Reviews - Ofcom implements BT fibre broadband margin rule

[HEXUS]

The new rule regulates the margin between BT's wholesale and retail prices.

Read more.

[Ttaskmaster]

The industry is now investing in upgrading the infrastructure to provide 'ultrafast' broadband services that will establish speeds of up to 1Gbit/s.

Ja ja ja...... I'll start giving a flip when they can actually be bothered to upgrade our area beyond 0.5Mb/s, as they were supposed to have done back in 2011. Until then, they are all just a useless gaggle.

[ik9000]

I don't get the last line. BT is being made to increase its prices if its costs rise? This benefits customers how?

[MorrisR]

Ja ja ja...... I'll start giving a flip when they can actually be bothered to upgrade our area beyond 0.5Mb/s, as they were supposed to have done back in 2011. Until then, they are all just a useless gaggle.

Don't worry. In yesterday's budget statement, the Chancellor said that we would all be getting 100 Mb/s very soon.
Well ... soonish. Probably not going to hold my breath though.

[tigertop1]

Can someone please explain why, when an exchange is enabled for super fast broadband using fibre cables the green cabinet which is also installed at the same time to enable those who still have 'exchange only lines' with twisted pair cabling to get a better broadband service lie idle for months? Nobody wants to take responsibility for getting these street cabinets working. In Scotland the street cabinet enabling programme is way behind schedule and nobody gives a hoot. May well be the same in England etc

[Ttaskmaster]

Don't worry. In yesterday's budget statement, the Chancellor said that we would all be getting 100 Mb/s very soon.

Soon = Nominalisation.
His definition of 'soon' is likely intended to be about a month after he leaves that job, in which case he remains truthful and is not really accountable once he's gone.

Typical politician.
Also means nothing, since BT have actually 'enabled' fast BB in most places' exchanges and cabinets, yet are still not actually taking orders for it.

Can someone please explain why, when an exchange is enabled for super fast broadband using fibre cables the green cabinet which is also installed at the same time to enable those who still have 'exchange only lines' with twisted pair cabling to get a better broadband service lie idle for months?

I remember reading something about how construction companies actually make money from putting up buildings that then lie empty for decades. I know my employer (one of the big name utilities) also makes money from having assets that haven't ever been connected since they were laid decades ago... Perhaps BT/OpenReach have something similar on the line, here?

[zulm]

Can someone please explain why, when an exchange is enabled for super fast broadband using fibre cables the green cabinet which is also installed at the same time to enable those who still have 'exchange only lines' with twisted pair cabling to get a better broadband service lie idle for months? Nobody wants to take responsibility for getting these street cabinets working. In Scotland the street cabinet enabling programme is way behind schedule and nobody gives a hoot. May well be the same in England etc

Financial viability. That's basically the gist of it. BT/Open Reach will only enable local green cabinets if they deem they can make money from it. If they are supplying overpriced leased lines to local businesses & schools and by enabling the local green cabinets give these businesses and schools an alternative cheaper options - what do you think BT/Open Reach will decide to do? They will continue to delay as much as possible because enabling the local green cabinets are not part of their published/marketing targets and they putting themselves in line to lose them money in the short run. They just could be not enough demand for them to make the local exchange live either so they miss it out and move to the one that has potentially more demand. Our town went live around May 2014. Local enablement of the green cabinet has been continuous delayed Jun 14, Sept 14, Dec 14 and now Sept 2015.

[tigertop1]

Zulm, very interesting. That makes sense and explains why the Scottish Cabinet Secretary responsible for broadband roll out and the CEO of BT Scotland refuse to answer questions about green cabinet enablement. Time for some investigative journalist to get involved methinks Many thanks and I will now stop hijacking this thread

[MercutioUK]

The industry is now investing in upgrading the infrastructure to provide 'ultrafast' broadband services that will establish speeds of up to 1Gbit/s.

Ja ja ja...... I'll start giving a flip when they can actually be bothered to upgrade our area beyond 0.5Mb/s, as they were supposed to have done back in 2011. Until then, they are all just a useless gaggle.

I'm still waiting for my area to be overgrown with grass, trees and sporting cleaner air. I think I'll be waiting longer.

