Eircom Sending Me to NBS? (Longwood)

JasonR16

Hello,

With the impending closure of ICE, I will be left with no consistent access to broadband (In Longwood Meath). Line broadband has been available for probably 6+ years 2 miles down the road.

I called Eircom again due to the ICE situation and was told that the NBS was responsible now for the exchange and I would need to get broadband through them.

Looking at the site, does this just mean I have to go with 3?

Their coverage is spotty at best, slow and limit you to 15GB a month.

I don't get what value the NBS is adding in this situation - Wouldn't upgrading the exchange over that 2 miles be a better investment than sending someone to something they could have gotten themselves (and is sub par in 2010)?

I'm hoping Im missing something and 3 is for VERY rural areas and the NBS will actually be funding the upgrade of the exchange.

CCOLGAN

Is there an exchange in Longwood or does the exchange in Enfield serve the Longwood area?

JasonR16

That's a good point as the exchange that services Longwood could be a considerable distance in the other direction (As the Enfield exchange doesn't service it)

I think I'm mostly frustrated with 1.2mbps and a 38:1 contention with consistent dropouts being called "coverage".

Update: Although I just used the coverage checker http://www.three.ie/nbs/ (Broadband in your area) and it looks like Longwood ISN'T going to be part of the plan.

I'll try talking to three to see what the deal is.

Sponge Bob

Read

JasonR16

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Read

Humurous....The whole broadband "in a month" promise was the norm for many years...A year later lol


Just called Three to try to get NBS info and I'm on the fence since they won't answer any direct questions on speeds and options until you sign an 18-month contract (Then you get 14 days to ask all your questions before you can get a refund)

Part of the exchange was:

Them: Sir, The modem you receive is capable of up to 7.2mbps
Me: Great, Is that the actual speed I will get, not factoring in contention?
Them: Hmmm, The modem you receive is capable of up to 7.2mbps
Me: Is there a minimum speed I should see in my area, again I know contention can mean a lower actual speed
Them: The minimum speed you will see is up to 4...5...Hold on a sec
Them: The minimum speed you will see is up to 5 mbps
Me: What does "up to" mean when it is a minimum?
Them: The minimum speed you will see is up to 5 mbps
Me: So the minimum is 0 as that is up to?
Them: Once you sign the 18 month contract and receive the modem, Support will be able to tell you


I may have no choice but to go with them but I may do some of my own research first to figure out what exactly I am getting

watty

The minimum is zero. No connection can be assured as the subscribers are mobile and each sector has limited capacity. Phone calls get priority.

If you actually connect, the minimum is about 50Kbps.

see www.wattystuff.net NBS and 3 on left sidebar.

The 7.2Mbps is the PEAK speed, for a SINGLE user connecting, close to mast. Very very misleading.

jor el

JasonR16 wrote: »

Just called Three to try to get NBS info and I'm on the fence since they won't answer any direct questions on speeds and options until you sign an 18-month contract (Then you get 14 days to ask all your questions before you can get a refund)

There is no guarantee of speed with 3G, the technology simply doesn't allow it. Any guarantee (such as the 1.2Mbps minimum guaranteed by the NBS) is absolute nonsense.

http://www.broadbandatoz.ie/your-area.asp?id=16
The Longwood exchange will not be upgraded, so if your line is on that you'll never get DSL. If eircom told you that the exchange is under the control of NBS then they lied. What they probably meant was that the are is under NBS, which has nothing to do with telephone exchanges.

Longwood probably isn't in the NBS though, as it had broadband from Ice when that was drawn up. As such, you're not even going to get NBS.

JasonR16

jor el wrote: »

http://www.broadbandatoz.ie/your-area.asp?id=16.

That map is really depressing, mostly as there are only 7 reds and Longwood is one of them.

Am I being naive or wouldn't NBS money have been better spent subsidizing exchanges (in areas like ours) and subsidizing 3G for those areas far too remote?

Or at the very least the technology ICE uses which was very good in our area - 3-4mbps with very rare dropout (ICE's biggest problem was customer service)

Is the Government saying the future is broadband through 3G everywhere?

PS. Anyone want to buy a dish on a long pole? I know where you will probably be able to get a hundred or so of them in a few weeks.

Sponge Bob

Who owns the mast where Ice were, they must leave the poles where they are and another ISP could come into the area and reuse the poles ( maybe the dishes too, unless they are Motorola gear and even then Amocom could reuse them.

To keep the dishes and poles you ALL email the liquidator and tell him you will organise pole and dish removal and want the liquidator to pay the cost of restoring your chimney to its original state and storage till he pays when collecting them.

The liquidator will leave you your poles and dishes. You have a much better chance of another ISP if you have sorted out mast access and keeping the poles and dishes and cabling to the dish More about Longwood here

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2055468716

jor el

JasonR16 wrote: »

Am I being naive or wouldn't NBS money have been better spent subsidizing exchanges (in areas like ours) and subsidizing 3G for those areas far too remote?

eircom did bid on the NBS contract, but lost out. It would have been money better spent though.

