Is SoGEA wholesale price more than standard FTTC connection?

I have just switched to SoGEA so I can ditch the line rental on the voice line I don't use. But have noticed at the same time that IDNET seem to have sneakily added an extra £2.50+vat onto the cost. Previously the broadband part for my 80/20 line was 27.50+vat then there was the £10.50+vat voice line which is charged entirely separately on a different invoice. In switching to SoGEA I have ditched the voice line but the 80/20 broadband cost seems to have been hiked to £30+vat in the process. I am trying to figure out if IDNET have put in a sneaky stealth 10% price hike to line their own pockets from all the people switching to SoGEA, or whether for some reason the wholesale price of SoGEA is higher than the old FTTC was and they are just passing on that cost, in which case it is BT wholesale lining their pockets instead.

While the price is listed when switching, at no point is it made clear that the new price represents a change and large increase on the broadband side, which many people are not going to notice because they are going to assume that they are simply dropping the line rental of the voice line....which is a completely separate invoice, and keeping the existing broadband connection.

I have no idea what prices you were quoted but you still have to pay for the SoGEA line, it is still a telephone line that requires a rental fee to cover maintenance. It just doesn't do phone calls. As far as I am aware line rental for a SoGEA line is much the same as a normal phone line, maybe a pound or two less per month so if you have got it for £2.50 plus Vat you are doing well. I suspect you are still going to get invoiced for the line, the line rental does not get dropped.

In reply to a post by Ewok:

I have just switched to SoGEA so I can ditch the line rental on the voice line I don't use.

You've misunderstood what "line rental" is for unfortunately. Many people think this is for the voice telephone service, but most of it goes to pay for the maintenance of the wires from your home to the cabinet, and then the cabinet and its fibres to the exchange.

So for phone service + line + broadband you were paying 27.50 + 10.50 == £38 + vat
You are now paying for line + broadband and paying 27.50 + 2.50 = £30 + vat

I am amazed you have saved £8 by dropping the phone service. Perhaps you haven't had the full bill in yet?

I would have thought you would only save a max of 2.50 a month.
Are you on a short term offer ?

Edited by jchamier (Wed 24-Mar-21 11:09:30)

The wholesale cost of SOGEA is pennies less than the wholesale cost of VDSL + voice line rental. Or to put it another way, SOGEA is VDSL plus line rental minus voice.

umm, its FTTC not DSL??

In reply to a post by Ewok:

umm, its FTTC not DSL??

FTTC is the name of the service, the technology from the cabinet to your router/modem is VDSL (Very-high-speed Digital Subscriber Line). Not to be confused with the much earlier ADSL from the exchange.

Edited by jchamier (Wed 24-Mar-21 11:11:02)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by Ewok:

I have just switched to SoGEA so I can ditch the line rental on the voice line I don't use. But have noticed at the same time that IDNET seem to have sneakily added an extra £2.50+vat onto the cost. Previously the broadband part for my 80/20 line was 27.50+vat then there was the £10.50+vat voice line which is charged entirely separately on a different invoice. In switching to SoGEA I have ditched the voice line but the 80/20 broadband cost seems to have been hiked to £30+vat in the process. I am trying to figure out if IDNET have put in a sneaky stealth 10% price hike to line their own pockets from all the people switching to SoGEA, or whether for some reason the wholesale price of SoGEA is higher than the old FTTC was and they are just passing on that cost, in which case it is BT wholesale lining their pockets instead.

So for phone service + line + broadband you were paying 27.50 + 10.50 == £38 + vat
You are now paying for line + broadband and paying 27.50 + 2.50 = £30 + vat

That seems extremely cheap, saving £8 for dropping the phone service only is a large saving. Perhaps you haven't had the full bill in yet?

Like the other poster, I would have thought you would only save about 2.50 from the total, perhaps you are on a short term offer and the price is really £35.50 + vat?

You should talk to your ISP, they can explain how pricing is worked out. We are just guessing on the forum.

No that is not how it is broken down. I get 2 invoices. One for "PSTN standard line rental" at 10.50+vat which will now no longer happen due to dropping the PSTN line. And one for "Fibre 80/20" which was 27.50+vat and is now 30+vat. I am not on any offers, it's a simple rolling monthly contract which has been the same for the last 3 years. It is confusing since all I have done is drop the PSTN line rental, which according to my invoices should simply mean one of the invoices is no longer sent and nothing else changes. I am not hugely bothered but the way it is being billed just doesn't make sense. I will ask them if they can clarify.

In reply to a post by Ewok:

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by Ewok:

I have just switched to SoGEA so I can ditch the line rental on the voice line I don't use. But have noticed at the same time that IDNET seem to have sneakily added an extra £2.50+vat onto the cost. Previously the broadband part for my 80/20 line was 27.50+vat then there was the £10.50+vat voice line which is charged entirely separately on a different invoice. In switching to SoGEA I have ditched the voice line but the 80/20 broadband cost seems to have been hiked to £30+vat in the process. I am trying to figure out if IDNET have put in a sneaky stealth 10% price hike to line their own pockets from all the people switching to SoGEA, or whether for some reason the wholesale price of SoGEA is higher than the old FTTC was and they are just passing on that cost, in which case it is BT wholesale lining their pockets instead.

So for phone service + line + broadband you were paying 27.50 + 10.50 == £38 + vat
You are now paying for line + broadband and paying 27.50 + 2.50 = £30 + vat

That seems extremely cheap, saving £8 for dropping the phone service only is a large saving. Perhaps you haven't had the full bill in yet?

Like the other poster, I would have thought you would only save about 2.50 from the total, perhaps you are on a short term offer and the price is really £35.50 + vat?

You should talk to your ISP, they can explain how pricing is worked out. We are just guessing on the forum.

No that is not how it is broken down. I get 2 invoices. One for "PSTN standard line rental" at 10.50+vat which will now no longer happen due to dropping the PSTN line. And one for "Fibre 80/20" which was 27.50+vat and is now 30+vat. I am not on any offers, it's a simple rolling monthly contract which has been the same for the last 3 years. It is confusing since all I have done is drop the PSTN line rental, which according to my invoices should simply mean one of the invoices is no longer sent and nothing else changes. I am not hugely bothered but the way it is being billed just doesn't make sense. I will ask them if they can clarify.

The pair between your house and the cabinet still needs to be paid for, previously this would have been covered in the cost of the voice service that VDSL2 service sat on top of.

Since you have cancelled this that is no longer the case, however IDNET will still need to pay openreach for the use of the copper pair, this is now reflected in your broadband bill.

In reply to a post by Ewok:

No that is not how it is broken down. I get 2 invoices. One for "PSTN standard line rental" at 10.50+vat which will now no longer happen due to dropping the PSTN line.

not quite, you've dropped the voice service, but you still need to rent the wires or the broadband can't work, so this price is not zero. 90% of the cost of the "line rental" still exists, you've just chosen to unplug the voice service at the exchange end, which is being provided because regulation requires, rather than for cost savings.

I am not hugely bothered but the way it is being billed just doesn't make sense. I will ask them if they can clarify.

Yes, talk to them, as you will find other providers no longer have two bills, it is all combined. (Vodafone, and others).

e.g. the competition can provide 80/20 broadband with a voice phone line for £25/month somehow!Plusnet's Unlimited Fibre Extra

In reply to a post by candlerb:

The wholesale cost of SOGEA is pennies less than the wholesale cost of VDSL + voice line rental. Or to put it another way, SOGEA is VDSL plus line rental minus voice.

its £2 difference

Thanks Dan