BT Always On BB INC Line Rental for €25 (€15 BB) VS Eircom Time+Line Rental for €4

Sponge Bob

Hmmm. I think I should go with Eircom

It goes up to €30 a month for the BB after 4 months (from €15) but the LIne Rental stays the same at another €10 on top.

After 4 months (by October say ) you will

1. pay BT

€40 for Always On + Line Rental

2. pay Eircom

€44.18 for Time + Line Rental

Even then I feel I should go with Eircom.

Full Details

Mitch Connor

what deal is this? i am paying about 50euro for the 2mb 20gig cap line and line rental with BT.

damien

New deal and existing customers get a discount too.

I like this cheeky bit:

It is important to note that, unlike broadband from other operators, consumers can sign up to BT Ireland’s offer immediately and do not have to change their telephone number or experience downtime.

Whoever do they mean?

Sponge Bob

It now looks like nobody will bother reselling 'Time' . I'd say it will be off the market by Christmas and that the poor muggins who do sign up for it will be upgraded for free before then . It will be the only 'special' Eircom have on offer between July and September.

BT Charge €50 connection fee while Eircom Time is Free connection.

Not sure about Modem costs because BT have not updated their FAQs or T&Cs yet.

For Eircom its either €50 one off or €2 a month rental on top of the €20

I'll do a TCO table for a sample 6 month contract once I have that info, averaging connection costs and modem costs into the Monthly fee.

damien

AFAIK the connection fee includes the cost of the modem for BT.

Sponge Bob

OK I'll be nice to Eircom because I like them, therefore over 6 Months I ASSUME you rent the modem (cheaper €2 x 6 = €12 rather than €50 ) and that a nice Eircom person will collect it at the end and say thanks , therefore it costs you nothing to send back and I'll assume the same for BT who own the modem.

Signup date 15th July 2005 . Contract Ends 15th Jan 2005

Eircom Time Best Assumption 6 Months (No Cap Breaking now, stay at 20 Hours or less)

€19.99 (Time) + €24.19 (Line Rental) + €0 Setup + €2 Modem rental

Eircom = €46.18 Month x 6 or €277.08 over 6 months. 20 Hours Max a month .

BT Always On Best Assumption 6 Months (No Time Cap , Data cap not announced yet but could be as high as 12Gb )

€15 (BB) + €10 (Line Rental) + €50 (Setup) + €0 Modem rental (1st 4 months) (€37.50)
€30 (BB) + €10 (Line Rental + €0 (setup) + €0 Modem Rental for (last 2 months) (€40)

BT = €38.33 a Month averaged out x 6 months or €230 total over 6 months.

The Difference is that BT is about €8 a month cheaper over 6 months minimum and you can stay on as long as you like too with no extra charges.

If you buy the Eircom modem from them Eircom are a further €6.33 a month dearer .

If you buy their modem and bust your cap Eircom are up to €36.33 a month dearer than BT

ButtermilkJack

Excellent job Sponge Bob!! You just made up my mind. Gonna order now.

juliuspret

Just looked at www.btireland.ie and it appears that 2MBit BT Broadband is now €40 a month!!
That compares very well to what BT UK charges their customers for 2Mbit.

Its so nice that eircom now have real competition from the giant Telco. that is BT...I wonder if BT will start rolling out LLU aggressively once eircom are dragged through the courts over the summer!!!

Eircom must be feeling the heat now!

bk

Nice work SpongeBob, I just did the same myself and I was about to post it.

Yes, the 1mb BT product has a 12GB cap and 2mb has a 24GB cap.

Also just to compare to Eircoms "cheapest" Always On product:

Eircom Broadband Home Starter 6 Months (No Cap Breaking)

€29.99 (BB) + €24.19 (Line Rental) = €54.18

€54.18 x 6 months = €325.08

€325.08 + €39.99 (install charge) = €365.07

Compared to €230 from BTIreland for the same thing!!!!!!

