14MB upload

Why is the only speed option available to a new customer better than the only one available to an existing customer, and the existing contract different to both of them?

As an aside, if I pretend to be a new EE customer then I'm offered:
40-50MB download, 36MB guaranteed
8MB upload

10 minutes later, I've gone back to view my offers again and get:

Sorry, something went wrong

We were unable start your order, this appears to be caused by the products in RBM not matching the active products on the account please confirm this and raise accordingly if this is the case.

[#10]

@MikeBz 

I suspect the difference is caused by your update guarantee being based on actual speeds achieved whereas the new customer speeds will be a generic maximum.

PN systems are not the best. I'm afraid you're now into the land of phone calls.

Brian

[#11]

So after 30 mins of 'phone calls I'm told that my 2 options are:

1.  Start a new 12 or 24 month contract with Plusnet without a landline. Nobody was able to explain or even really seemed to understand the substantial difference in minimum guaranteed speed offered to existing customers vs. new customers - i was just repeatedly told the speeds were "estimates", the "minimum guaranteed" phrase didn't seem to be understood.

2.  Be automatically switched to EE in the next 30 days to see out the remaining 6 months of my contract, after which I'm a free agent.

That's it. I have a 6 month contract remaining with Plusnet which they cannot honour.  Maybe I'm better off switching after all.

[#12]

@MikeBz 

When you switch to SOGEA there should be little or no change to the speeds you currently receive. The guarantee speed only comes into play if you have a line fault above or below the threshold that OR will look at.

Unless you have a good reason for leaving PN I would consider staying for the time being. I assume the 12 month contract is more expensive that the 24 month offer but it's you choice. Just needs to be made in the near future.

Brian

[#13]

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@MikeBz wrote:

The primary reason for my posting is the conflicting array of speeds offered.

....

Why is the only speed option available to a new customer better than the only one available to an existing customer, and the existing contract different to both of them?

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They are not speed 'options'.  You are being offered FTTC (SOGEA) by all of those routes. 

A FTTP offering is 74MB and up.

All you are listing are different views of what it might achieve.  Some will be from your real line, others will be the various guesses as to how much copper and how good it is between you and the cabinet

What do you actually get now ? 

[#14]

So my current PlusNet suits me fine and I don't use the land line.  If I want to stay on the current Partial Fibre (basically fibre to the cabinet and then copper to my house) do I need to do anything?  The problem is that I travel a lot with work and I'd rather not have the faf of having to arrange for an engineer to visit and I don't need a new router as the current one works fine.

[#15]

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@bmc wrote:

When PSTN is finally withdrawn the copper from the Exchange to the Cabinet becomes redundant but not the lines to houses.

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Are cabinets not in series though ?  So the FTTC cabinet (as in FTTC) is fibre in and copper out to the 'full copper' cabinet ?

So all that is redundant is the long copper run - which might be worth salvaging ?