You choose where to live, if your internet connection matters so much then it should clearly be part of your rationale when deciding. Anything else is the folks living cheek to jowl with their neighbours, subsidising your internet in a much nicer environment.

Now, that said, there are a few tiny parts of the country that are urban and still have crap speeds. Those folks I DO feel sorry for. The "I've been waiting for 10 miles of cable costing thousands to serve me and my 30 neighbours for over THREE years now!" brigade need to take something of a reality check.

Here's a decent breakdown of how it works (based on US locations and prices but it's not going to be vastly different):

http://blog.performantnetworks.com/2...ally-cost.html

[Ttaskmaster]

You choose where to live, if your internet connection matters so much then it should clearly be part of your rationale when deciding.

If I could choose where to live, I would have somewhere with a nice internet connection... Some of us don't get to choose. We have to take what we can afford.

The "I've been waiting for 10 miles of cable costing thousands to serve me and my 30 neighbours for over THREE years now!" brigade need to take something of a reality check.

And how about 5 miles to serve about 20,000 properties, then?
Based on those costs, adjusted for the exchange rate, BT would make that money back within weeks...

I can understand the gas and water companies not laying supply line and sewers, as their rates are much lower, but for what is quite a poxy cost for fibre? Hell, I could almost save up enough for my own private FTTP line direct from the exchange within about two years.

The issue is that (according to several of OpenReach's and BT's own internal sources) the lines are already laid, the exchanges and cabinets are already enabled and have been for several years.
Why then are they not trying to make their money back from us by switching on what they've set up for us?

It maketh no sense...

[tigertop1]

There is something definitely awry within BTs marketing and strategy philosophy. They fail on two counts. Firstly they have no idea what constitutes good customer relations at all levels of supply. Secondly they fail to understand that from small acorns great oaks grow. Instead of listening to the bean counters in their midst they need a much more entreprenurial spirit to go the extra mile for the smaller country and rural communities they are supposed to serve on an unbiased basis. Until some free thinkers are allowed a free rein to operate within BT they will continue to fail a large number of small communities who cannot add value to their rural businesses or personal ventures because of BT's sheer neglect of their situation

Well I feel better for getting that out!

[flearider]

ahh point ... once they use the box they have to open it up llu and all that .. so from 20k people they may only get 3k .. open reach get a slice of all moneys so really not worth it for bt ..

[Ttaskmaster]

ahh point ... once they use the box they have to open it up llu and all that .. so from 20k people they may only get 3k .. open reach get a slice of all moneys so really not worth it for bt ..

I can see perhaps a few people not taking up Superfast Infinity, or whatever they call it, but most around here can certainly afford it (even if they have to sell one of their pleasure yachts). Judging from everyone else's cars, we're probably the only people who rent!

More importantly, it's a captive market for BT as no other company offers physical line services here.

[ik9000]

I can see perhaps a few people not taking up Superfast Infinity, or whatever they call it, but most around here can certainly afford it (even if they have to sell one of their pleasure yachts). Judging from everyone else's cars, we're probably the only people who rent!

More importantly, it's a captive market for BT as no other company offers physical line services here.

nah, I've spent the last three years living on a council estate and trust me, half of them have shiny new BMWs. Go figure!

[Ttaskmaster]

nah, I've spent the last three years living on a council estate and trust me, half of them have shiny new BMWs. Go figure!

I'm talking a load of 8-bed detatched houses, all with several cars on the driveway and another 3-8 in the garage (each of which costs more than double what our house would cost to buy)!!
Meanwhile here's us feeling like we were moving up in the world when we bought a Mercedes... albeit an M-reg C-class 250 Elegance!!

I think combined, the community could probably buy BT, Virgin and OpenReach outright... assuming none of them already have part ownership. It's that sort of environment - Our neighbour came round with a letter from his bank, to ask us what this "overdraft" thing they were offering him was and whether he should get one...!!

[stoatwblr]

This won't work. BT are playing the margin squeeze game across the board, not just consumer DSL and when the same company owns wholesale/retail/lines it's easy to bury it.

The only way forward is complete separation. As long as Openreach remains part of BT, then head office can look over all the chinese walls and direct individual groups to act in a manner which disadvantages competitors.