Sponge Bob

- Always-on broadband (1MB) for €30 per month
- Always-on broadband (1MB) including line rental for total of €40 per month

€9 cheaper

- Always-on broadband (2MB) for €40 per month
- Always-on broadband (2MB) including line rental for total of €50 per month

This may be a new deal altogether or else it was €64 up to now , either way its only €1 a month more than the old 1024+ Line Rental package.

No cap variations.

One porky pie in the press release , or is it ??????

"It is important to note that, unlike broadband from other operators, consumers can sign up to BT Ireland’s offer immediately and do not have to change their telephone number or experience downtime."

Do we take it that you can "sign up" to the €40 product today if you are on €49 at present. Someone ring up and hassle them

Press Release In Full Here

Yellow belly

"The broadband war is heating up with BT Ireland announcing cheaper 'always-on' services in the wake of Eircom's much-criticised 'sometimes-on' product."

http://www.enn.ie/frontpage/news-9615061.html

bk

The only question that BT have left unanswered, is how much does it cost to get BT Talk Plus on top of these BB packages. Any idea Sponge Bob?

Mutant_Fruit

Thank god all the other ISP's saw this as a nice opportunity to kick €ircon (i used to hate people who wrote that ) right where it hurts. The launch of time is going to seriously damage their credibility, especially if the other ISP's launch ad campaigns comparing their new products to 'time'. Only an idiot could fail to see how **** the eirom product is then.

Can't wait to see the first ad's "Always on for €15 a month, or Sometimes on and HUGE charges if you exceed 20 hours for €20 a month...".

juliuspret

Nice!!!!

"Whatever about offering a time-based product in the consumer market for low-end consumers I doubt that there's any business which is going to connect to the internet for just 45 minutes or so each day," said Peter Evans, product director, BT Ireland.


bk
What has BT Talk Plus got to do with the cost of Broadband.
No one has calculated the cost of voice calls as this thread is all about broadband and BT dont force any voice calls onto you...eircom also has talk packages!

ButtermilkJack

Just to let you know, I got a quote today for €55 all-in (inc VAT). That includes, 1MB BB, Line-Rental and unlimited local/national calls each month. That's €15 on top of the €40 offer for BB + LR after the 1st 4 months. Not bloody bad!! Fair play to BT.

Funny how Irish companies (in general of course !!) are allowed rip us off without gov't opposition and it takes an outside/foreign company to give us what we want.

I'd say go with BT anyday. They may have problems/glitches like every large corporation but they don't rip you off for the privilege of partaking in these delays - like some others.

bk

juliuspret wrote:

bk
What has BT Talk Plus got to do with the cost of Broadband.
No one has calculated the cost of voice calls as this thread is all about broadband and BT dont force any voice calls onto you...eircom also has talk packages!

I'm just interested to know how much it will cost, I have many friends who would be interested in BB + Line Rental + Free calls package (I'm on NTL myself). The last BT products included BT Talk Plus at a reduced price, I'm just wondering if this will continue.

Sponge Bob

bk wrote:

The only question that BT have left unanswered, is how much does it cost to get BT Talk Plus on top of these BB packages. Any idea Sponge Bob?

Unless its explicitly bundled its €25 a month bk . I've lost track of their bundle variants TBH but as they discounted the bejasus out of Line Rental I'd say its unlikely to appear in a bunsdle now.

Also note that you implicitly sign up for their web billing option and 'collect' your bill from your user area on the web site and print it out yourself .

There is no benefit on kind on the bundles if your company is prepared to pay you for them (and claim back the VAT itself)

bk

Funny thing, BT Ireland might actually work out as being more attractive to some users then NTL BB now. That is if you still want a phone line.

BT Always On 1m/128k (after the first 4 months):
€30 (BB) + €10 (Line rental) = €40 per month

NTL 1m/100k + UTV Talk Plus (includes line rental and free local/national calls offpeak):
€25 + €25 = €50 per month

NTL really need to introduce their VoIP service to improve the overall cost.

