Finally! Broadband available, need advice please

VeeEmmy

Our exchange has finally been upgraded for broadband.
Permanet has also located itself in perfect line-of-sight 8km away.

Now, decision required: which provider/type to use for broadband (BT or Permanet - not a fan of eircom).

I have ISDN at the moment, and use UTVip XL.
Line rental is with eircom.

I use a lot of 1890 non-geographic calling.
I need an arrangement which does not disallow this (ie; no forced Talk/BB package).

Questions:

1. Do I have to do something with the ISDN line BEFORE I contact an ISP?(I know I'll have to PAY eircom to get rid of ISDN) Or can it all be taken care of at one time?
   
   
2. Permanet seems to have a good reputation with service, iffy on support? BT seems to have a good reputation with service and support. Opinions between the two?
   
   
3. Will I have to keep my phone line rental with eircom with no package deal on calls so that I can keep my access to 1890 non-geographical? (I'd love to eliminate eircom from the picture as much as possible)

Thanks for any info/suggestions/advice!
(And I realise that there is no guarantee that my line will pass the test for DSL.)

Ban

VeeEmmy

Revised my post to reduce excessive wordiness. I explain too much!

Hope someone will offer suggestions.

And hope it's not against the rules to push it back up to page1.

Cheers,
Ban

kaizersoze

You can get BB incl. line rental from BT for €39, €46 or €56 depending on the package you choose. It's called 'Broadband & Talk' but it doesn't really have a calls package attached. It just offers calls to anywhere in the country for the cost of a local call.
They had a poor reputation for billing & customer service but that has improved alot in the last year or so. I've never had a problem with them in the 4 years or so that I've had them.

http://www.btireland.ie/AtHome_bb_talk.shtml

I have option 3 (€56) and often use dial-up internet to a 1890 number so they're not blocked. These packages transfer your line rental away from Eircom, so no more Eircom bills.:)

According to BT's FAQ, having ISDN is not a problem....

What if I have an ISDN phone line?
There is no problem if you have an ISDN phone line. If you upgrade from ISDN to BT Broadband, your secondary ISDN line will be downgraded automatically when your Broadband service is installed.

....but there could be a charge for having it removed as Eircom would have to do it.

I don't know much (or anything really) about Permanet but wireless in general can be flakey enough. IMO, if you can get wired BB (cable or phone line) then that would be the preferred option.

SeanW

^^ Hammer, Nail and Head.

VeeEmmy

Thank you both!
Knowledge is power.

Cheers,
Ban

ardmacha

I think 1890 numbers will work with any DSL reseller, they do with the UTV package anyhow. Maybe worth checking the precise price of these calls with the different operators.

PogMoThoin

kaizersoze wrote: »

................ but wireless in general can be flakey enough. IMO, if you can get wired BB (cable or phone line) then that would be the preferred option.

Not always, some wireless services are much better than cable or phone line. Some have a much faster upload, others offer a symetrical service. I know one friend on a wireless service has a ping time of 18-20ms where as mine is 40-42ms with Eircom & the exhange is just across the road. Really depends on the provider tho.