Will My Internet Speed Increase If I Change From Bt?

[peachybabe]

I have been without broadband for nearly a week now. I contacted BT to inform them that my download speed had dropped off to 0.01mbs!!!

They arranged a callback for 6-8pm Monday, but didn't call back until 8.40 when I texted them.

A really arrogant man called me, (he kept telling me to "stop and listen to me" when I was trying to correct him on my set up), he couldn't put things right, and told me BT would call me tonight again between 6-8pm.

Yet again I have texted them, and they have fobbed me off with a text answer asking me for a convenient time to call me as the offices are now shut!

I had to take time off work this afternoon to do everything I was going to do this evening, just to accommodate BT!

I've just done another speed test, and the results are better. Hence me coming on to Answerbank for advice. (Speed is now Download 1.48mbs, and upload 0.36mbs).

I'm fuming!!

I have been thinking about changing providers, but my concern is this.

Even another provider must use the BT line, so would I be any better off?

Please someone, give me some good news!!

[bhg481]

If you don't want a BT landline you'll have to go to Virgin. All lines, other than Virgin, belong to BT Outreach, no matter who your internet service provider is.

[chrissa1]

http://www.theanswerbank.co.uk/Technology/Question1407707.html

I had this problem a couple of weeks ago. I rang their helpline and a very nice, polite young man from India identified a problem on my line and arranged for an Openreach chap to come in two days.

I've now got BT Infinity and my speed has gone from 4 things to 21 thingys.

I couldn't be happier.

He did and solved the problem. There Was a glitch on the line.

[Buenchico]

The line is actually maintained by OpenReach which, although wholly owned by BT, is obliged by law to operate as a separate company. So your ISP has to get OpenReach to investigate the problem. Some ISPs seem willing to put more pressure on OpenReach than others, probably because it costs them more get their emergency repair service than their regular one. (That applies just as much to BT as to other ISPs). If you use an ISP that mainly serves business customers (such as Claranet) you'll probably get much better service than if you use one which mainly serves home users; the downside is that it will almost certainly cost you more.

You also need to consider the different 'contention ratios' used by different ISPs. You effectively share your connection to the internet with other people in your area; the more people you share with, the slower your speed. Budget ISPs generally use a contention ratio of 50:1 (meaning that 50 people share a connection at the exchange). Business ISPs are more likely to offer 12:1 or better.

The availability of 'ADSL 2+' also needs to be considered (if a fibre optic connection isn't available at your location). ADSL 2+ effectively gives you two lines connected together, thus doubling your connection speeds. As I understand it, BT home users can't get ADSL 2+ because that 'second line' capacity is taken up by 'public' signal (BT WiFi + Fon) that BT Home Hubs generate.

To complicate matters further, non-BT operator must be allowed to install their own equipment into BT telephone exchanges (using LLU = 'local loop unbundling') but physical constraints mean that only a few operators can access each exchange. So finding out which ISPs have got LLU access to your local exchange might help you find a better service.

As a guide, the more you pay, the better service you're likely to get. Most people in my street uses regular domestic ISPs, getting around 5Mbps if they're using a service with a reasonable contention ratio but with some people (using budget services with poor contention ratios) reporting speeds dropping to around 2Mbps at peak times. I use Claranet (which provides internet services to big businesses) and get ADSL 2+, giving me 10 Mbps at all times. However it costs me around £18 per month (just for internet access, with no 'add-ons' such as telephone or TV services).

You can find out what's available at your local exchange here:
https://www.samknows.com/broadband/broadband_checker

[peachybabe]

Many thanks to all!!

I'm changing to a provider with UK call centres!

[sherrardk]

We're with Sky and (so far) they've been brilliant.

[chrissa1]

Why, peachybabe? My operator was lovely and very helpful.

[peachybabe]

Chrissa1. I have had problems with my broadband for the last 3yrs, and I've never really got a satisfactory solution from BT. They up my download speed for a couple of weeks, then things start to go wrong again. The attitude of the "customer service" man this time was the very last straw. He was so rude. The set up I have is slightly complicated, and he was getting things very wrong. As I tried to correct him, he just kept saying "stop and listen to me".in the end, I just let him carry on, and when he finally stopped and asked me "Is that correct?" He seemed surprised when I said no! I will be complaining to BT about him, and the service in general over the last few years, but I very much doubt that they will even bother to read it.

[mikey4444]

Buenchico has given you a very full answer here. But do you have BT Infinity
( ie Fibre to the Cabinet ) at the moment ? Because if that is not available in your location, then changing to another ISP might not make much difference.

Also, to get a cable connection from Virgin, you will need to be able to have a cable installed, and most people in Britain can't especially if you like in a rural location. This may be obvious of course, but I thought I would mention it anyway.

Plusnet have a good reputation I understand

[gl556tr]

**COMMENT** I wholeheartedly agree with the generally negative picture that BT portrays. Until last year, their Internet pages were not thoroughly tested. This was manifested in, for example, clicking for another BT link resulted in the whole new page appearing -- as expected -- BUT all text was cut off by a four-cm blank column on the right. This was no exception, I hasten to add. So much so, that I sent screen-shots to BT. But, typical of BT, I never even had an acknowledgement, let alone an explanatory answer. Another BT aspect of typical customer-unfriendliness concerned their phone hot-line. So many of these Indians on BT's Help-desks have such accents, it really is a struggle to understand anything they say; even eliciting their names is a major exercise. When I pushed for some person who could speak better English, I eventually had an English fellow come on the line. What a blessed relief that was: he was technically fit, so all my queries were soon satisfactorily solved. Another weakness BT had was on general Internet security, in particular they had no stipulation on enforcing a customer having a robust=secure email password. Last year, things finally improved - both on their Internet presentation and on insisting that customers have robust passwords.