BB alternatives for smart customers?

machalla

Considering that it seems likely Smart Telecom will go into liquidation later today (based on news reports) what are the alternatives out there?

My assumption would be that any existing customers want to maintain BB over their existing copper and not switch to wireless or similar.

So the alternatives that spring to mind are :

Esat-BT
Magnet Networks
Digiweb
UTV
(The Eirscum monopoly will not be considered)

Except for Magnet all of the available packages are Eirscum bitstream resold packages which to my knowledge are not DSL2 based in most cases.

KTRIC

Well I just called NTL and went back to them for BB. They're offering 6mb for €39.99 and the first 3 months are free.

Should be installed next week some time.

watty

BT have SOME LLUed lines. Raheen in Limerick had ADSL from Esat practically same day as Eircom DSL launch in Dublin.

Digiweb, IBB, Clearwire, Caseyvision, UPC (Chorus/NTL) etc have non-ADSL solutions. Some of these are comparable to DSL. Some arn't.

inode

hows IBB looking these days? as they are one of the only companies able to provide it to me now!!

or is anyone else using adsl2+ in letterkenny

ntlbell

IBB seems to be pretty well behaved of late.

Can we get this thread stickied?

I don't fancy going through 40k+ of smart threads.

JJDoherty

I would say hold out for a wee while and see how things work out. SmartTelecom have already decided to sell off their voice and pay phone business and hold on to the LLU/broadband part before any of what happened today happened. Their shareholders are probably prepared to continue to back them financially and go with this re-structuring process.

SmartTelecom and Eircom are expected to release statements later today.

Ardent

I'm going to wait and see what happens, Smart's broadband service is incomparable.

inode

i totally agree. im going to hold off to see what happens. someone is going to take the adsl2+ lines they couldnt leave them to rot. hopefully its ot eircom or someone with a cap though

machalla

Well we can wait but by the sound of it they are gone. Check over on this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054998166&page=7

"well its completly official....
smart have gone into liquidation...
eircom are not goinf to transfers smarts lines as a good will gesture"

Someone over there is claiming to be talking to someone in smart they are friends with.

"i would say they're gone...

All the lads in smart have been told to pack their desks and leave...
For some reason i don't think they would be telling them to do that if there was an alternative..."

So barring its all rubbish (which it may be) I'd say we are all (to quote Bender) "boned".

inode

yup! i hope they hold onto the broadband though

machalla

Liquidation means gone out of business, shut down and the assets sold for whatever they can get.

Administration means run as a going concern till a buyer can be found.

So if they are liquidated then they are gone so they won't be holding onto any broadband or anything at all.

All I can say is at least its only the begining of the month so hopefully most of the staff got paid last week.

bucks73

Chorus are up and running in some parts of Limerick and offer 6mb for 39.99 per month and first 3 months are free. Dooradoyle definitely working.

machalla

Magnet are now doing a "smart telecom customers" call us thing as well. Top right of their home page.

http://www.magnet.ie/

1890 - 535353

watty

inode wrote:

hows IBB looking these days? as they are one of the only companies able to provide it to me now!!

or is anyone else using adsl2+ in letterkenny

NTR is not giving them any more money and they are forsale.

RangeR

machalla wrote:

Well we can wait but by the sound of it they are gone. Check over on this thread.

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054998166&page=7

"well its completly official....
smart have gone into liquidation...
eircom are not goinf to transfers smarts lines as a good will gesture"

This may be true, it may not be. But one thing is for sure, it is NOT official. It is plain scare mungring to say otherwise.

machalla

Yep. That phrase about rotund females singing comes to mind. Oh well the afternoon is nearly over so I expect we will hear something official soon.

MOH

Ah well, too later to cancel my DD today anyway. Might be some news by tomorrow

Blub2k4

KTRIC wrote:

Well I just called NTL and went back to them for BB. They're offering 6mb for €39.99 and the first 3 months are free.

Should be installed next week some time.

