Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

My NTL download / upload for last month .. I'm going to be kicked off for sure =/

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Sorry if this has been said before. This thread is so large that I have skimmed thru it as best I can.

I do not have a problem with the idea of caps.
What I do not like is the way it has been specified in the AUP.

Instead of 1GB per day it should be a 30GB limit in any rolling 30 day period.
(your current total is of the last 30 days usage only)

That way I can do large downloads (Lunix distros/Service packs) on the day of release (likely going over 1GB per day).
This would be balanced out by normal surfing/email/avdefs for the remainder of the time (well under 1GB per day)

I would be happier if it was done like this. Using this method it is unlikely that I would exceed the limit.

Just an idea that's all.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

There will be no problem if customers use 30Gb in a 30 day period with some days over the 1Gb and others under it. At least that is until NTL supply the means for customers to monitor their usage later in the year. They can already monitor everyones usage now but haven't got a pretty package for customers to use. The 1Gb a day stems from the usage guideline posted in the AUP for normal use. Really heavy users may now start to be contacted even though they got away with it in the past so don't think it is OK to max out 24/7 on the new speeds.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

I'm sure this has all been said before, but this is a long thread and reading it would use up too much of my download quota.

If NTL cannot handle people using the service they are paying for then they should not be doubling the speed of every ones connections, If NTL are overselling their product that is NTL's problem not the customers.

1GB per day is just a joke, if I was connected to BBC News 24 live video stream or any other video stream I would use tons more than 1 GB in a day.

On the NTL home page it says the service can be used for "Superfast surfing, Streaming music & video, Larger file transfers", well thats just BS. most games are DVD size nowadays, and getting bigger by the week, video streaming and TV / video on demand are growing in popularity, 1Gb per day is nothing.

I wonder how many customers purchased the fastest broadband package and had no intention of using its power. I'm sure a few have it for the "pose" factor, but most will have the bigger packages because they do download very big files and they do stream video etc...


Does anyone know how much bandwidth is used while playing online games?
I bet a few hours of gaming uses a fair bit of bandwidth, especially if you are using live voice communication and a webcam at the same time.

I guess I best start looking at other ISP's (just incase), I'm guilty of using the product I paid for.

Pete

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Its probably been pointed out before, but the 1Gb a day is a usage guideline - nothing is set in stone that its a CAP, nobody has said you cant do 2GB or even more a day without impacting on others or getting cut off. NTL have said that they will contact excessive users IF their use impacts others - I'd of thought that - like with other ISP's - if you do your mega-bandwidth use out of peak hours you not going to be affecting others and shouldn't be affected.

Like many others, my use varies quite considerably from day to day, sometimes a few hundred megs or less, other times up to nearly 3G. I can't see this increased speed altering my use much, although time well tell if that happens in practice.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

I think they got it right.

1mb - 3gb cap enforced, maybe a little more, and the upper tiers 'guideline capped'.

With a large proportion on 300k i can see why the left them with a choice, to upgrade to capped or stay down but i think in the long run, they should get rid/cap the 300k service, i'm sure alot of the 'heavy' users on that tier will shift themselves up if so.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

I just downloaded 1GB of data in just 64 minutes, I think 64 minutes of maximum usage per day is simply a joke for the price.

When I joined NTL it worked out cheaper than having a BT phone line and an internet package from another ISP. (It worked out the TV was a nice bonus thrown in for Free)

I can now get those services cheaper from other suppliers and not have to watch my every move and byte count.

BT £10.50
2M ADSL unmetered £34 (Top rated ISP)

Pete

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

NTL are not overselling the service. They are selling a service that meets the requirements of the vast majority of their customers. Everything that you talk about can be done on a NTL connection with the usage limits that they have set. The majority of customers though don't want to be doing these things 24/7 every single day or even for hours on end every day. They are doubling the speeds to enhance the experience for the majority of users and allow them to do what they want to do faster. Most users will not use very much more bandwidth with the increased speeds and may even use the same.

