ntl Confirms 10Mb Broadband Speed Increase

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

I have had the same view for a long time, I have never seen ofcom take action against a cable company in this country, they seem to be in place to make it as easy as possible for ntl and telewest. The fact both cable companies have monopolies on their networks is astounding, look at the usa and you can see the cable development their is far more progressed due to inter cable competition. Please dont mention AOL I know they provide over NTL but they are hardly doing any pushing.

When the 2 do merge and there is different products in different areas will ofcom do anything will anyone do anything, will the press pick up on it this remains to be seen.

NTL are not a monopoly. How can someone who builds their own communications network be accused of being a monopoly when they then decide not to allow others to piggy-back on it? BT, on the other hand, has inherited a network that was built by a public sector company and underwritten by the taxpayer. They alone have a universal service obligation so it is right that they should be required to allow others to have access to the network.

[Ignition]

ntl aren't classed as having Significant Market Power, neither are Telewest, so in the eyes of Ofcom they aren't monopolies.

[idi banashapan]

Originally Posted by Griffin

Let me try putting it from a different angle if BT were to rename its self under two or more titles & charge different prices in the different regions it would cause an uproar. In the same instance when NTL & TW merge effectively they become one company, i think its wrong for the same packages not to be offered nationwide

take a look at how many products Unilever make and sell... it happens even in the supermarket!!!

[Griffin]

Originally Posted by Bender

take a look at how many products Unilever make and sell... it happens even in the supermarket!!!

All their products are available nationally not some in one area & some in another. my point is if & when the 2 companies merge then all services should be available across the combined network

[Scopeuk]

lets face it though the least profitable of the services are phased out infavor of making more money this is buissness after all they wont add good deals from another provider to the ntl line up they'll take them away

[Chrysalis]

1.4million broadband users not significant market power, I wonder what is?

The argument they built their own network is valid but look at the other side of things, ntl and telewest brought licenses to cable many area's but didnt go ahead but because they brought these licenses they stopped other companies doing so, there are so many circumstances for people where its either not viable or possible to use BT for internet and that leaves them with available cable options, BT inherited a network yes but they still paid for the exchange upgrades to make them ADSL capable which I am sure was not cheap, is the cost of cabling the current area's more then BT's rollout for ADSL the figures would be interesting.

[mcmanic]

seems as if Blueyonder peeps are being upgraded now, some people are on 10meg already

[Rillington]

Indeed Chris.

It has been ntl (and TW) which has broken BT's monopoly and we have all benefitted. A decade ago, for example, BT was charging 12p/minute to make a daytime national telephone call, now they charge 3p/minute. Similarly, offpeak calls from BT were 4p/minute. Now BT charges 5p/hour. None of this would have happened if cable had not appeared and we should all be very grateful!

[Chrysalis]

I dont argue the benefits for phone's when the cable companies appeared on the scene but back then they were all different various companies I remember around here it was diamond cable or something, but the cable companies you see now days are different to 10 years ago they are a much more bigger force.

[Keane]

i've just learnt about this and i've 2 questions

1. when?

2. they said they weren't increasing prices, but people would have to pay different amounts depending on how much they doing

a. will this mean the 30gb cap will a free limit and if you go over, you get charged extra

b. any idea how much extra (if extra) we will need to pay

there are 66 pages so forgive me for not going 1 after 1 to find the answers

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by Chrysalis

I dont argue the benefits for phone's when the cable companies appeared on the scene but back then they were all different various companies I remember around here it was diamond cable or something, but the cable companies you see now days are different to 10 years ago they are a much more bigger force.

Which was the major failing of the whole UK cable initiative, to cable an area and build distribution onto that network was costly and benefitted from economies of scale which the small companies did not have. Looking at the networks now, there are three distribution points and if TW had bought C&W the identical standards would mean that would probably be 2.

Some network owners realised this and built on the cheap to sell on before anyone noticed (Videotron) others built well, but really the government should have sold one cable licence to overlya the BT licence and had a requrement for %s to be cabled by certain points in time.

The companies are a bigger force, but the evolution has been at high cost, such that NTL is still battling to consolidate billing systems and still running two CATV/BB networks. Challenges Sky never had to overcome. Imagine Sky having to broadcast from 3 sats, using 3 different protocols and billing everyone with a further 3 different billing systems. Thats where cable is today.
__________________

Originally Posted by Keane

i've just learnt about this and i've 2 questions

1. when?

2. they said they weren't increasing prices, but people would have to pay different amounts depending on how much they doing

a. will this mean the 30gb cap will a free limit and if you go over, you get charged extra

b. any idea how much extra (if extra) we will need to pay

there are 66 pages so forgive me for not going 1 after 1 to find the answers

http://www.cableforum.co.uk/article/...ed-as-standard
Soon
Yes
Seems like the fastest speed will be capped and the lower speeds not.
Nothing
True

[handyman]

So what some people are asking for is when TW and Ntl merge that TW customers should be able to get Ntl services and Ntl customers should be able to get TW services. And the cost of providing these services although on different networks and with different costs should be the same price even. This is just rubbish....

Its like expecting Skoda to provide you a VW or an Audi just because they are part of the same company(and provide it at the same price as the skoda). I fully expect the 2 brands to be seperate untill the networks can be evolved over time to be similar enough to enable single branding.

BTW thats just an example I am not comparing Ntl or Telewest to a Skoda :p

[marky]

I prefer the skoda (better value for money) but thats drifting ot

[Griffin]

Originally Posted by handyman

So what some people are asking for is when TW and Ntl merge that TW customers should be able to get Ntl services and Ntl customers should be able to get TW services. And the cost of providing these services although on different networks and with different costs should be the same price even. This is just rubbish....

Its like expecting Skoda to provide you a VW or an Audi just because they are part of the same company(and provide it at the same price as the skoda). I fully expect the 2 brands to be seperate untill the networks can be evolved over time to be similar enough to enable single branding.

BTW thats just an example I am not comparing Ntl or Telewest to a Skoda :p

I understand what you are saying but the point is skoda dont just sell their cars in their country/area & wolkswagon don't just sell their cars in their area they both sell them worldwide

[Horace]

"Be" are now rolling out 24meg/1.3mb upload for £24. The exchange checker says December here. Not bothered about the download speed tho' I'm less than half a mile from the exchange but that upload and price look enticing.

http://money.guardian.co.uk/internet...578645,00.html

http://www.bethere.co.uk/beonline/canBeHome.do

Maybe you might see your 10meg before Christmas afterall .


p.s. they actually state no capping too