6mb with a 40gb limit whoop-de-fcukin-doo.

constitutionus

i'd prefer to stick with smart cause its the best deal in town for me but if it does go i reckon its Digiweb or BT for me. christ knows im not going back to eircom.

constitutionus

i'd prefer to stick with smart cause its the best deal in town for me but if it does go i reckon its Digiweb or BT for me. christ knows im not going back to eircom.

check out callcost.ie, the comreg site which lists the best preformers. very handy.

*edit*damn double post , sorry

LoBo

Anyone apart from BT offer a 6 month contract (or none)?

We're probably only in this apartment another 6 months, most providers seem to have a friendly 12 mth contract.

Foxwood

LoBo wrote:

Anyone apart from BT offer a 6 month contract (or none)?

We're probably only in this apartment another 6 months, most providers seem to have a friendly 12 mth contract.

eircom and UTV both have 6 month contracts for their broadband services.

byte

What about those of us still under a 12 month contract with Smart Broadband? I doubt Smart will allow us to jump ship anyway, if their LLU product is still running.

watty

IF Smart close shop next week, then that is the end of the contract. Wait and see if worried about contract.

Sam Johnston

I just called Smart Telecom today Wednesday 3 October (we have connections in Harmonstown and Tallaght and I used one of them for the call and for this post) and got straight through to a rep who apologised and said that we would be receiving calls again within 2-3 days.

In light of all that's happened (and over what, 1.7m? ie the corporate equivalent of a cup of coffee) I'm impressed and will be standing by Smart Telecom and encouraging others to do the same. It's Eircom and ComReg along with the relevant minister(s) that should be feeling heat over this.

Remember, if you move then they win this round.

Sam

fifth

Move back to eircom.. I haven't had _much_ trouble with them lately. :P

A few billing errors, some horrible customer service reps, and some extremely nice ones and a good BB service - well no disconnects yet anyway since i moved house last week. It kinda balances out.

Drongo

I have Smart Broadband and have found it excellent so I intend to hang on until there is a full conclusion to current situation. But should the worst happen I'm considering a switch to ntl (already have their T.V. service) so I was wondering what getting their broadband entails (installation, equipment required, etc.) Anyone with ntl who could fill me in?

Xterminator

I have Smart too, and aprat form the getting it up and running problems I found it excellent.

so i'll be sticking with them until i'm told otherwise.

I have however cancelled my direct debit, and informed smart of this, (due to breach of contract) and told them they can bill me conventionally for the moment.

X

art

Sam Johnston wrote:

It's Eircom and ComReg along with the relevant minister(s) that should be feeling heat over this.

Remember, if you move then they win this round.

Sam

That's definitely the bottom line in this whole saga. I won't be rushed into anything until I get the full picture, Smart have offered me an excellent service for some time now and clearly have the best BB package on offer, but Eircom and ComReg are easily the real culprits here and ultimately ComReg for failing to execute their regulatory duties

Blackdragon

Xterminator wrote:

I have Smart too, and aprat form the getting it up and running problems I found it excellent.

so i'll be sticking with them until i'm told otherwise.

I have however cancelled my direct debit, and informed smart of this, (due to breach of contract) and told them they can bill me conventionally for the moment.

X

How did you go about cancellation of your DD. Via bank or via Smart telecom.

Mountjoy Mugger

Notify your Bank.

rowan

The smart phone service was cut off without warning. Now comreg says its going to be back up, but only temporarily. They say:

" you will need: To choose and contact a new provider"

they don't say, sure just hang on a while and everything'll be alright. They say, now is the time to switch to someone else.

Can only presume that bb will be cutoff just the same. I rang magnet just now, they said smart bb will be cutoff within 2 weeks (of course that's coming from a magnet rep, but still). He also said that when the engineers go to the exchange, they will switch multiple lines at the same time (as opposed to one at a time as happens normally) so it should be done relatively quickly.

