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m419 · 24-01-2009, 18:20

It appears that the number of residential service providers is getting slimmer every year!

Not suprising when companies such as BT offer free or discounted calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers as well as Virgin Media with their Talk Anywhere plans.

tripple and quad play offers are also to blame for this too.

This is what was available in 1999:

BT
Cable companies
Cable and Wireless via BT line with a Dialer unit
One Tel via BT line with/out a dialer also via cable line with a dialer
1366 indirect access

And in 2004:

BT
Cable companies
NTL Freedom
Virgin.net Loudmouth
Virgin Home
Bulldog Broadband (Cable and Wireless)
Wight Cable
Toucan
Tiscali
TalkTalk
British Gas
One Tel
Tele2
pipex
Primus
18866
Wanadoo Wireless and Talk internet phone

Tele2,One Tel and British Gas homephone services where all snapped up by TalkTalk.

And in 2009:

BT
Virgin Media/SmallWorld and Wight Cable (Cable companies)
Virgin Media National(NTL Freedom/Virgin.net)
Sky Talk
Orange Homephone/Orange Internet
Tiscali
TalkTalk

Theres more,but as you can see the popular ones have decreased!

The real reason is, the best value and efficient service can be obtained by BT and the Cable companies! Especially by my experience.

Voip is no good! You cant use it during a power failure,the sound quality is crap and its dependent on too many resources such as electricity,pc and internet.

Another thing that has been announced in the last year, BT is now able to charge service providers what ever it likes for using its equipment and its network. Virgin Media are set on using BT Wholesale for switching and routing certain calls made on its network and it will be a Voip system which will save the company and customers money. A fifth of the UK use Virgin Media phone lines and thats exlcuding the smaller cable groups.

When it comes down to it, BT,Cable firms and Cable and Wireless are the main providers in this country and will be the last ones standing. Most of all the other firms depend on the above 3 anyway.

Whats everyone elses views on this and what providers have you stuck with for years???

24-01-2009, 18:20	#1
m419 Inactive Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: London Services: BT Broadband,BT Anytime calls,Sky entertainment extra HD,Vodafone pay monthly Posts: 1,512	BT and Cable group phone leads the way It appears that the number of residential service providers is getting slimmer every year! Not suprising when companies such as BT offer free or discounted calls to 0845 and 0870 numbers as well as Virgin Media with their Talk Anywhere plans. tripple and quad play offers are also to blame for this too. This is what was available in 1999: BT Cable companies Cable and Wireless via BT line with a Dialer unit One Tel via BT line with/out a dialer also via cable line with a dialer 1366 indirect access And in 2004: BT Cable companies NTL Freedom Virgin.net Loudmouth Virgin Home Bulldog Broadband (Cable and Wireless) Wight Cable Toucan Tiscali TalkTalk British Gas One Tel Tele2 pipex Primus 18866 Wanadoo Wireless and Talk internet phone Tele2,One Tel and British Gas homephone services where all snapped up by TalkTalk. And in 2009: BT Virgin Media/SmallWorld and Wight Cable (Cable companies) Virgin Media National(NTL Freedom/Virgin.net) Sky Talk Orange Homephone/Orange Internet Tiscali TalkTalk Theres more,but as you can see the popular ones have decreased! The real reason is, the best value and efficient service can be obtained by BT and the Cable companies! Especially by my experience. Voip is no good! You cant use it during a power failure,the sound quality is crap and its dependent on too many resources such as electricity,pc and internet. Another thing that has been announced in the last year, BT is now able to charge service providers what ever it likes for using its equipment and its network. Virgin Media are set on using BT Wholesale for switching and routing certain calls made on its network and it will be a Voip system which will save the company and customers money. A fifth of the UK use Virgin Media phone lines and thats exlcuding the smaller cable groups. When it comes down to it, BT,Cable firms and Cable and Wireless are the main providers in this country and will be the last ones standing. Most of all the other firms depend on the above 3 anyway. Whats everyone elses views on this and what providers have you stuck with for years???