Broadband bundles make me cry

woolymammoth

Hello folks. As you may not have guessed from the thread title, i want to talk about naked DSL.

I moved to the antipoles a few years back, leaving my father behind in rural Cavan with the best technology available - 3 Mobile Broadband bouncing around between the drumlins. Not that the 3 connection was too bad, but it sucks compared to a copper line, Skype is near impossible! Here in Oz (and i know the UK, and elsewhere around Europe) Naked DSL is pretty common. Ever since i've had it, i've been eagerly searching, asking, and waiting for the day an Irish ISP would wake up and cut the phone cord. I abhor the fact that telcos still force phone bundles, or at least a phone/pstn connection, down the throat of a population that's saturated with mobile phones!

So anyway, today, for no particular reason, i engaged in one of those lovely online chats with an ISP. After some pushing for a straight answer rather than a sales pitch, the 'operator' told me "We do hope to introduce the NAKED DSL service in the next few months" and that they will be introducing it "within the next few months in line with other providers", though confirmed this information was not publicly available on their website. I did find this though from ComReg, dated 8th Feb 2013 (hit up page 18): "33 In the near future, Eircom will offer Naked WBA DSL, as the wholesale equivalent of retail SAB / Naked DSL. Naked WBA DSL is a WBA product sold standalone without SB-WLR.". So does this mean some naked dsl offerings could be coming along this year or next? Or am i being spun a line, and they're really talking about naked vdsl..

Also, speaking of fibre, I know Eircom and the rest are pushing that at the moment, but can anyone tell me if this is actually vdsl with fibre to the local cabinet? is this what Magnet is really offering already with their fatpipe, and eircom with efibre, etc.? Finding it hard to read past the sales-talk bullsh!t, so i'm just curious what the hell they're up to.

wandatowell

I cant really help you but I will say that I find the whole broadband situation in this country a bit of a headmelter.


Im my experience, prices have come down and service has improved but a quick gander at thread around here and you'll see plenty haven't had a positive experience.

woolymammoth

wandatowell wrote: »

plenty have haven't had a positive experience.

I'm pretty sure the entire country hasn't had a positive experience for.. ever.

Thanks though. It is a headmelt.. it's my punishment for knowing just enough that i want plain technical talk, but not enough to read between the lines on teh advertising.. The sales talk on all of the ISP sites confuses the hell outta me because i can't tell what it is i'm really being offered. And because i'm looking at this for my dad, from afar, i want to be sure i know what it really is before attempting to commit to it!

Anyway.. here's to hoping they all start offering naked dsl. VDSL would be great but can easily live without it, since it's not available anyway!

swoofer

yes its vdsl2 to the local cabinet then copper to the premises. at the moment its good up to 1Km's. i got it yesterday and i get 38mb down and 8.5mb up, pings around 30. I am about 800m from my cabinet. I am in clare. I am on reliable profile, meaning my line could go higher but I cant be bothered pushing it. this time next year we may get vectoring and that means x 2 increase so at 76mb I would be amazed etc. I went from 5.46mb down so pretty pleased.

as for naked dsl not a clue.

all the other providers just piggy back on eircom, i am with vodafone

q2ice

Magnet offers naked dsl.
Naked dsl is where you can have dsl without having to get a phone line.
Standard dsl uses the old eircom boxes (box where you plug in router) but with a dsl splitter that plugs into the box. The new fibre/fatpipe option requires the replacement of the box with one that has two sockets - one for dsl and other for phone.

There is a fibre connection between the mini-exchanges (dunno what the proper term is) and the main exchange. The connection between the mini-exchange and the house is via existing copper cables. Apparently it costs too much to lay fibre everywhere.

There is also an option the have fibre to the house which is obviously replacing the copper cables between the mini-exchange and the house with fibre. This would cost a lot more for install and probably monthly costs (??) but it would give speeds of over 100MB/s (close to if not 150MB/s)

bk

Both Magnet and Vodafone do naked VDSL.

Magnet costs €45 per month, making it pretty pointless.

Vodafone is better:
- €27 per month with a 20GB cap or
- €32 per month unlimited

woolymammoth

Thanks guys.

bk wrote: »

€27 per month with a 20GB cap

That's interesting. I thought it was more for some reason, has it come down recently? Though;

Vodafone mobile customers: €27.00
Everyone else: €30.00

Would have to check if my dad's still on vodafone or not, but 3 yoyos ain't no big deal.

has anyone bought this service? is this the total cost per month or are there other sneaky fees?