If they can cut the phone off like that, they can cut the bb off

its game over
finito
kaput

the other bb option is ntl, saving the €25 line rental, and then using voip instead of phone...

art

rowan wrote:

The smart phone service was cut off without warning. Now comreg says its going to be back up, but only temporarily. They say:

" you will need: To choose and contact a new provider"

they don't say, sure just hang on a while and everything'll be alright. They say, now is the time to switch to someone else.

Can only presume that bb will be cutoff just the same. I rang magnet just now, they said smart bb will be cutoff within 2 weeks (of course that's coming from a magnet rep, but still). He also said that when the engineers go to the exchange, they will switch multiple lines at the same time (as opposed to one at a time as happens normally) so it should be done relatively quickly.

If they can cut the phone off like that, they can cut the bb off

its game over
finito
kaput

the other bb option is ntl, saving the €25 line rental, and then using voip instead of phone...

FFS, it won't be cut off in two weeks... it was cut off yesterday!

It isn't "kaput" until we know what is happenign Smart, no one at Magnet or Eircom know that and as far as ComReg are concerned, they really should just go ahead and change their name to EirComReg to avoid further confusion.

peepsbates

art wrote:

FFS, it won't be cut off in two weeks... it was cut off yesterday!

It isn't "kaput" until we know what is happenign Smart, no one at Magnet or Eircom know that and as far as ComReg are concerned, they really should just go ahead and change their name to EirComReg to avoid further confusion.

i think he was refering to the bb being cut off not the phone service;)

The_Hustler

Broadband has been cut off for some people (including me)

afatbollix

braodband and phone is now gone tv is still working but id say that will stay for a bit longer...

anyone know a service that can provide- cable tv and brodband?

rowan

eh, yeh my bb is still up and running.
But i'll be making a phone call first thing in the morning to switch to someone else.

>It isn't "kaput" until we know what is happenign Smart

Fair enough. If you don't want to pay attention to the giant warning signs.

The sooner you switch the sooner you'll have bb up and running again.

rowan

machalla, could you point to the news reports that mentioned 'liquidation'?

peepsbates

The_Hustler wrote:

Broadband has been cut off for some people (including me)

ah nuts:( its a discrace

art

peepsbates wrote:

i think he was refering to the bb being cut off not the phone service;)

well that's a nice coincidence then cause I was referring to BB too!

RangeR

rowan wrote:

Fair enough. If you don't want to pay attention to the giant warning signs.

The sooner you switch the sooner you'll have bb up and running again.

As a few have said here already, we don't know what's going to happen. Smart MIGHT be able to continue with the BB side of things. Some other company MIGHT buy their BB section. If either of these two things happen, then there MIGHT not be any downtime at all.

I know that there are a lot of MIGHTS in there, but transferring your BB over to bitstream will take a long time. Unless you were thinking of going wireless or cable.

art

rowan wrote:

eh, yeh my bb is still up and running.
But i'll be making a phone call first thing in the morning to switch to someone else.

>It isn't "kaput" until we know what is happenign Smart

Fair enough. If you don't want to pay attention to the giant warning signs.

The sooner you switch the sooner you'll have bb up and running again.

...and locked into a contract that is providing a poorer service or poor value for money. A knee jerk reaction doesn't help anyone, yourself included (at least from a consumer perspective that is)

JNive

magnet are doing a 6-month contract also, or so their application form states at least.

machalla

Well based off the reports yesterday smart were pretty much going into liquidation but as of today its anybodys guess. It sounds like Brendan Murtagh has put €10 million into the company to keep it going on top of the €2.6 million h e already paid them. So thats certainly enough to pay the €4m plus keep the company going for the next 6 months. If its happened of course..

http://enn.ie/frontpage/news-9825470.html
"It has been confirmed to ENN that Murtagh, and other family members recently appointed to Smart's board, have agreed a last minute refinancing package which may prevent Smart from facing liquidation.

Although Smart has already suspended trading on London's AIM market, the Murtagh rescue plan will reportedly include a complete delisting from the exchange and a EUR10 million cash injection. "

He would only want the BB part of the company and who knows what will happen to it. The brand itself is in bits as far as I can see and Eircon are the major winners as no-one will trust the smaller brands now.

