UPC new speeds and cheaper prices. 25mb/50mb/100mb

StaticNoise

To be honest, I don't see them charging existing customers more. You usually get the better value at the same price. I'm still paying the same price for broadband as I did two years ago.


Also, DOCSIS 3.0 is confirmed as standard.

Owen

I'm on an 8 Meg package with a 40Gig cap for 32 odd each month including the standalone charge. I don't particularly want, or need to be paying 40+ euro a month.

Why do they call it a standalone charge anyway? They have 3 services, TV, BB and Phone. Standalone implies if you get more than one, you're alright. I tried to get BB & Phone, and still had to pay a standalone charge, so ended up with BB only. They should change the name to 'without TV charge'.

StaticNoise

Is it not because they are primarily TV and because everything comes in from the "TV cable" for the want of another word? A laymans term, I know.

Update: "Customers on the older packages such as 9MB will be upgraded in a phased approach over the next few months."

Leeg17

scary wrote: »

Just been speaking to UPC and unless you ring in requesting to be changed you will stay on whatever package you are currently on. If you change its a new 12 month contract and you go to the new price for the package.

Seconded.

Rang a helpful rep there and she said that they can't secretly upgrade you from a package to another one (eve tho they do that for going over the "unlimited" FUP for two months) and that you'll have to contact them asking to be upgraded.

FWIW I'm quite happy with the 20mb I have (coming from 0.5mb 3 mobile bb) and the apparent half in usage cap isn't worth the extra 5mb in speed.

godtabh

Under EU Law if there is a change in your contract terms and conditions you can opt out

just found the relevant directive

"Under Regulation 17 of the European Communities (Electronic Communications Networks and Services) (Universal Services and Users' Rights) Regulations 2003, an operator shall, not less than one month prior to the date of implementation of any proposed modification, notify its subscribers to that service of the proposed modification in the conditions of the contract for that service and their right to withdraw without penalty from such contract if they do not accept the modification."

Leeg17

StaticNoise wrote: »

Is it not because they are primarily TV and because everything comes in from the "TV cable" for the want of another word? A laymans term, I know.

Update: "Customers on the older packages such as 9MB will be upgraded in a phased approach over the next few months."

Where did you get that info?

Johnmb

godtabh wrote: »

Under EU Law if there is a change in your contract terms and conditions you can opt out

just found the relevant directive

Yeah, but they aren't changing the terms of existing contracts. They seem to be making it quite clear that it is up to you to request the change, and that will involve a new contract.

godtabh

Johnmb wrote: »

Yeah, but they aren't changing the terms of existing contracts. They seem to be making it quite clear that it is up to you to request the change, and that will involve a new contract.

Thats grand.

I think I'm happy with what I have so

StaticNoise

Leeg17 wrote: »

Where did you get that info?

The comment made by UPC? From their twitter feed. These are directed at some questions posted by customers.

rayc

scary wrote: »

Just been speaking to UPC and unless you ring in requesting to be changed you will stay on whatever package you are currently on. If you change its a new 12 month contract and you go to the new price for the package.

But I assume when your current contract expires you will be forced to select from one of the new packages......

So maybe not now, but in 6 or 8 months I have to pay extra.

vibe666

bk wrote: »

If they are doing 50Mb/s on EuroDOCSIS 2, then it is nothing but a cynical marketing ploy where no one actually gets anywhere near this speed.

well that doesn't sound like fun, so i hope i'm wrong on that one.

Simi wrote: »

Can these changes be used to get out of contract? If the above changes are correct then this is a terrible deal for 20mb customers. Essentially you're paying €1 more a month to have your cap halved!

yes you can (according to previous threads on the forum from when providers have changed contract details in the past), since technically speaking they are changing the terms of the contract, so you *should* have the right to cancel it without penalty if you do not agree to the new terms.

that said, if they intend to leave everyone where they are for now unless they specifically ask to be upgraded, it might be a while before this kicks in for existing customers who don't opt for the speed bump voluntarily when it is released.

JonB

I rang up UPC. At the minute I'm on a 60euro bundle package with broadband, tv, phone. I want to upgrade to the 65euro bundle coming out. But I was told this was for new customers only. :rolleyes:

kk887

so that means THIS new stuff wont effect OLD customers?

currently using 20mb and about 180G every months...if they move me to this NEW contract than they are forcing me to pay more... (65euro for the 50mb bb?)

