STM Statement

[Gary L]

STM Statement:

As part of our continued efforts to improve our customer's broadband
experience we are continuing to trial measures which will more efficiently
and pro-actively manage network traffic.

As part of our continued efforts to improve our customer's broadband
experience, we are making changes to the current Traffic Management Policy
within certain trial regions.

This updated policy will be trialed within the following regions
Preston, Wigan, Blackpool, Camden, Dalston, Enfield and Haringey.

These measures are based on policies that detect traffic patterns
that are deemed potentially abnormal and apply traffic management rules to
ensure that other customers are not adversely affected by this traffic.

The trial aims to prevent or reduce the effects of a minority of
users abusing the network and preventing the majority of subscribers from
having the network performance they desire.

For the vast majority of customers, upwards of 95% of the base,
their experience will be a more consistent speed (both upload and download).

Those who have the policies applied to their connection will
experience their download / upload speed being constrained (less than 5%
affected). Breach of acceptable use policy may lead to these policies being
applied.

These optimisation policies are being trialed during the following
times where the potential for abnormal traffic has been identified as having
the greatest adverse impact on our customers' experience.

10am - 3pm Download only
4pm - 9pm Download
3pm - 8pm Upload


During these times the following thresholds will be applied for upstream and
downstream.

10am - 3pm Download
Size M: 900Mb
Size L: 2400Mb
Size XL: 6000Mb

4pm - 9pm Download
Size M: 450Mb
Size L:1200Mb
Size XL: 3000Mb

3pm - 8pm Upload
Size M: 200Mb
Size L: 700Mb
Size XL: 1400Mb

---------- Post added at 14:07 ---------- Previous post was at 14:05 ----------

So that is saying that restrictions will be in place for a continuous 11 hours.
10am to 9pm.

Well, i did tell everyone.

A few of those times are wrong though...and that's only one set of the trials being run, unfortunetly the ones you have just posted are the ones that are confirmed for national rollout sometime over the next year.

[Maggy J]

In that case how long will it be before 9pm until 10 am becomes congested with everyone switching their usage.

24 hour STM perhaps?

Originally Posted by Incognitas

In that case how long will it be before 9pm until 10 am becomes congested with everyone switching their usage.

24 hour STM perhaps?

It's not far off that now with current trials...

VM shot themself's in the foot with STM, didnt stop heavy downloaders at all, they just shifted their downloads to overnight/all morning/all afternoon, so it's actually made things worse.

[PeteTheMusicGuy]

If they bring in 24 hr STM would that not be some sort of contract breach as they are then not supplying the advertised service as STM was only supposed to be used in "peak hours"

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by Incognitas

In that case how long will it be before 9pm until 10 am becomes congested with everyone switching their usage.

24 hour STM perhaps?

It will change, they are changing everything all the time. with Virgin you can't just have the connection and use it, you have to be seeing all this juggling around all the time.

They always say that it is done for the benefit of the customers and to give them an enjoyable internet experience.
They don't say that it benefits them by being able to take more customers on at the expense of the customers they have already.

[Chicken]

Originally Posted by Gary L

They don't say that it benefits them by being able to take more customers on at the expense of the customers they have already.

Minus the ones who leave, in droves if that STM goes national.

Originally Posted by Chicken

Minus the ones who leave, in droves if that STM goes national.

No *IF* about it, the statement has only been released because it's already confirmed to be rolled out nationally.

[Rob]

Makes you wonder when I'm supposed to use my connection. Maybe these days you need the top tier speed, not because you expect to use it but because you still want a reasonable speed once you've been shaped

[Bonglet]

Well for a company that is now supposed to be focusing on boradband and making it the showcase product i feel there buzy just trying to run it into the ground, stm more and more even though it was supposed to be getting less (lower peoples upload speed a bit instead of stm thats what kills cable), and then we have phorm going to be thrust upon the system i can see people leaving in droves (no joke).