The NTL broadband packages are residential packages for normal residential use. If you want more than the usage allowances then you will ultimately have to look for an ISP that has a package to suit yout needs.

Every ISP has to look at the financial side of things at some point. Initially they may offer packages and allow usage that means they are running at a loss in the interest of building up market share. Eventually there comes a point where they have to look at factors other than market share. Connection speeds have got to increase for several reasons but the problem is that if heavy users simply take advantage of the extra speed to significantly increase their bandwidth consumption then something has to give. Bandwidth isn't an infinite free commodity and the infrastructure has places where congestion can soon occur with inconsiderate use. The experience of the majority of users has to be the deciding factor in what is done and eliminating drains on the profitabilty of the service is a must to ensure pricing is set at a reasonable level.
__________________

Obviously the wrong package for you then. Bye, enjoy your ADSL :wavey:

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Get real, LOL, the people with faster upgraded packages upgraded to bigger and faster packages because they "needed" the speed and they "wanted" the extra bandwidth. How many customers do you think have upgraded to a really fast internet connection and only use it for light surfing and reading email. (next to none) And how many of the people with 3mb packages do think are going to be happy using their connection for just 64 minutes per day LOL especially when the TV is covered with adverts for unmetered/unlimited connections.

Anyone that actually uses their internet connection for anything other than light surfing / email is going to break the barriers on a regular basis.

Anyone with a home network (parents + kids) is going to break the barriers on a very regular basis

Any normal teenager is going to break the barriers on a very regular basis.

So who is left? A dozen old age pensioners (no offence to the old intended) who would be better off with 56kb modems and I guess you.

I'm sure all 13 of you will be enough to keep NTL from going bankrupt.

Pete

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Patchwork, it's a soft cap, you can download as much as you want.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

:LOL: You have got the surfing habits of everyone all worked out then? Tell me, how is it that the average bandwidth usage on broadband in the UK is around 7Gb per month? Remove the top couple of percent of heavy users and that average is nearer to 4Gb per month.

Most users don't try to max out their connections at all. Your usage is not the norm.

Some people have the fastest connections for similar reasons that they have the fastest cars. Some have the fastest connection because they can afford it and prefer the odd 20 minute download they rarely do to take only 5 minutes if they can get the sppeed to do it. Which normal user maxes out their 3Mb connection anyway.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Hi Ian. Where do you get this information from?

"You have got the surfing habits of everyone all worked out then? Tell me, how is it that the average bandwidth usage on broadband in the UK is around 7Gb per month? Remove the top couple of percent of heavy users and that average is nearer to 4Gb per month."

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

Patchwork your wasting your time arguing the cap issue with Ian@huth. Too him caps are wonderful and NTL can do no wrong capping connections. If NTL announced a 0.5GB cap he'd still argue its proper and wouldn't affect people. After all they only need to stop browsing the web to fall under the cap. His favourite comment is always along the lines of "Users with faster connections have them to download the odd large file without waiting not because they want to download large amounts of data". All the users I know with top teir connections, be they ADSL of NTL CM, have them for downloading large amounts and none have them for faster downloads of the odd large file. But Ian will no doubt argue this point and refer the wonderful all encompassing data that he has access to that states I'm talking complete ******** and then return to the same old retoric that NTL caps are wonderful and are being implemented for the benefit of users not shareholders.

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

That might be true today but possibly not tomorrow, if people just roll over and accept it you will find its not that long until its a hard limit. Then what? What comes after that? Pay per meg bandwidth charges? Pay per minute?

If people just accept massive reductions in service for the same price then they will oversell as much as possible and keep changing the limits so they can make as much profit as possible out of the same equipment.

We will also find other compainies follow suit, and before you know it we have the highest internet charges in the world and get the worst service.


Pete

Re: *ALL* ntl Cap Discussion Here Please.
 

:LOL: Why would that be any different from now :disturbd: