Virgin Media Cable Network - Milton Keynes

[arefem]

Anyone from VM tell us poor blighters in MK what is happening to our once state of the art cable network? We have a local cable radio station (www.crmk.co.uk), and the signal on the cable is awful.
Also when, if ever, is the MK cable going to be upgraded to handle digital?

[BenMcr]

Haven't a clue.

Once BT and Virgin decide on who is going to pay for the upgrade, something might happen

[arefem]

If memory serves, BT originally owned the MK Cable and had to dispose of it because the Government said they could not be both a content provider and content carrier.

BT wanted such a stupid price for it, nobody would buy. This was a tactic to get the legislation changed, but didn't work. Eventually NTL agreed to lease the network, on the understanding BT would upgrade it. As we know VM took over NTL some time back. The agreement, to my understanding, was that BT would maintain the fibre, and NTL (VM) the copper. There's always a dispute over who maintains the box where the two meet!

Before the disposal of the network, BT had given assurances that i would be upgraded, and presumably those assurances were taken into account by NTL at the time.

Seems like those assurances were not written into the agreement, so BT are renaging.

Typical BT tactic. They get a third party to pay for the upgrade, then re-negotiate the lease fee based on the improved network. Money for old rope, or in this case, old cable.

I'm actually a presenter on CRMK, and the quality of signal is poor, at best, and it's nigh impossible to get either VM or BT to do anything about it. It seems the plans showing the route taken by cable from our studio to thier distibution point, have been lost.

[tvtimes]

I believe BT do still own it and VM are not able to upgrade this area to digital. I think VM are renting the network off BT. Your best bet is BT vision i am afraid

[arefem]

You're right, BT do still own the cable, and that's the problem. BT do not see it as a priority and will get no financial benefit, VM will not upgrade it because it is not thiers, so what was once the jewel in the crown of British communication technology is now consigned to a technological backwater. Because the cable is a hybrid copper/fibre, it cannot handle the plethora of channels now available (according to VM), that's why we can't get digital channels, agian according to VM. No wonder we are seeing our skyline littered with wideband arials and sat. dishes. Some people living in ground floor apartments even have them on poles in thier garden!

[andygrif]

Originally Posted by arefem

If memory serves, BT originally owned the MK Cable and had to dispose of it because the Government said they could not be both a content provider and content carrier.

BT wanted such a stupid price for it, nobody would buy. This was a tactic to get the legislation changed, but didn't work. Eventually NTL agreed to lease the network, on the understanding BT would upgrade it. As we know VM took over NTL some time back. The agreement, to my understanding, was that BT would maintain the fibre, and NTL (VM) the copper. There's always a dispute over who maintains the box where the two meet!

Before the disposal of the network, BT had given assurances that i would be upgraded, and presumably those assurances were taken into account by NTL at the time.

Seems like those assurances were not written into the agreement, so BT are renaging.

Were you there at the agreement discussions then? Didn't think so

Are you seriously suggesting that a major lease agreement would have been signed, but a pivotal point of the agreement would have been done on a handshake?

Originally Posted by arefem

You're right, BT do still own the cable, and that's the problem. BT do not see it as a priority and will get no financial benefit, VM will not upgrade it because it is not thiers, so what was once the jewel in the crown of British communication technology is now consigned to a technological backwater.

Of course BT are not going to upgrade it, since as we've established, it wasn't in the original contract to and as you correctly point out there's no financial benefit to BT to do so.

If you and the other residents of MK were of any importance to Virgin, then surely either VM would be making great efforts to buy the network from BT or stumping up the cash to have it upgraded right?

But the reality is that they've long missed the boat; as you said, Sky's prevalence in MK is so big now (especially as the MK demographic is perfect multichannel home territory) that it would be not only cost VM the price of upgrading the network, but the marketing costs to try to break into the opposition's dominance.

And whilst we're talking about CRMK, the delivery mechanism for this channel so ridiculously flawerd (and has been since it launched) that I am genuinely surprised it's still on-air! It's it still housed up at Crownhill?

[BenMcr]

This is from the press release of the original agreement.

http://www.secinfo.com/dsVsj.6tj.d.htm

NTL expects to invest approximately 15 million pounds sterling to upgrade the
networks for digital cable, interactive services and high speed Internet access.
In addition, NTL will pay BT 5 million pounds sterling on closing and up to 14
million pounds sterling on completion of the upgrade of the Westminster network.
Thereafter, NTL will lease the networks from BT on a long term basis for an
annual lease payment of approximately 3.9 million pounds sterling.

It is dated July 1999, I think it is just before ntl had to file for bankruptcy protection which may explain why it never happened

[Kellargh]

We asked this question in a MD meeting and they confirmed to us that Milton Keynes and Westminster areas will not be upgraded to digital when the time comes.

[the-cable-guy]

? so what will happen then will the service be cut off or will it carry on ?

[BenMcr]

Virgin currently have no plans to disconnect any analogue only areas, even after the completion of the Digital Terrestrial Switchover

[techguy]

The following nugget of info is very interesting regarding an intended digital upgrade in Milton Keynes. This is an excerpt from: The New Plan For Milton Keynes - Draft Directions Paper 3 http://www.mkweb.co.uk/mkpartnership...es_&_Waste.pdf

Quote:
3.58 It is intended that the telecommunications system will be switched from analogue to digital at Milton Keynes in 2008. This will provide the opportunity of increasing programming availability within the City under the new system.

[the-cable-guy]

Originally Posted by BenMcr

Virgin currently have no plans to disconnect any analogue only areas, even after the completion of the Digital Terrestrial Switchover

to be fair cable has nowt to do with terrestrial so i can see the logic in that.

[techguy]

Originally Posted by the-cable-guy

to be fair cable has nowt to do with terrestrial so i can see the logic in that.

Think you misunderstood him. He's on about analogue cable tv (it still exists in most places) - not analogue terrestrial.