VM Business Broadband?

Ed2020 · 11-05-2008, 01:41

Hi,

As many of you are I am getting increasing unhappy with VM's broadband package. STM started as an inconvenience & minor annoyance and the new rules are frankly absurd. Phorm is totally unacceptable to me.

I would be happy to pay extra for an equivalent (or, in terms of speed, lesser) service that does not include any of this extra BS they are implementing. Having just looked at their business broadband site it seems they already do.

£40 a month for 10Mb seems reasonable as I can see no mention anywhere of Phorm, traffic management, etc. Unfortunately I also could not find any answers to a number of other questions I have and I'm hoping somebody here could answer them for me!

1. What is the contention on the business broadband connections? I believe the 20Mb home connection is 20:1?

2. Is it really STM and Phorm free? Or is this buried in the site's small print somewhere?

3. It doesn't say I can't sign up as a home user, is there any reason why I can't?

4. Would it require anything in the way of a new modem, work on the line, etc; or could I just contact them and switch over the phone?

I realise I could probably get answers to all these questions by simply phoning them, but frankly I have more trust in answers I get here than from some of the idiots working the phones at VM!

Any help would be much appreciated.

Ed.

*** Apologies - must be going blind. I've just spotted a length thread on this very page that appears to answer most if not all of my questions. Doh!

cybernetic_tiger · 11-05-2008, 02:39

1. What is the contention on the business broadband connections? I believe the 20Mb home connection is 20:1?

12:1

2. Is it really STM and Phorm free? Or is this buried in the site's small print somewhere?

STM is being trialled but as yet has not been implemented, Phorm has not been implemented in either Res or Business.

3. It doesn't say I can't sign up as a home user, is there any reason why I can't?

No reason whatsoever

4. Would it require anything in the way of a new modem, work on the line, etc; or could I just contact them and switch over the phone?

If you do an engineer will visit to install the new modem.

Best benefit of a business connection is the support structure (it's in the UK). Also if an engineer is required to visit when you have a fault it is often same day or the day after.

HTH

TraxData · 11-05-2008, 02:55

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybernetic_tiger

2. Is it really STM and Phorm free? Or is this buried in the site's small print somewhere?

STM is being trialled but as yet has not been implemented, Phorm has not been implemented in either Res or Business.

Wrong.

The 20mbit config which has been rolled out has STM from 4-9pm

cybernetic_tiger · 11-05-2008, 04:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by TraxData

Wrong.

The 20mbit config which has been rolled out has STM from 4-9pm

...And we are not officially selling Business 20Mb yet so it's a trial

http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk...broadband.aspx

TraxData · 11-05-2008, 04:08

Quote:

Originally Posted by cybernetic_tiger

...And we are not officially selling Business 20Mb yet so it's a trial

http://www.ntltelewestbusiness.co.uk...broadband.aspx

It's not a trial, the trial finished just over a week ago.

Business STM also hits the 10mbit package within the next month or so.

broadbandbug · 11-05-2008, 07:25

Business Broadband uses the same Downstream & Upstream Ports as Consumer therefore the contention ratio is exactly the same as Consumer (so between 20 & 40:1 dependant upon where you are in the country).

As Trax has said STM is coming to Business Broadband but with vastly different Upload and Download Volume Thresholds.

The active window for business is different to that of consumer

**Kymmy** · 11-05-2008, 09:15

Not forgetting the extra costs for the new install (anything from £50 to £160)

BBB, do you have the details of the STM times/limits for business BB??

Kymmy

deed02392 · 11-05-2008, 11:17

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandbug

Business Broadband uses the same Downstream & Upstream Ports as Consumer therefore the contention ratio is exactly the same as Consumer (so between 20 & 40:1 dependant upon where you are in the country).

I thought QoS prioritising business user traffic meant they got a lower contention ratio?

frogstamper · 11-05-2008, 11:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandbug

Business Broadband uses the same Downstream & Upstream Ports as Consumer therefore the contention ratio is exactly the same as Consumer (so between 20 & 40:1 dependant upon where you are in the country).

As Trax has said STM is coming to Business Broadband but with vastly different Upload and Download Volume Thresholds.

The active window for business is different to that of consumer

I must be very lucky then, I had an engineer out yesterday for a tv problem and when he got back from the green box I asked him how many households were connected to it, apparently there are are only 8 of us.

TraxData · 11-05-2008, 14:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandbug

Business Broadband uses the same Downstream & Upstream Ports as Consumer therefore the contention ratio is exactly the same as Consumer (so between 20 & 40:1 dependant upon where you are in the country).

As Trax has said STM is coming to Business Broadband but with vastly different Upload and Download Volume Thresholds.

The active window for business is different to that of consumer

Last night, purposely starting a download during the STM hours (not my house, 20mbit business BB) it got to 15GB before STM kicked in.

No idea about upload limits as they havent decided on it yet.

One thing i should note though is the fact they have changed the package from 20/1.5 down to 20/1.

I still think using STM on business packages is suicide for VM, i feel that they are turning into another tiscali.

Ed2020 · 11-05-2008, 15:25

Hmmm... it seems the benefits are not as great as I thought. The STM rules seem a lot more sensible than on the home package, but I'd still rather not have it at all and I simply don't trust that VM won't move the goalposts further down the line anyway.

What's frustrating me the most is I would pay 50% more than I do now for exactly the same connection without STM and with a guarantee of no Phorm hardware anywhere near my data. I know for a fact that that increase would cover any loss of revenue from Phorm as I will *never* buy a single thing from any company pushing adverts through the Phorm system.

Cable broadband needs to go the same way as BT - we need competition!

Ed.

snazzy · 11-05-2008, 17:19

"Cable broadband needs to go the same way as BT - we need competition!"

You'll never see anyone else using the cable network apart from who ever owns it at the time. That's just my opinion, but I really can't see it happen.

Druchii · 11-05-2008, 17:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by snazzy

"Cable broadband needs to go the same way as BT - we need competition!"

You'll never see anyone else using the cable network apart from who ever owns it at the time. That's just my opinion, but I really can't see it happen.

AOL already use VM's cable network in places.

whydoIneedatech · 11-05-2008, 18:30

Quote:

Originally Posted by Druchii

AOL already use VM's cable network in places.

That contract has finished, AOL customers were given the choice of transferring to Virgin or staying with AOL, the majority transferred.

**Kymmy** · 11-05-2008, 19:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by TraxData

One thing i should note though is the fact they have changed the package from 20/1.5 down to 20/1.
.

Can't remember if it was you or someone else but it was quoted as 20/1 for ex-telewest and 20/1.5 for ex-ntl.... I take it it's 20/1 now for everyone??

In the end I got the business package for running a few websites and mail server so needed the 700 upload and the multiple fixed IP's, on the old 4mb I did all my downloading overnight or in the morning so STM was never a problem and in the space of 4 months I think I only tripped it once and that was by accident. So 20/1 is a welcome bonus for me as will be any changes to the IP system if it ever happens..

Kymmy