It is as someone put it to me "not smart, its just tragic".

machalla

We really have to knock this thread into some shape as its supposed to be about alternatives to Smart if people decide to leave.

I personally am going to wait and see what happens for the time being but I want to know the alternatives.

The only viable one for me seems to be Magnet but Magnet is apparently two different beasts. One is the old Netsource on the business side and the other is the residential package option. Only one of them is doing DSL2 which is I believe the residential side (leap in and correct me here anyone!).

Magnet have "thoughtfully" provided a map on their website of where they are available in Dublin. Seems to be based off Exchanges. They are claiming 2mb BB for €15 which I assume means you have to tie yourself into something else as well but since the link for more info on the site is dead, well I can't tell you more than that.

Can anyone confirm if Magnet Residential requires you to use thier own router and prevents you from configuring it in any way? I seem to remember someone mentioning being unable to open ports on their Magnet router and Magnet support telling them to feck off in effect.

Not sure what their caps are.

Digiweb DSL is all Eircon bitstream. Their Metro wireless product looks good but is not available everywhere and I can bet it isn't going to be available to me.

IBB are another company who will likely be dead as a doornail in the future as they are up for sale. Also having had dealings with them in the past I wouldn't touch them with someone elses 100 foot bargepole.

Spear

machalla wrote:

Only one of them is doing DSL2 which is I believe the residential side (leap in and correct me here anyone!).

Magnet have "thoughtfully" provided a map on their website of where they are available in Dublin. Seems to be based off Exchanges. They are claiming 2mb BB for €15 which I assume means you have to tie yourself into something else as well but since the link for more info on the site is dead, well I can't tell you more than that.

Can anyone confirm if Magnet Residential requires you to use thier own router and prevents you from configuring it in any way? I seem to remember someone mentioning being unable to open ports on their Magnet router and Magnet support telling them to feck off in effect.

Not sure what their caps are.

After a brief prod of my brothers conenction with them, it's ADSL2 alright. THe modem is just a modem, so any router can be connected. There was no way to open ports since it's just a modem. Their caps vary up to 150GB. Not quite unlimited but plenty enough to play with.

JNive

yup, sounds like the next best thing to smart's service really. possibly higher upload too.

Magnet Intro ( EUR42.00 for 2 months, EUR52.00 other months, incl vat+line rental, with VoIP service i think ) is 4mbps/512kbps on ADSL2+ uncontended, with 100GB cap, 6 month contract

If you get this on an FTTH scheme, its 4mbps upload instead of 512kbps.

click on the order now links and enter you phone number etc, and it will show you what products they are able to offer from your exchange

https://secure.magnet.ie/site/line_check.aspx

Also on a more amusing note, Magnet have now removed the logo from their site , as we pointed out last night, looks like somebody was reading lol.

JNive

good question though i asked before but nobody had an answer, are we able to use our own modems for the magnet intro service ( no tv, just broadband ) or is there something specific requiring the magnet modem.

art

JNive wrote:

If you get this on an FTTH scheme, its 4mbps upload instead of 512kbps.

click on the order now links and enter you phone number etc, and it will show you what products they are able to offer from your exchange

https://secure.magnet.ie/site/line_check.aspx

tried that link out of curiosity and it said somethign along the lines of multi-play is not available in your area... even though on the map thing they have regarding areas covered has me fairly smack in the middle of one. So not sure what is going on there. If Smart goes, they do seem the next best option so hopefully that number check thing just isn't working well. If it's not Magnet I guess Digiweb comes next?

JNive

id suggest usuing your eircom number for that checker if you know it, unless thats what you used, then try your smart number lol

art

JNive wrote:

id suggest usuing your eircom number for that checker if you know it, unless thats what you used, then try your smart number lol

Ah! Bang on, the old Eircom number worked.... at least Magnet sounds like a viable alternative now. Cheers.