Note this simple calculation doesn't take a few things into account:
1) NTL offer first 3 months free (at 3m/300k)
2) Free engineer install and equipment (costs €50 for self install on BT)
3) NTL offer free basic analogue TV for first 12 months (worth €19 per month)
4) NTL has 16GB cap (not enforced) versus 12GB cap BT.
5) UTV includes free local and natinoal calls offpeak.
6) If you don't want a phone line (use VoIP or mobile instead) then NTL is much better value.

So I'm not saying NTL is bad, just that suddenly the difference isn't so great and NTL need to hurry up and introduce their VoIP product to remain far ahead.

Marcopolo85

bk wrote:

Funny thing, BT Ireland might actually work out as being more attractive to some users then NTL BB now. That is if you still want a phone line.

BT Always On 1m/128k (after the first 4 months):
€30 (BB) + €10 (Line rental) = €40 per month

NTL 1m/100k + UTV Talk Plus (includes line rental and free local/national calls offpeak):
€25 + €25 = €50 per month

NTL really need to introduce their VoIP service to improve the overall cost.

Note this simple calculation doesn't take a few things into account:
1) NTL offer first 3 months free (at 3m/300k)
2) Free engineer install and equipment (costs €50 for self install on BT)
3) NTL offer free basic analogue TV for first 12 months (worth €19 per month)
4) NTL has 16GB cap (not enforced) versus 12GB cap BT.
5) UTV includes free local and natinoal calls offpeak.
6) If you don't want a phone line (use VoIP or mobile instead) then NTL is much better value.

So I'm not saying NTL is bad, just that suddenly the difference isn't so great and NTL need to hurry up and introduce their VoIP product to remain far ahead.

I'm also with NTL + UTV Talk:

Last month's bill:

BB 1Meg : €25.

UTV Talk: €3.76

Line Rental: €24 (something)

Not bad at all.......

juliuspret

bk

What youre doing is like comparing apples and oranges...both fruit but thats where the similarities end.
Cable and DSL are both broadband products but they both off their own ups and downs.

If you spend a lot of time on the phone then choose BT but if you prefer watching the TV over chatting on the phone then NTL.

Personially I would still choose NTL if it was available where I live as I spend little time on the phone and a lot on the computer.

Sparky

just one question, because im kinda confused with all this.

I have a BB plus, and line rental package for €57 a month minus €5 because of online billing which is €52.
Do i get free calls with this offer since im already signed up to it, and is €57 too dear since they have now changed the price of BB plus to €25 euros.

ct5amr2ig1nfhp

Sparky,
I think its 57 - 2.50 for online billing = 54.50 p/month. (€5 bi-monthly)

I'm also on BBplus+line rental and a BT rep said I'd automatically be switched to the new €50 p/m offering. I think I read that this included online billing. But only after the 11th July billing run!

ambrose :cool:

bk

juliuspret wrote:

bk
What youre doing is like comparing apples and oranges...both fruit but thats where the similarities end.
Cable and DSL are both broadband products but they both off their own ups and downs.

If you spend a lot of time on the phone then choose BT but if you prefer watching the TV over chatting on the phone then NTL.

juliuspret you seem to keep misinterpeting my posts. I'm not saying NTL is bad, I have it and personally I'm very happy with it. I'm just saying for some people it mightn't be the most attractive option now and I'm just pointing that out for their benefit.

Some people don't want a phone line (as they have a mobile), so NTL is better.

Some people mightn't want NTL TV (as they have the superior Sky Service) and might need a phone line (for work etc.).

This is very much a valid comparison, in the end they are all data services, in a very short time all services will just be data (VoIP, IPTV, IP, etc.) and all these companies will be directly competing on all services (the triple play), you can already see the early developments of this in the US.

A few weeks ago, NTL announced that they would launch a VoIP service, when they do this and if the price is right, it could put them back on top for all potential users.

This is good, it is called competition.

Marcopolo85

juliuspret wrote:

bk

What youre doing is like comparing apples and oranges...both fruit but thats where the similarities end.
Cable and DSL are both broadband products but they both off their own ups and downs.

