[Update] ALL 20>30Mb upgrade discussion

[muppetman11]

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...its-30mb-plans

Virgin Media is poised to announce a free upgrade for all its 20Mb broadband internet customers to a new 30Mb service tier.

That's why this thread was opened ... not sure why you're repeating it now?

[ceedee]

Originally Posted by Ignitionnet

Every free upgrade is a 'new tier' if you look at it that way else every cable company would have to ensure that every customer had the right CPE to get the maximum speed.

Perhaps this explains why I was sent a new Ambit 256 in November to replace a 5-year-old Scientific Atlanta EPC2100 "to enable an upgrade in the coming months" (or words similar)?

Would it not be more constructive for the forum to identify which modems currently in use are *not* capable of handling the 30Mb upgrade?

[Blackened]

Originally Posted by pip08456

Until such time as VM officiall announce it no-one knows what will be happening of who will get what.

I whole heartedly agree with this, of course.
However Cable Forum in a news article state:

Virgin Media is poised to announce a free upgrade for all its 20Mb broadband internet customers to a new 30Mb service tier.
It's hardly unsurprising that people are generally accepting this as a done deal when it's being reported as such. No mention of "XL" there incidentally. It says 20 & 30.
The article goes on to say:

“Free Virgin Media Superhub for XL and XXL: Available to all new Broadband customers taking our Size: XL, Size: XXL and Size:100 Broadband services, and to existing customers upgrading to 30Mb, 50Mb and 100Mb broadband (subject to status and credit checks).”

"Upgrading" not "being upgraded to" - which almost suggest 20mb users will need to presumably ask to upgrade and/or pay to do so?

[whizzard]

Originally Posted by Blackened

I whole heartedly agree with this, of course.
However Cable Forum in a news article state:

Virgin Media is poised to announce a free upgrade for all its 20Mb broadband internet customers to a new 30Mb service tier.
It's hardly unsurprising that people are generally accepting this as a done deal when it's being reported as such. No mention of "XL" there incidentally. It says 20 & 30.
The article goes on to say:

"Upgrading" not "being upgraded to" - which almost suggest 20mb users will need to presumably ask to upgrade and/or pay to do so?

It's speculative reporting in many ways, and saying it will be free only fuels the fire even further. Indeed there is no smoke without fire

[Nopanic]

According to posts on here the speed would be 30 - 3 ?

Docsis 2 wont give you 3Mb upload .. thus the old modem wont work.

Originally Posted by Blackened

I whole heartedly agree with this, of course.
However Cable Forum in a news article state:

Virgin Media is poised to announce a free upgrade for all its 20Mb broadband internet customers to a new 30Mb service tier.
It's hardly unsurprising that people are generally accepting this as a done deal when it's being reported as such. No mention of "XL" there incidentally. It says 20 & 30.
The article goes on to say:

"Upgrading" not "being upgraded to" - which almost suggest 20mb users will need to presumably ask to upgrade and/or pay to do so?

You're misreading it.

The Terms and Conditions that give away the coming switch to 30Mb are not the T&Cs that describe how you get the 30Mb service. They are the T&Cs that describe who is eligible for a superhub. That they mention 30Mb at all is entirely incidental.

[Blackened]

Ah, OK. Thanks.

I'm not sure I'm mis-reading it though Chris - the article is just isn't very clear on that at all, is it? As I say, it's easy to see how people are getting confused.

It does report that "Virgin Media is poised to announce a free upgrade for all its 20Mb broadband internet customers to a new 30Mb service tier" though, which just reiterates my point. If CF are reporting, quite literally, 20mb customers are to receive a free upgrade to 30mb, then people are going to think exactly that, regardless of the semantics.

If you're thinking that 20Mb customers are going to get a free upgrade to 30Mb then you're thinking correctly. They are. Whether the upgrade is automatic or on request is not covered in the article, because we do not have that information and VM has not released it.

The article is perfectly clear about the facts as we know them. It only becomes unclear when you start to expect it to answer questions or prove points that the article never set out to make.

Again, do not read anything into the word 'upgrading' in the article quote. The quote deals with the matter of who qualifies for a superhub and accidentally mentions an un-announced, un-released product in passing. It is that accidental mention of 30Mb that allows us to know that it is coming. A couple of pointers from people behind the scenes have allowed us to add a little more detail but, for most of it, we will have to wait for VM's official announcement.

[muppetman11]

Virgin would be mad to not give the upgrade to all XL customers , VM have upgraded to be ahead of the competition so to just give new subscribers wouldn't do much to help churn.

[Blackened]

Originally Posted by Chris

The article is perfectly clear about the facts as we know them. It only becomes unclear when you start to expect it to answer questions or prove points that the article never set out to make.

Well, I wasn't 'expecting' anything actually! I didn't understand it well enough so asked about it. Better than sitting here wondering.

Originally Posted by Chris

If you're thinking that 20Mb customers are going to get a free upgrade to 30Mb then you're thinking correctly. They are.

Thank you. Got it in the end! I can tell others now without worrying about it being speculation as others in the thread have suggested.
That's great news. I don't care much for an even faster d/l speed than 20mb as it does everything I want it too in a decent time, but the increased upload speed will be most welcome.

I've only just got a brand new normal hub for 20mb (end of Nov) that's going to be replaced. Am I right in thinking that (some) new 20mb customers are receiving a superhub instead of this normal hub? (not directed at you specifically, Chris) I must have just been that bit too early upgrading.
Somewhere along the line I guess there's going to be a great deal of wasted hardware knocking about.

[Chrysalis]

what competition?

its behind FTTC which is the only proper competiton, adsl2+ isnt competition for it given that only about 2-3% of lines can get 20mbit+ on it.

I be surprised if people were leaving VM for an upto 24mbit service a whopping extra 4mbit which would also likely cost them more in the long run. Then these people come back when they realise they sync much lower.

[muppetman11]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

what competition?

its behind FTTC which is the only proper competiton, adsl2+ isnt competition for it given that only about 2-3% of lines can get 20mbit+ on it.

I be surprised if people were leaving VM for an upto 24mbit service a whopping extra 4mbit which would also likely cost them more in the long run. Then these people come back when they realise they sync much lower.

I stated staying ahead of the competition.

[whizzard]

Originally Posted by Blackened

Well, I wasn't 'expecting' anything actually! I didn't understand it well enough so asked about it. Better than sitting here wondering.

Thank you. Got it in the end! I can tell others now without worrying about it being speculation as others in the thread have suggested.
That's great news. I don't care much for an even faster d/l speed than 20mb as it does everything I want it too in a decent time, but the increased upload speed will be most welcome.

I've only just got a brand new normal hub for 20mb (end of Nov) that's going to be replaced. Am I right in thinking that (some) new 20mb customers are receiving a superhub instead of this normal hub? (not directed at you specifically, Chris) I must have just been that bit too early upgrading.
Somewhere along the line I guess there's going to be a great deal of wasted hardware knocking about.

The 'Virgin Media Hub' is a DOCSIS1 device, which is now supplied to 10mb customers only. New XL customers since December will have been supplied with the 'Virgin Media Super Hub' which is a DOCSIS3 device.

[Blackened]

Ooh. I was so close.
Probably for another thread but I hope the Superhub has a better wireless range than the normal one. Is the firmware/config page different? Can you change DNS servers within it?