Something I am struggling a bit with. Given that VM have BADGER etc why do they need someone else to tell them how their network is running?
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenMcr
Virgin have no control over the SamKnows kit and cannot infulence the outcome.
The only thing Virgin are doing is running the broadband as normal and signing people up to the testing
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If VM are handling sign ups one would suggest they most certainly can influence the outcome. Avoiding connections in known problem areas is far from impossible. If you think for a second that VM don't pay special attention to the CMTS cards that Epitiro monitoring stations for example live on I can assure you you're being naive. These are treated as an extra high priority.
Then there's the issue of VM staff being on the trial. This shouldn't be happening. If things go wrong staff can pull string, perhaps monitor their own connections, etc, and their experiences of the service will not be representational of a normal punter. This is nothing to do with VM per se, no ISP should have its' staff anywhere near the Samknows performance monitoring network.
VM have comprehensive statistics on every single interface on their network. If they are handling signups it's too prone to abuse for my liking. I totally understand why a DSL ISP would want this - they do not control their products end to end there is the involvement of BT and/or other 3rd parties for backhaul and the access network, but as far as VM go I sense a publicity stunt in the making.
We'll see when the results are announced but looking at the people accepted that I know about I have seen a few staff, a couple of VM's fanboys, and a few Joe Average punters. I would hope that the actual breakdown is somewhat more of a cross-section.
Perhaps I'm just getting cyncial in my old age having watched VM's PR offensive get more and more intense and ever more flexible with the truth but I honestly see this as nothing more than a PR exercise and I hope that we can see stats from Samknows including and excluding the VM signed up peeps, no offense to any of you of course but I would appreciate it to eliminate exactly these games from VM. Anyone working for them at any level wouldn't put it past them for a second to play games with this trial.
Disclaimer: I'm grumpy at my poor excuse for an internet service being
down yet again.