Nollog

JDxtra wrote: »

This only makes sense if it's inclusive of the standalone charge.

I heard they're scrapping the standalone charge altogether.

fionny

That standalone charge should be illegal tbh, its very deceptive, I have no interest in TV from them given their rubbish channels but their BB is superb..


Im currently on the 30meg plan standalone if I can get 100meg for a few euro more then im in like sin.

Would love a new modem as ive noticed high pings of late.... I have one of those Cisco type modems (scientific atlanta iirc which I got when the motorola acted up) will I need a new one again for this Docsis 3?

Also excuse my ignorance but whats the diff between docsis 2 and 3?

Nollog

fionny wrote: »

Also excuse my ignorance but whats the diff between docsis 2 and 3?

3 allows for higher speeds.

fionny

Cool so new modem = time off work for them to install as they dont trust people :P

Would docsis 3 improve latency too I wonder given wider Bandwidth?

kk887

http://m.irishtimes.com/newspaper/breaking/2011/0505/breaking29.htm?via=latest

UPC sees rise in subscribers
Last Updated: Thursday, May 5, 2011, 11:54
CHARLIE TAYLOR

Cable TV operator UPC gained an additional 26,000 subscribers during the first three months of 2011.The company said total service subscriptions rose by 11 per cent compared to the first quarter of 2010.UPC currently has 811,700 service subscriptions and has recorded strong growth in all three of its core products, Digital TV, Broadband and Home Phone.Broadband subscriptions rose 34 per cent year-on-year while home phone subscriptions were up 58 per cent, the company said.UPC announced this morning that it is introducing 25Mb as the standard entry level speed for all its customers and is to launch new so-called triple play bundles - consisting of broadband, digital TV and phone from next week."Our new acquisition campaign, launched in January, with our all in one bundle of Digital TV, Phone and 20Mb Fibrepower Broadband for €65 clearly resonated with Irish consumers. Offering twice the broadband speed for the same or lower price than the alternative providers prompted increased switching for consumers," said recently appointed chief executive Dana Strong."Our growth in the first quarter shows that Irish customers are seeking better value and choosing UPC," she added.

=====================

look likely it will effect all current customers...

Leeg17

JonB wrote: »

I rang up UPC. At the minute I'm on a 60euro bundle package with broadband, tv, phone. I want to upgrade to the 65euro bundle coming out. But I was told this was for new customers only. :rolleyes:

Twitter says otherwise: "All of these bundles will be available to existing customers at the same price points "

I rang asking if we would be forced to upgrade from 20 to 25mb, the call centre rep said no, twitter says otherwise "all customers will have the option to avail of new bundles, but will not automatically be upgraded right away."

kk887

Leeg17 wrote: »

Twitter says otherwise: "All of these bundles will be available to existing customers at the same price points "

I rang asking if we would be forced to upgrade from 20 to 25mb, the call centre rep said no, twitter says otherwise "all customers will have the option to avail of new bundles, but will not automatically be upgraded right away."

it seems like they will force customers upgrade at some stage...

JonB

Leeg17 wrote: »

Twitter says otherwise: "All of these bundles will be available to existing customers at the same price points "

I rang asking if we would be forced to upgrade from 20 to 25mb, the call centre rep said no, twitter says otherwise "all customers will have the option to avail of new bundles, but will not automatically be upgraded right away."

Thanks man! Maybe the one in the call centre didn't have a clue what she was talking about. I will further enquire in about a day or two. When hopefully the site will be updated.

Nollog

Smash some heads together if they cut my cap in half and force me to pay an extra euro for the pleasure.

bk

UPC are now saying that customers will not be upgraded unless you choose to do so. Which is good news for bb only customers, as the existing 10mb/s and 20mb/s products seem to be better value for money then the new 25mb/s product

Yes, it also looks like they have scrapped the charge if you don't take TV. Or rather, they have added the charge directly onto the price of the new products.

It amazes me that UPC can snatch defeat from the jaws of victory!!!

On a day which should be celebrated by all for UPC, they instead manage to muck it up by not properly think out how it might effect existing customers and to not have all the correct info available up front, thus confusing customers.

EDIT: I've gotten more info that makes things look better.

