Virgin's 50Mb broadband arriving December 15? - Page 21

*DaRk FiBrE* · 15-12-2008, 15:34

First post (so hello)

To introduce myself, I work for Virgin (well, NTL Telewest Business), but part of the Virgin Umbrella.

As announced today, 50Mb is not being trialled across specific parts of the Uk, with full release by Summer 2009.

The launch represents a real step forward for broadband access in the UK and the coming of age of our unique fibre optic cable network, giving customers the fastest broadband service in the UK.

The launch comes as a result of massive investment in our network which has more than doubled the capacity created in the original build.

The increased capacity will in turn result in significant improvements to the service received by all of our broadband customers and even creates the potential for speeds of up to 200Mb in the future, which is very exciting news.

This month we'll be launching in areas of Scotland, the Midlands and South London and by the end of January we are expecting to have rolled out the service to around 50% of our network. The remainder of the roll-out to our 12.6 million homes will be complete during the Summer of 2009.

A huge thanks must go to everyone who's played their part in shaping the future of broadband in the UK by making 50Mb possible.

Fatec · 15-12-2008, 15:35

Too bad it's going to have traffic management by the time it's rolled out.

Another half-assed attempt by VirginMedia i'm afraid.

Poor upload speed at launch, STM arriving soon.

No Thanks.

And as for massive investment, that's a joke within itself, barely enough has been spent to upgrade the network, less than a quarter of what comcast has spent in the US.

And they are offering 50mbit Download With 10Mbit upload.

Ripped off again.

**Mick** · 15-12-2008, 15:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatec

http://pressoffice.virginmedia.com/p...740&highlight=

For people who wish to read about the upstream trials and the new STM trials to be run for 50Mbit.

Which is mentioned way down in one paragraph. I've copied it here to save people trawling through to find it...

Quote:

Originally Posted by Virgin Media

6 Package: The 50Mb service includes a new EuroDOCSIS3-compatible modem, an unlimited service with no traffic management at launch (acceptable use policy still applies), and a complete wireless kit to make the most of 50Mb speeds (including 802.11n router and 802.11n USB dongle), PCguard Total anti-virus and anti-spyware protection. Virgin Media uses traffic management on its network to ensure the vast majority of customers receive the high quality of service they expect. Virgin Media will be trialling a variety of different approaches to traffic management and upstream speeds, to improve the unique performance of this service.

Fatec · 15-12-2008, 15:37

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mick

Which is mentioned way down in one paragraph. I've copied it here to save people trawling through to find it...

Indeed, but i beat you to it one post back

*DaRk FiBrE* · 15-12-2008, 15:37

True, but still beats ADSL at my house... plus I get it for Â£1.50 a month.

No brainer really...

Fatec · 15-12-2008, 15:38

I have higher upload on my ADSL2, again, no thanks.

And it wont beat ADSL when STM comes into play.

What's the point of a high speed connection if you get capped if you dare to actually use it?

broadbandking · 15-12-2008, 15:40

O right my bad

General Maximus · 15-12-2008, 15:47

I am sorry but i agree with Fatec, VM say they are offering a preium service at a premium price. People are going to pay that preum price expecting a super fast reliable service which they can use whenever they want without any caps. It is like being a billionaire and having your money in one of those Swiss banks and being told you can only withdraw so much on one day of the week. It doesn't happen. They turn up whenever they like and take whatever they want.

If VM have spent all that money upgrading their network and they have planned and anticapted the demand for 50mbit there shouldn't be any need for traffic management because they will have installed all the equipment neccessary to meet the demand.

Magilla · 15-12-2008, 15:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by General Maximus

I am sorry but i agree with Fatec.

Same here, I certainly haven't seen any improvement from this "massive investment", if anything the service is going backwards.

starbeats1 · 15-12-2008, 15:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by General Maximus

I am sorry but i agree with Fatec, VM say they are offering a preium service at a premium price. People are going to pay that preum price expecting a super fast reliable service which they can use whenever they want without any caps. It is like being a billionaire and having your money in one of those Swiss banks and being told you can only withdraw so much on one day of the week. It doesn't happen. They turn up whenever they like and take whatever they want.