If you spend a lot of time on the phone then choose BT but if you prefer watching the TV over chatting on the phone then NTL.

Personially I would still choose NTL if it was available where I live as I spend little time on the phone and a lot on the computer.

Yep - have to agree with you. But, like bk says, it's very much a matter of personal preference. While he quotes Sky as the 'superior' service, a quick comparison is in order there also.

With Sky you must have a phone line connected (even if you don't want it). So let's say you take the BT BB offer of €35 per month, plus a basic Sky sub (€28 per month). That's €63 per month.....even if you DON'T want the phone (which you have to have as Sky won't connect you otherwise).

€63 per month with NTL gets you basic TV (€19 per month); 1 Meg BB (€25 per month); Basic Digital (€10 per month). So that's €54.....If you were prepared to cough up an extra €1 (and bring it to €64) youy could also get TWO additional analogue & digital points.

OK, like bk says, it may not be to everyone's liking, but if you really don't want to have a phone in your house.......and like a lot of TV........

Sparky

kingambrose wrote:

Sparky,
I think its 57 - 2.50 for online billing = 54.50 p/month. (€5 bi-monthly)

I'm also on BBplus+line rental and a BT rep said I'd automatically be switched to the new €50 p/m offering. I think I read that this included online billing. But only after the 11th July billing run!

ambrose :cool:

Yeah sorry €2.50 per month, but do i get any discounts like what was mentioned in another post, like free local calls etc.

IMO, i dont think i do.

patrickmooney

Sparky_S wrote:

Yeah sorry €2.50 per month, but do i get any discounts like what was mentioned in another post, like free local calls etc.
IMO, i dont think i do.

No you wouldn't get the inclusive local and national calls. By the looks of if your only on BT Talk. If you add BT Talk plus, (around €13 more a month) you'd avail of these inclusive calls. (The reason why it's €13 is because it's a bundled discount, i.e. €63 for line rental, BB and BT Talk Plus - I think!). There should really be a flash tool where you can "click" your desired packages/bundles and options to calculate your monthly cost as it is getting very confusing with BT Ireland.

bk

Marcopolo85 wrote:

While he quotes Sky as the 'superior' service, a quick comparison is in order there also.

When I said 'superior' service, I meant from the perspective of Picture Quality, rather then price.

Any home cinema enthusiast will tell you that Sky is the better service by far in terms of Picture Quality. They also show far more channels in widescreen, the movie channels are in 5.1 surround sound, sky interactive is quiet good and next year they will be transmitting High Definition channels.

Also the Sky+ service is excellent. PVR's completely change the way you watch TV. I use NTL and a Tivo to get the same effect.

On the other hand NTL is much better value for money, you can get extra digital boxes for just €5 pm compared to €15 from Sky and they include all the movie and sports subscriptions free from you primary box. However many enthusiasts are willling to pay the extra for Sky, due to the quality issues.

I'm not trying to put down NTL, their service is excellent, I'm just saying that they are missing the voice element at the moment and it is a slight weakness. Once they introduce VoIP, I can finally dump my telephone line and potentially save another €25 pm.

Marcopolo85

bk wrote:

When I said 'superior' service, I meant from the perspective of Picture Quality, rather then price.

Any home cinema enthusiast will tell you that Sky is the better service by far in terms of Picture Quality. They also show far more channels in widescreen, the movie channels are in 5.1 surround sound, sky interactive is quiet good and next year they will be transmitting High Definition channels.

Also the Sky+ service is excellent. PVR's completely change the way you watch TV. I use NTL and a Tivo to get the same effect.

On the other hand NTL is much better value for money, you can get extra digital boxes for just €5 pm compared to €15 from Sky and they include all the movie and sports subscriptions free from you primary box. However many enthusiasts are willling to pay the extra for Sky, due to the quality issues.

I'm not trying to put down NTL, their service is excellent, I'm just saying that they are missing the voice element at the moment and it is a slight weakness. Once they introduce VoIP, I can finally dump my telephone line and potentially save another €25 pm.

Can't argue with that.