MrFrisp

woolymammoth wrote: »

Thanks guys.



That's interesting. I thought it was more for some reason, has it come down recently? Though;

Vodafone mobile customers: €27.00
Everyone else: €30.00

Would have to check if my dad's still on vodafone or not, but 3 yoyos ain't no big deal.

has anyone bought this service? is this the total cost per month or are there other sneaky fees?

I signed up yesterday.

Went for the Broadband Max package @ €32.00 a month unlimited.

No hidden fees..I didn't go for the phone line,as I already have a phone with Blueface.

I think the €32.00 was well worth it for the extra €5.00 over having a 20GB cap.

None of us were Vodafone customers,but they gave me the deal because I contacted them online about it.

http://www.vodafone.ie/home-phone-broadband/simply-broadband-max/
.

murphaph

bk wrote: »

Both Magnet and Vodafone do naked VDSL.

Magnet costs €45 per month, making it pretty pointless.

Vodafone is better:
- €27 per month with a 20GB cap or
- €32 per month unlimited

I raise your ISP...

UTV will offer naked VDSL for a pretty great €20 pm with 60GB cap or €25 pm unlimited. The capped one at €20 is what I'm waiting for for my family back home. They are not really into the net and only use it for skyping (video) us and not much else (now downloading movies etc.), so a fast connection with a cap is perfect and at €20, you can't go wrong. I'll set them up with Blueface for normal telephony and port their landline number over. They don't use the phone an awful lot so the €10 pm package from Blueface will be plenty. Everything for €30 pm and on VDSL. Just have to wait for it to reach them and for UTV to actually start selling it.

woolymammoth

murphaph wrote: »

I raise your ISP...

UTV will offer naked VDSL for a pretty great €20 pm with 60GB cap or €25 pm unlimited. The capped one at €20 is what I'm waiting for for my family back home. They are not really into the net and only use it for skyping (video) us and not much else (now downloading movies etc.), so a fast connection with a cap is perfect and at €20, you can't go wrong. I'll set them up with Blueface for normal telephony and port their landline number over. They don't use the phone an awful lot so the €10 pm package from Blueface will be plenty. Everything for €30 pm and on VDSL. Just have to wait for it to reach them and for UTV to actually start selling it.

Yes! now we're talkin'! €20 p/m for a solid line, at any speed above 3G, minus telephone, in a rural area..



it's just a shame that it's taking this long for this service to become available in our "digital economy".

Bog Standard User

eircom offer adsl & vdsl2 only packages too. many businesses use it. and its not restricted to business only. i know a guy with an adsl only package with them.

D'Peoples Voice

murphaph wrote: »

I raise your ISP...

UTV will offer naked VDSL for a pretty great €20 pm with 60GB cap or €25 pm unlimited.

Think I'd be avoiding that......Title says

UP TO 70MB

inside the box, it says

€20.00 PER MONTH

Bundle includes
Up to 70Mb download speeds
Generous 60Gb download allowance

big difference - if they are not upstraight with the speed....:mad:

murphaph

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

Think I'd be avoiding that......Title says

inside the box, it says

big difference - if they are not upstraight with the speed....:mad:

It's a typo.

spinzes

D'Peoples Voice wrote: »

Think I'd be avoiding that......Title says

inside the box, it says

big difference - if they are not upstraight with the speed....:mad:

deffo a typo MB is used for referance to storage of files
Mb is used for referance to data transfer

thinking of going for magnet meself 35 beans a month for upto 24Mb line , my line can handle upto 17Mb , unlimited connection no poxy contract , rang to confim 35 beans is the monthly fee , it includes line rental vat all that stuff , recently chatting to eircon <--- not a typo and was told that broadband contract is split into 2 contract one for broadband and one for line rental ! lol them boys are nuts !

woolymammoth

spinzes wrote: »

recently chatting to eircon <--- not a typo and was told that broadband contract is split into 2 contract one for broadband and one for line rental ! lol them boys are nuts !

my god eircom is dumb! Owning the infrastructure, they could've had it all - offer naked dsl, start a voip business, and take the whole country. But i see they'll be late to the party with the most expensive sh!t beer they can find. Again.