When all of these factors come together to make the internet a laughing stock instead of showcase shows how out of touch most people are with net usage nowadays especially those who adhere to profit margins more than customer servie, reputation or satisfaction how long a year is after being on ex-telewest then watching how the service went down the pan since re-branding and then everything else with it .

[Gary L]

Originally Posted by TraxData

No *IF* about it, the statement has only been released because it's already confirmed to be rolled out nationally.

I think they have now gone too far and has become quite clear that Virgin are selling a product that is unfit for purpose. they have even admitted themselves that their network is congested and over subscribed. they are robbing the bandwidth from customers with the aid of STM and the new app management.

Them thinking that they can do this by referring us to the term trial in the T&C's isn't going to cut it this time I don't think.

If they were not vigorously advertising for new customers and made it clear that they weren't contributing to the already congested network, then they might just get away with it, but it is there for all to see that they are selling a product that is unfit for purpose.

Originally Posted by Gary L

10am - 3pm Download
Size M: 900Mb
Size L: 2400Mb
Size XL: 6000Mb

4pm - 9pm Download
Size M: 450Mb
Size L:1200Mb
Size XL: 3000Mb

3pm - 8pm Upload
Size M: 200Mb
Size L: 700Mb
Size XL: 1400Mb

So (according to Trax, when this rolls out) I can now download (on L) 2.4GB from 10am to 3pm, 1.2GB after from 4PM to 9pm and unlimited from 9PM to 10am.
In that case, that's 400mb more than I can now from 4pm to 9pm.
Still gives me from 9pm to 10am (13 hours) free to download whatever any big stuff I might need.. And presumably 3pm to 4pm is fair game too, right?
As this hour is oddly left out of the equation.

I hate the restrictions - I really do. But, like a good chunk of us in Manchester, I'm suffering BADLY due to high usage on the UBR.
Maybe these restrictions will allow some of us to surf at a decent speed at last.
I'm not 'for it' by a long chalk, but it's going to happen so might as well see the benefits from it.
I just hope it does the job it's presumably being implemented for, and bearing in mind STM has been hinted at being scrapped altogether further down the line once all the networks have been upgraded, yes?

Originally Posted by kryogenik

So (according to Trax, when this rolls out) I can now download (on L) 2.4GB from 10am to 3pm, 1.2GB after from 4PM to 9pm and unlimited from 9PM to 10am.
In that case, that's 400mb more than I can now from 4pm to 9pm.
Still gives me from 9pm to 10am (13 hours) free to download whatever any big stuff I might need.. And presumably 3pm to 4pm is fair game too, right?
As this hour is oddly left out of the equation.

I hate the restrictions - I really do. But, like a good chunk of us in Manchester, I'm suffering BADLY due to high usage on the UBR.
Maybe these restrictions will allow some of us to surf at a decent speed at last.
I'm not 'for it' by a long chalk, but it's going to happen so might as well see the benefits from it.
I just hope it does the job it's presumably being implemented for, and bearing in mind STM has been hinted at being scrapped altogether further down the line once all the networks have been upgraded, yes?

I wouldnt get too attached to that 9pm-10am routine as there is other trials for downloading/uploading overnight as well, VM aint gonna get let you use the bandwith your paying for.

Manchester isnt suffering high usage as such, the problem lies with old hardware that needs upgrading, dont believe half the crap VM try to spin you.

Originally Posted by TraxData

Manchester isnt suffering high usage as such, the problem lies with old hardware that needs upgrading, dont believe half the crap VM try to spin you.

Yeah, and the planned work keeps being put back!
Surely though, the old hardware can't handle the usage, hence the probs?
Must be so, as it hasn't always been this terrible.

Originally Posted by TraxData

I wouldnt get too attached to that 9pm-10am routine as there is other trials for downloading/uploading overnight as well, VM aint gonna get let you use the bandwith your paying for.

Hmm. No surprise there then.

[PeteTheMusicGuy]

Well when they bring this in they will have plenty of extra bandwith as they wont have any Broadband customers