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Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

snadge
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Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

i read this on a review on plusnet on Brodband.co.uk - sounds about right to me.. most are old men and dont care what speed you get they just wanna get home.

 

In essence I am reviewing BT Openreach. All the DSLAM boards in my lcal fibre cab are HOT, i.e. oversubscribed. Openreach use covert service capping to throttle the bandwidth so they can accomodate new customers at the cost of good service to existing customers. Plusnet deny this but I have spoken to Openreach technicians who confirm this. Plusnet refuse to do anything unless the bandwidth is below the new lower standard (average max speed) I have multiiple mini dropouts and bandwidth fluctuations. The average speed is good (now 32mbps) but is dropping regularly (originally 37mbps) with no plans to repair pathced copper lines or upgrade the system by building new cabinets or providing FTTPr any hybrid service. Our line length is too long for G.Max at 993m. My gripe is that I pay more each year for a deteriorating service with no published plans to repair the copper network or upgrade the service. Also Plusnet customer service has taken a nose dive. An analyst who promised I would always be able to contact him has disappeared and nobody will talk to me. Switching suppliers is pointless as they all use the same Openreach network. Twice the speed is available a few hundred feet away but it is a different exchange and they wont/can't connect me to it. I can't see what the future holds and I just want to use the service instead of constantly having to worry about it.

 

mine was 79Mb -  now its 63Mb (9 months it took!!!)

 

says it all really

8 REPLIES 8
ejs
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

Even if any of that were true, none of it would appear to preclude someone from just using the service without constantly having to worry about it.

In fact, why would the copper lines need any repairs if you believe your problem is that your speed is being secretly turned down to accommodate new customers?

dvorak
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going


Moderators Note


This topic has been moved from Fibre to Everything Else

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DaveyH
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

The author of that has probably also spent too much time on Facebook and been out torching mobile masts...

snadge
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

u miss the point

snadge
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

why? its a reasonable and easily understood statement, if he were mad he would show that is his text.

he's right - we shouldn't be worried about our service declining and paying for it... we pay to use not to worry

 

funny how mines gone from 79 to 63 in 8 months and its MAX ATTAIN is 77MB.!! so even the broadcom modem reports it can get MUCH higher speed but its been restricted!

 

also, on my 5th engineer visit a boss come who admitted they are trying out a 2nd version of new but faulty unit that gives incorrect results....on my line..

whats more vexing is that an OFCOM head is now running OR now so it should be getting better

 

 

dvorak
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

There are many reasons for slower service over time, cross talk is one example.

Conspiracy theorys like this help no one, I have spoken to OpenReach and they confirm this. Honest.
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snadge
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

CROSSTALK is Openreach's first and favorite excuse - yes its a big problem but let me explain something (I don't like blowing my own horn) but I have 15 years experience in broadband support (both on a hardware and software level) and know more about its workings than most Openreach linesmen - I also have about 30 years experience in computers).

X-talk happens slowly over time, your MAX ATTAINABLE SPEED slowly drops until it hits your actual speed then that slowly dips as more people in your neighborhood (in the same cables) sign up to FTTC - that's how X-talk works, not your line drops for 4 hours exactly on the minute, comes back on with no dial tone and 10Mb less speed remained?Huh

 

notice how AVERAGE SPEEDS had to be reported as 66Mb and that's what most on an 80Mb product are getting-  ISPs have probably thought well if OFCOM are gonna make us advertise an AVERAGE speed of 66Mb then that's exactly what we will give them as it will give about X% overhead for extra subscription, just like that bloke explained in the post above - mine went off midnight dead on, back on 4 am with no dial tone and 10MB loss in speed, been that way since (dial tone fixed - so no-fault - wheres the issue..?)

 

when I signed I was told

a) it would be £90 to activate the line that already resides in your new flat - I couldn't afford it outright so spread it across monthly payments at £5 a month- now when I notice this go way over £90 I got in touch ANDTHEY DENY iIT WAS £90

AND WAS EVEN WHEN I TELL THEM TO LISTEN TO THE CALL - THEY WON'T! - they said it would have been £115, well why won't they listen to the call

 

OR aren't going to say OH YES WE HOLD BACK SPEED DELIBERATELY

 

I only WISH Virgin Media was in my area, i can get 200Mb/20Mb for £4 extra which average 265MB

 

edit: also my min is 61Mb , I get 63Mb and max is 77Mb - if I sign up to a new contract will everything remain the same or wil Plusnet and Openreach use the sneaky trick of now LOWERING the MGALS cos my line speed dropped by 10MB during my tenure - I think it should remain - othewise it could whittle down to  nothing and pay premiums for it

Baldrick1
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Re: Covert speed capping to accomodate new customers is where your speed is going

Since I have taken up fibre my speed has dropped. At the same time I am aware that many more neighbours have taken the service and also that my Fibre Cabinet has sprouted an extension box on the side. I therefore accept that it is inevitable that my spreed has dropped. Disappointing? Yes, but all I can do is await the arrival on FTTP, if that's within my lifetime.

I have no expectation that this will be improved, just roll on the day when this ridiculously complex old world technology is scrapped in favour of investing in FTTP.

Consequently I reluctantly accept that this is currently the status quo in some areas as far as getting as many people as possible on some sort of faster broadband service, not a weird conspiracy theory that you appear to be trying to promote and promulgate.

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