Where NTL failed

[Chrysalis]

In comparing NTL to telewest vast differences can be spotted.

1 - NTL use india call centre's, telewest is all in UK.
2 - Telewest announced all analogue areas to be upgraded in short time period, NTL have no plans.
3 - Telewest do speed upgrades in much shorter time.
4 - Telewest provide higher top speed and higher upload.
5 - Telewest have no cap.
6 - Telewest have no admin fee to upgrade.

So why such a difference? Well I think NTL have gone on too long with prices too low on the bottom tier and now they charge 37.99 for their top tier, this has left them needing to do crazy things such as outsource tech support and add traffic caps to maintain profits and keep their network together, upgrades are done years too late and customers suffer. Telewest charge £50 for their top tier which gives them more turnover and they keep their customers happy reducing customer turnover, this in turn has kept them in better shape. NTL should work on the law of averages, charge more and remove caps, the average use will remain steady but they get more turnover and keep customers happy, the extra turnover can bring back outsourced work and pay for upgrade's on their network, analogue base pack is cheaper then digital base pack further reducing their turnover, also customer complaints are high forcing them to give out discounts. Am I the only one thinking this.

[Jon M]

Surely most of this philiophising is irrelevant in the light of an imminant merger... plus, are we actually achieving anything worthwhile by complaining to each other about things which are largely out of our hands?

Regardless of the amount of people that may agree with your point of view.. is it really worth the effort?

Telewest are so perfect are they?

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Telewest_Bluey...Review_5427928

Originally Posted by gary_580

Telewest are so perfect are they?

http://www.ciao.co.uk/Telewest_Bluey...Review_5427928

Think i can answer this one for the Telewest are gods brigade.

Are but this is a one off for Telewest. NTL do it all the time Honest

[Toto]

The biggest flaw in this argument is that ntl users cannot use Telewest services. Comparing ntl to networks operating in the same area is possibly a better topic for discussion, although a personal yawn as far as I am concerned.

[Ignition]

Does scare me a bit how Telewest were operating profitably before ntl as well as pushing the services envelope more. Had Telewest bought C+W this would be very different, trust me.
All moot anyway as previously mentioned, Telewest aren't going to be buying ntl any time soon, and any merger would have ntl as the dominant partner (I'm afraid).
Tell you what, let's compare ntl to BT instead, where exchanges are being enabled for ADSL late due to core network upgrades being needed (not enough bandwidth) and 10% of their exchanges are operating at an oversubscribed level shall we?

[poolking]

Originally Posted by Toto

The biggest flaw in this argument is that ntl users cannot use Telewest services. Comparing ntl to networks operating in the same area is possibly a better topic for discussion, although a personal yawn as far as I am concerned.

Congratulations Captain Obvious!!

NTL users using Telewest services isn't being discussed here, what is being discussed is why couldn't NTL operate in a similar way.

[Pierre]

Does scare me a bit how Telewest were operating profitably before ntl

neither company are operating at a profit, and ntls revenues are much larger that Telewests, as you would expect.

[Ignition]

Originally Posted by Pierre

neither company are operating at a profit, and ntls revenues are much larger that Telewests, as you would expect.

Operating profitably I said, operating profit and net profit are two very different things, both companies are actually operating profitably.

[orangebird]

I don't see how you can compare the two really. The history and structure & size of their respective networks are totally different.

Here's one thing they have in common - they both went under a major finance restructure.

[Toto]

Originally Posted by orangebird

I don't see how you can compare the two really. The history and structure & size of their respective networks are totally different.

Here's one thing they have in common - they both went under a major finance restructure.

I also believe that they partner in the Front Row program?

Thanks for the title Poolking, I may use that in my signature

[Tristan]

As possibly the only person on this board who uses both NTL and Telewest services on a regular basis, I'm in a unique position to comment.

And the verdict is... it's a draw. There are some little things I prefer on Telewest, some little things I prefer on NTL, but when it comes down to it, the two services are near enough identical as far as the end user is concerned.

I have to say that I find the constant pointing at Telewest as an example of "how things should be done" rather amusing. Right, Telewest had their speed upgrades completed sooner, but NTL said Q1 2004, and they haven't missed the deadline yet. And that's completely missing the point anyway, which is that for the same cost per month, your broadband will be twice as fast on NTL as it is on Telewest. It's funny how the pro-TW brigade always fail to mention that one.

Re. upload: when I had NTL's 300k service, my upload was twice as fast as the upload I now have on Telewest's 256k service.

Furthermore, my TW internet connection has a "usage guideline" that is actually more stringent that NTL's for the equivalent speed (not that I care about either, frankly).

Please, people, stop thinking Telewest are the best thing ever. They're just the same as NTL when it comes down to it.

Originally Posted by Tristan

As possibly the only person on this board who uses both NTL and Telewest services on a regular basis, I'm in a unique position to comment.

And the verdict is... it's a draw. There are some little things I prefer on Telewest, some little things I prefer on NTL, but when it comes down to it, the two services are near enough identical as far as the end user is concerned.

I have to say that I find the constant pointing at Telewest as an example of "how things should be done" rather amusing. Right, Telewest had their speed upgrades completed sooner, but NTL said Q1 2004, and they haven't missed the deadline yet. And that's completely missing the point anyway, which is that for the same cost per month, your broadband will be twice as fast on NTL as it is on Telewest. It's funny how the pro-TW brigade always fail to mention that one.

Re. upload: when I had NTL's 300k service, my upload was twice as fast as the upload I now have on Telewest's 256k service.

Furthermore, my TW internet connection has a "usage guideline" that is actually more stringent that NTL's for the equivalent speed (not that I care about either, frankly).

Please, people, stop thinking Telewest are the best thing ever. They're just the same as NTL when it comes down to it.

Nice to see a well balanced post on this subject

[danielf]

Originally Posted by Tristan

As possibly the only person on this board who uses both NTL and Telewest services on a regular basis, I'm in a unique position to comment.

And the verdict is... it's a draw. There are some little things I prefer on Telewest, some little things I prefer on NTL, but when it comes down to it, the two services are near enough identical as far as the end user is concerned.

I have to say that I find the constant pointing at Telewest as an example of "how things should be done" rather amusing. Right, Telewest had their speed upgrades completed sooner, but NTL said Q1 2004, and they haven't missed the deadline yet. And that's completely missing the point anyway, which is that for the same cost per month, your broadband will be twice as fast on NTL as it is on Telewest. It's funny how the pro-TW brigade always fail to mention that one.

Re. upload: when I had NTL's 300k service, my upload was twice as fast as the upload I now have on Telewest's 256k service.

Furthermore, my TW internet connection has a "usage guideline" that is actually more stringent that NTL's for the equivalent speed (not that I care about either, frankly).

Please, people, stop thinking Telewest are the best thing ever. They're just the same as NTL when it comes down to it.

Having recently switched from NTL to TW, I would agree with that. The major difference imo is that the email on Telewest works. And the fact that I get one bill for all my services.

[poolking]

Originally Posted by Toto

I also believe that they partner in the Front Row program?

Thanks for the title Poolking, I may use that in my signature

Sorry about that, I was feeling a little grumpy, so went for a walk to clear my head.