PN Increase in Central Capacity

[#1]

I see that Plusnet are increasing their central capacity this Month. In laymans terms exactly what does this mean for the average user ?
Will it mean an increase in speed for some users & if not what are the benefits.
I Know there is a load of info on the appropriate page on this website but most of it goes above my head so a brief simple summary would be helpful.
Thanks

[#2]

its like filling a bath through a 5 mm pipe, it takes a long time, if you use a 22mm pipe it is much quicker, so a lot more people can use the same speed.  And as we get more users we have to get bigger pipes to take those people through at a reasonable speed
Also PN are due to change the type of pipe  http://usertools.plus.net/status/archive/1269342495.htm

[#3]

Thanks for the response. Does this mean that without this change the more people PN sign up the slower the service gets for the rest ?

[#4]

yes - if capacity and customers don't match.
This is why Plusnet try to keep ahead of the game and add capacity before it is too late

[#5]

Quote

Also PN are due to change the type of pipe

@pierre_pierre,
im not following, what you linked to is a peering agreement.
Basically a peering agreement is sending more traffic over links provided by (in this case) level3 - what this means is that your traffic takes a different route (and hopefully less 'hops' (devices/routers between you, and the destination - or more bandwidth than other routes)) - this should be quicker - however less hops isn't always better - its a case of what 'link' to the destination has the 'better route' (e.g. The most 'free' bandwidth)

When plusnet say they are increasing capacity, it basically means there adding more 'BT Based' capacity.
Some Technical Information on the network, if you scroll down to the picture, basically the 'orange' links are getting 'fatter' so that more customers can be put into the network - without any detriment to the customers already on it.
(Any increase in capacity is great! )

[#6]

Quote from: Oldjim

yes - if capacity and customers don't match. This is why Plusnet try to keep ahead of the game and add capacity before it is too late

Lol , something sadly Virgin Media adsl failed to do oldjim hence a massive influx of new customers to plusnet.
Still can't believe virgin throttled all customers to 0.5meg or less from 4pm to midnight every day and all day weekends suddenly without any warning and its now 6 weeks later and no change.
They now say they are planning on increasing capacity lol , a little bit too late for quite a few of us!
And on a final note I must say so far in over 10 years of internet Plusnet is by far the best isp I have had ,  totally excellent service so far.

[#7]

I just clicked on the link within the Bulitin and came up with this

Quote

Powerful Reach. Powerful Connection. As a leading international provider of fiber-based communications services, we are dedicated to helping our customers keep pace with the demands of an increasingly networked world. We couple a broad service portfolio with one of the world’s most scalable end-to-end networks to deliver a set of solutions built for the 21st century. Our network offerings include Internet Protocol (IP) services, metro and longhaul transport, content and video delivery, data and voice services.

[#8]

Yes pierre... their a company that offer peering, as in - data from PNs network around the world.
For instance GlobalCrossing own quite a number of Fibre links between the UK and the USA - its quite likely that if you ping an american website, it will go over Level3 or GlobalCrossing.
When PN add 'capacity - there adding capacity between Customers and BT (which im assuming is what the OP has seen - because only 'regular' users really know about PUG and its service updates)
*edit* - im assuming im right based on the title Central Capacity is the link between customers -> BT -> PN

[#9]

from PN's Posting

Quote

What does it affect? The routing of your Internet traffic. How long will it take? Two weeks. What does the work involve? We will be pushing traffic over new transit links provided by Level 3 - http://www.level3.com/ Am I likely to notice the work? No customer impact is expected. More observant customers may notice changes in the way their traffic is being routed when running diagnostic utilities like traceroutes. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Traceroute

[#10]

@pierre
Read my original posts slowly - ive already answered what the difference is between the two.