Here is what they should have done:
- 20mb/s 250GB cap €41.75 - Current product
- 25mb/s 120GB cap €42.75 - What they are doing
- 25mb/s 250GB cap €42.75 - What they are doing
- 25mb/s 250GB cap €41.75 - What they should do

This would mean that 20mb/s customers wouldn't mind being automatically upgraded as they would keep the same cap and price for 5mb/s faster bb. Instead of being expected to pay €1 for half the cap!!

If the cap for 25Mb/s really is 250GB, then it isn't such a bad deal.

- 30mb/s 250GB cap €49.75 - Current product
- 50mb/s 250GB cap €52.75 - What they are doing
- 50mb/s 500GB cap €52.75 - What they should do

It is crazy that they are increasing the speed by 20mb/s, with no increase in cap and expecting people to pay €3 more!! If they doubled the cap, it would at least make the €3 price increase easier to bear.

The 100mb/s should have at least a cap of 750GB, preferably 1000GB.

EDIT: More news to come on the following topic on Monday.

And finally I can't believe they are dropping the 10mb/s product. €42.75 for just bb, with no phone is actually quiet expensive.

For instance Vodafone offer 8mb bb + phone + off peak calls for just €40 per month. Yes, 25mb is much faster, but do the majority of ordinary people really need that speed. Hell I'm an extreme techy, who works from home, etc. and I find 10mb/s to be just fine. My parents and sisters certainly don't need anything faster. This makes UPC really bad value for money to them.

By doing this, UPC are leaving the majority of the market to Eircom, Vodafone, etc. Crazy!!!

UPC really need a product, something like 8 to 12 mb/s BB, 120GB cap + phone + off peak calls for max €40, preferably €35.

The more I look into todays news, the more I think it is actually really bad news for the majority of UPC customers and an exercise to raise prices, while offering less. :mad:

As we get more info, things aren't looking so bad.

fionny

I personally am quite happy with it as im a 30meg customer, if they make the 100meg a reasonable price then I will be happy to move to that but otherwise I get 50meg for the same money im paying now...

Sure a larger cap would be nice but ive never hit the limit and my brother has only done it once.

Leeg17

All I want to know is if/when I'll be forced to "upgrade" to the 25mb with the cap that's halved, keep getting 2 conflicting answers.

F1ngers

bk wrote: »

Other unanswered question is will 50mb use DOCSIS 3, it better otherwise it will be a joke.

Don't know if this was answered already, but just tweeted by UPC:

UPC_HelpsYou_IE UPC Helps You
@ Hello againn @waterfdweather 50Mb & 100Mb customers will receive their service via EuroDocsis 3 .0 modems

bk

Well at last, UPC have answered at least one question and it is good news:

UPC_HelpsYou_IE UPC Helps You
@Hello againn @waterfdweather 50Mb & 100Mb customers will receive their service via EuroDocsis 3.0 modems.

It should mean most people will actually get 50Mb/s from their modem and it should also have the effect of taking pressure off the people with 25Mb/s.

F1ngers

bk wrote: »

Well at last, UPC have answered at least one question and it is good news:

UPC_HelpsYou_IE UPC Helps You
@Hello againn @waterfdweather 50Mb & 100Mb customers will receive their service via EuroDocsis 3.0 modems.

It should mean most people will actually get 50Mb/s from their modem and it should also have the effect of taking pressure off the people with 25Mb/s.

Too slow dude, too slow.
Want to upgrade your broadband...:p

Nollog

We are looking for standalone costs for BB products now, we will get back to you as soon as we can

Even they don't know the standalone costs.

justsomebloke

bk wrote: »

And finally I can't believe they are dropping the 10mb/s product. €42.75 for just bb, with no phone is actually quiet expensive.

would have to agree with this, the vast vast majority of Irish consumers are more interested in price then speed. So now UPC are now going to be more expensive then Eircom for a broadband connection which is really going to play into Eircom's hands.

We are currently in the process of dropping UPC's TV deal and were told over the phone that they would be dropping the extra charge which I thought was fantastic as we are currently on 8mb so it would of only worked out at €23odd per month, but now it seems I have to spend €43 a month for just broadband if I want to drop the €7.50 charge, which I now won't be doing as I don't need the speed increase.

Truthfully if at the end of our current contract they tried to force the connection I would jump ship to Eircom