Big Welcome to Virgin Media Ireland

[Martin_D]

UPC Ireland - the home of Ireland’s best broadband - Is now part of Virgin Media. All UPC Ireland operations, products and services – residential and business – have transform into one of the world’s most recognised and reputable brands, Virgin Media, from today.

In the first of a planned new series of innovations putting customers at the heart of all Virgin Media products and services, Virgin Media said it will introduce mobile to customers in Ireland for the first time with a simple new Unlimited Mobile plan offering infinite data, calls and texts. Celebrating its launch, Virgin Media is also offering three months of unlimited mobile for free exclusively to its 500,000 customers, and for only €25 a month thereafter.

Go Have A Look
www.virginmedia.ie

[ileikcaek]

If only Virgin Media could be so bold in the UK.

In Ireland 240Mb is the only speed package they offer and I've seen it has 24Mb upload including phone with international calls to 22 destinations, all for little more than £33 a month, no line rental needed.

It is a shame that line rental has became such a golden cash cow in the UK. If it continues along its current path of yearly price increases it could be up to £23 a month by 2020! Really VM should get rid of it and bring about some real heated competition in the UK, it's something I'd like to see them do when they inevitably move to VOIP and retire the current phone network.

As it stands, Virgin Media Ireland is Virgin Media in name only (regardless of the executives who run it being the same), they get a way better deal than we probably ever will.

[Kushan]

Interesting. I wonder if LG/VM will be consolidating their support?

Originally Posted by ileikcaek

If only Virgin Media could be so bold in the UK.

In Ireland 240Mb is the only speed package they offer and I've seen it has 24Mb upload including phone with international calls to 22 destinations, all for little more than £33 a month, no line rental needed.

It is a shame that line rental has became such a golden cash cow in the UK. If it continues along its current path of yearly price increases it could be up to £23 a month by 2020! Really VM should get rid of it and bring about some real heated competition in the UK, it's something I'd like to see them do when they inevitably move to VOIP and retire the current phone network.

As it stands, Virgin Media Ireland is Virgin Media in name only (regardless of the executives who run it being the same), they get a way better deal than we probably ever will.

Given enough time, I wouldn't be too surprised if all the liberty Global franchises started to align. Right now, they're a mismash of technologies but with the 3.1 rollout over the next few years, there's scope for standardising the modem, tiers, etc.

[Sephiroth]

Good call on the 3.1 convergence of brand standardisation, Kush.

[Toto]

Standardisation of technology with the DOCSIS 3.1 model is certainly a benefit, however it will be market forces determining what speeds will be available across the EU footprint. As has been said before, there is little value in providing the maximum amount of available bandwidth across the entire footprint - better to roll it out in stages depending on the local country competition.

For example: VM (UK) have now started to roll out an up to 200Mbps service. Should BT suddenly wake up and try and follow in a couple of years time, VM, along with it's roll out of the 3.1 standard could simply raise the bar a little bit higher. Better that than showing its cards too soon.

3.1 could effectively rationalise customer equipment right across the LG footprint, and who knows, we may even move from Tivo to the LG equivalent, Horizon - a far superior box both in build and software as can be seen by what's being offered by VM Ireland.

In the spirit of this thread, yes, welcome Ireland

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Toto

we may even move from Tivo to the LG equivalent, Horizon - a far superior box both in build and software as can be seen by what's being offered by VM Ireland.

Virgin Media aren't moving from TiVo any time soon

http://www.multichannel.com/news/tec...reement/389388

However that isn't saying that the current TiVo hardware won't be changed - the existing box design is around 6 years old now, so it would make sense that Virgin Media are looking at what can be done in that respect.

[Toto]

Point taken BenMcr, although I didn't say when VM could move away from Tivo.

Having seen the Horizon STB up close and personal, and the fact that that the system provides a SDK for app developers, Tivo will have to come up with an extremely competitive and robustly flexible proposition to secure its future. Having said that it's possible that they could also expand across the LG countries - Exciting times for VM and the other countries companies owned by LG.

[spiderplant]

Originally Posted by Toto

Horizon - a far superior box both in build and software

Strange. Over on www.boards.ie they are all hoping for TiVo!

The grass is not always greener. Though to be fair, Irish grass actually is.

[BenMcr]

Originally Posted by Toto

Having seen the Horizon STB up close and personal, and the fact that that the system provides a SDK for app developers, Tivo will have to come up with an extremely competitive and robustly flexible proposition to secure its future.

You mean like an HTML5 SDK http://techcrunch.com/2013/08/29/tiv...-to-tivo-dvrs/

[djfunkdup]

Originally Posted by ileikcaek

It is a shame that line rental has became such a golden cash cow in the UK.

You will find that you can get Broadband from VM without a Phoneline

[Kushan]

Originally Posted by Toto

Standardisation of technology with the DOCSIS 3.1 model is certainly a benefit, however it will be market forces determining what speeds will be available across the EU footprint. As has been said before, there is little value in providing the maximum amount of available bandwidth across the entire footprint - better to roll it out in stages depending on the local country competition.

For example: VM (UK) have now started to roll out an up to 200Mbps service. Should BT suddenly wake up and try and follow in a couple of years time, VM, along with it's roll out of the 3.1 standard could simply raise the bar a little bit higher. Better that than showing its cards too soon.

3.1 could effectively rationalise customer equipment right across the LG footprint, and who knows, we may even move from Tivo to the LG equivalent, Horizon - a far superior box both in build and software as can be seen by what's being offered by VM Ireland.

In the spirit of this thread, yes, welcome Ireland

I don't think it's a case of "showing their cards too soon", the technology roadmap on both sides is fairly well known at this point. We know how far away G.fast can potentially be and we know roughly what the 3.1 rollout is going to look like, any technologies beyond those are at least 5+ years away and applies beyond just the UK.

However, it makes a lot of sense for LG to standardise more than just the equipment they use, but things like deployment configurations and that kind of deal as it makes support and maintenance much simpler (and thus cheaper).

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by djfunkdup

You will find that you can get Broadband from VM without a Phoneline

Indeed, though over the course of an 18 month contract it actually costs more than taking it with a phone line due to the lack of introductory offers and similarity in the pricing.

[djfunkdup]

Yip Mr Ignitionnet that is correct.. When i changed my package a few weeks ago i was offered the phone line and i think it made my BB £1.75 a mnth cheaper.But i was adamant that i was coming off the phone with BB only lol

But i was just kinda pointing out to Mr Ileikcaek that you don't need to play the 'golden cash cow' game if you can get VM.Unlike getting your services delivered via copper then you kind of need to. you have no choice.


Actually can i ask a question ..

Is it technology that dictates that you need to take voice if you want broadband if you are getting services via copper ?

or is it profit that dictates it ?

does the broadband model not work if it is not subsidised by the income from voice rental ?

[Ignitionnet]

Originally Posted by djfunkdup

or is it profit that dictates it ?

does the broadband model not work if it is not subsidised by the income from voice rental ?

This.

[djfunkdup]

i am trying hard to think of an example of a utility company forcing a customer to take a product they don't need or require so it subsidises the one they actually want lol does that happen in any other business model never mind utilities ?