CCOLGAN

JasonR16 wrote: »

That map is really depressing, mostly as there are only 7 reds and Longwood is one of them.

Am I being naive or wouldn't NBS money have been better spent subsidizing exchanges (in areas like ours) and subsidizing 3G for those areas far too remote?

Or at the very least the technology ICE uses which was very good in our area - 3-4mbps with very rare dropout (ICE's biggest problem was customer service)

Is the Government saying the future is broadband through 3G everywhere?

PS. Anyone want to buy a dish on a long pole? I know where you will probably be able to get a hundred or so of them in a few weeks.

I echo those sentiments.. I am on the Enfield exchange but I do not have a phone line to my house (have an eircom wireless phone line because they were going to charge a fortune to run phone line down to my house).

I have had ICE now for three years and to be fair their service to me was brill 3 mb download / 1 mb upload. Horrible customer service but you just have to keep on their case... Anyway I am in the same boat as ICE looks to be on the way out..

I called Imagine, and by chance got through to a sales lady from Clonard who said that WIMAX was coming to Enfield area in June and they have acquired three "high sites" in the Enfield area.. So maybe there is hope..

So HERE IS WHAT REALLY GETS ME ANGRY!!! You have those fools in Government who decided to privatise EIRCOM and give away the whole network to a private company who will not bother give broadband to remote areas or black spots.... Then the same government start the NBS - hand it to a mobile phone company thinking that 3G is the broadband solution for these areas! What a joke... :mad:

rant over...

JasonR16

CCOLGAN wrote: »

I called Imagine, and by chance got through to a sales lady from Clonard who said that WIMAX was coming to Enfield area in June and they have acquired three "high sites" in the Enfield area.. So maybe there is hope..

I registered interest on the site just in case

So HERE IS WHAT REALLY GETS ME ANGRY!!! You have those fools in Government who decided to privatise EIRCOM and give away the whole network to a private company who will not bother give broadband to remote areas or black spots.... Then the same government start the NBS - hand it to a mobile phone company thinking that 3G is the broadband solution for these areas! What a joke...

It's what you get with lifetime politicians that see the value in claiming 97% Broadband coverage in Europe....even if 40% of those can only use email because anything more modern is either not supported by such a slow connection or blows the 15GB limits of Mobile Broadband.

Just figured out with Three's pricing that the first 15GB is 9.99 and the second 15GB is €750 (.05c per MB overage). They say on their own site its for using when you aren't near a proper broadband connection :rolleyes:

Don't get me wrong, its a service that should exist and has a market -- It just shouldn't be blindly subsidized with taxpayer money as a solution countrywide.

JasonR16

I talked to Imagine (WiMax) over the phone about coverage and they would consider it but people need to register their interest.

I have to think that if even a portion of people show interest, they would consider (if possible) buying that part of ICE's network/hardware.

THEY ANSWERED THE PHONE RIGHT AWAY!

Call 1890 929 007

Go to Sales and let them know you are interested.

Here is the site although you are better to call, then to register online:
http://www.imagine.ie/wimax_broadband.html

Here's the facebook page again for Broadband in Longwood - Encourage others to register their interest.

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=54655008185

Even if ICE is saved, there should be a better provider available.

lubo_moravcik

JasonR16 wrote: »

I talked to Imagine (WiMax) over the phone about coverage and they would consider it but people need to register their interest.

I have to think that if even a portion of people show interest, they would consider (if possible) buying that part of ICE's network/hardware.

THEY ANSWERED THE PHONE RIGHT AWAY!

Call 1890 929 007

Go to Sales and let them know you are interested.

Here is the site although you are better to call, then to register online:
http://www.imagine.ie/wimax_broadband.html

Here's the facebook page again for Broadband in Longwood - Encourage others to register their interest.

http://www.facebook.com/?sk=2361831622#!/group.php?gid=54655008185

Even if ICE is saved, there should be a better provider available.

i'm currently on the 3 dongle and it's breaking my heart. the service is down in the area since Sat so i have nothing. are ICE any good. the salesman told me they were good and there were many satisfied customers in longwood. one thing for sure is they can't be any worse than 3, but for almost double the cost are they any better????

JasonR16

lubo_moravcik wrote: »

i'm currently on the 3 dongle and it's breaking my heart. the service is down in the area since Sat so i have nothing. are ICE any good. the salesman told me they were good and there were many satisfied customers in longwood. one thing for sure is they can't be any worse than 3, but for almost double the cost are they any better????

Read my replies in the other 2 threads

watty

ICE serivice has been taken over by Ripplecom, itself and amalgam of a few Wireless ISPs (amocom was one) in Dec 2009.