Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

uk in the 21st century eh? we all use one network built by BT in the future not a single other company will lay cables in our rich country, what a shambles.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

Well *if* BT can provide a decent service down their wires why would any company in their right minds spend millions in digging up roads to put down more wires?

They have all seen cable companies p**s money away on their networks and no-one is going to do that again. The only exception could be in new estates with the help of the builders but even that is unlikely.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

well other countries do it, usa verizon is laying fibre when existing copper is in place, I guess verizon dont want to be restricted by buying wholesale service of the owner of that copper.

their seems to be a perception that laying cable=bankruptcy which I dont think is the case if done in a controlled manner.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

Are they burying fibre or just stringing it along from lamposts etc.

I think that any form of major works, like burying cables, is too expensive for companies without government assistance.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

no idea how its been done but they rolling out in city areas, one day someone will have to roll out fibre here and I expect it will probably be BT, but I dont think it will be for at least half a decade.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

I would imagine NTL will upgrade the older area's with new fiber/coax before they expand anymore. Places like leicester and cambridge will require a lot of new fiber to replace the existing infrastructer if NTL want to go any further tech wise. (especially Leicester!) The original Leicester cables and structure where just not meant for the stuff NTL is trying to make it do. (it was never designed for digital or broadband even in mind).
With regards to new build area's, I think NTL are nuts to not lay cables in the freshly dug ducts the new home builders have dug. BT still do it. In the mean time, why not use BT wholesale in offnet area's until there are funds to expand the network again.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

monkey2468 do you even think they will upgrade these areas tho?

everyone I have asked directly about it either just laughed or said in more politely it isnt happening because of cost.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

They have been doing upgrades for a month or two, but it has been suspended as it is causing more problems than can be fixed easily.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

It's not all of Leicester, it's mainly LE3 that have the trouble. This side of town Ntl can supply all three products, not very well mind you but that's not down to old cabling (it's all new on this estate) but just poor set top boxes and overloaded UBRs, or was when I was with them.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

Its not just to do with the local cabling, it more to do with the way leicester was designed from the headend out over originally. :(

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

yeah aylestone area and outer parts of leics like blaby have digital, but from what shaun says it seems they still suffer poor broadband performance.

I will never know if the broadband is actually better performing in the digital part of leics since my sister ditched ntl when she moved.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

It's not any good here either mate. I live at the back of the LRI by the canal and when we had Ntl both the TV and the BB were up and down like the proverbial whores draws!

As for Blaby, most of it seems to have cable laid in the street (even the estates at the far end where my nan lives) but they won't install green cabs or drops to the houses. What a waste of money. Putting fiber in to let it just sit there.:(

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

As dezzo suggests, most cable in the US is overhead. I don't really understand why they can't do that over here too, they could even rent BT's telegraph poles to save money.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

As far as I know all new wiring etc. needs to be done underground. Even when BT wire up new estates they tend to bury the cables instead of putting in new telegraph poles.

Certainly thats the case round here. I don't know if this is due to any sort of government regulations but if it was it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest.

Re: ALL Virgin / NTL merger discussion
 

I believe that it's what comms companies have to do now, telegraph poles are a no no. Saying that most new estates have ducting put in by the builders, my house (we move din 6 years ago in May) even had Ntl and BT sockets installed on the wall by the builder!