If VM have spent all that money upgrading their network and they have planned and anticapted the demand for 50mbit there shouldn't be any need for traffic management because they will have installed all the equipment neccessary to meet the demand.

One of the best post's ive read.

**Stephen** · 15-12-2008, 16:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by General Maximus

I am sorry but i agree with Fatec, VM say they are offering a preium service at a premium price. People are going to pay that preum price expecting a super fast reliable service which they can use whenever they want without any caps. It is like being a billionaire and having your money in one of those Swiss banks and being told you can only withdraw so much on one day of the week. It doesn't happen. They turn up whenever they like and take whatever they want.

If VM have spent all that money upgrading their network and they have planned and anticapted the demand for 50mbit there shouldn't be any need for traffic management because they will have installed all the equipment neccessary to meet the demand.

Traffic management is NOT a cap!! Why do people keep confusing the two??

A cap means you have a set limit each month that you can't go over and if you do then you pay extra if you exceed that or don't use it for the rest of the month.

STM just means that if you exceed the stated amount you will be slowed down for a few hours but will get your full speed back after that.

They are two totally different things.

I just found out that Renfrew will not get 50MB till April 2009

However it is a good sign that Virgin are in it to win it, and within a few years will have 200MB connections available. So clearly they have been investing in the network and improving the network. Yes they will have all that capacity but it still needs to be shared about rather than a few individuals using it at full speed al lthe time.

I for one have only been STM'd once or twice, I usually do my downloading overnight to avoid the risk of that happening. Its not a big deal really. I would certainly rather have STM than an actual cap placed on my service.

Fatec · 15-12-2008, 16:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Stephen

Traffic management is NOT a cap!! Why do people keep confusing the two??

Basic maths, been here before but.

If the speed is restricted (purposely) it then restricts your downstream/throughput thus restricting the amount of data you can download, thus putting a cap on what you can download.

Despite this however, peoples main issue is the caps are so heavily enforced that you cannot actually use the connection to it's potential when they are actually at home or, awake.

broadbandking · 15-12-2008, 16:09

STM is a CAP because you exxceed a limit and your slowed which means you cant download the information as fast as you could because your speed is capped to a certain thus is the the information is capped, all internet providers are capped to the amount due to speed.

---------- Post added at 15:09 ---------- Previous post was at 15:07 ----------

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatec

Basic maths, been here before but.

If the speed is restricted (purposely) it then restricts your downstream/throughput thus restricting the amount of data you can download, thus putting a cap on what you can download.

Despite this however, peoples main issue is the caps are so heavily enforced that you cannot actually use the connection to it's potential when they are actually at home or, awake.

I dont see who people say YOU CANT use your connection because you can just keep within the limits to make sure your not STM'd plus 5Mb is ok speed, as I have said I dont like stm but I have to put up with it as ADSL is crap in my area even on BE

Fatec · 15-12-2008, 16:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by broadbandking

I dont see who people say YOU CANT use your connection because you can just keep within the limits to make sure your not STM'd plus 5Mb is ok speed, as I have said I dont like stm but I have to put up with it as ADSL is crap in my area even on BE

Sure, you can use the connection, but you get capped for 5 hours, that's 5 hours of stupidly poor upload and if others use the connection as well then it all goes to hell and it's worse than dial up speeds.

BarFly · 15-12-2008, 16:11

Quote:

Originally Posted by Fatec

Basic maths, been here before but.

If the speed is restricted (purposely) it then restricts your downstream/throughput thus restricting the amount of data you can download, thus putting a cap on what you can download.

Despite this however, peoples main issue is the caps are so heavily enforced that you cannot actually use the connection to it's potential when they are actually at home or, awake.

based on that reasoning, any speed has a cap until it becomes infinite ??

There will always be a max throughput you can transfer in any given time, therefore it is always capped...