Rant: My ISP's own fibre cabinet is being decommissioned

So, I need advice. My ISP (Glide) contacted me to say as my local council is developing new houses, their own fibre cabinet is being decommissioned because it's situated where the building will take place.

A bit of background. I waited years for decent internet, and in 2018 I learned fibre was coming to my area for 2019....... Now I'm gutted that this is being taken away from me, limiting what I do with my connection. I was unable to get fibre from OpenReach as my cabinet only serves a handful of premises - OpenReach, the tight-fisted wads, will not install a fibre cabinet. Fast-forward to 2018, I found that Glide (aka WarwickNet) were installing their own fibre cabinets where OpenReach won't and my road was one of those. I went live with them in November 2019, had 2 years of trouble-free 80/20, but now it is being taken away, and I need to go back to [censored] ADSL.

I am disabled and use the internet for everything. I also DJ. During these tough years, I started to stream every few days on Reddit to help with my anxiety. This news has made it worse.

In essence, unless I can get a decent connection from alternative ways offered by my ISP, who say UP TO 80/20, I will have to go back to ADSL speeds - ~8Mbit/0.65Mbit - yes, those were my speeds when I had ADSL, no joke...... If I do, I won't be able to stream, etc.

I'm not sure what to do - it's like giving away a Porsche and getting a Skoda in return...... I'm now depressed and heartbroken.. How can a council tell someone to decommission their equipment just willy-nilly affecting people's lives?!

Have you put in a formal objection to the plans? If not, DO IT NOW.


If they tell you it is too late, get onto your local councillors and ask them why you were not informed as you are an affected resident.

+1 as MHC says. You should suggest that developer pays to have the Glide cabinet relocated as a condition of any approvals or as a community investment fund - or indeed the lobby the local council to get funding to have FTTP installed as they are disadvantaging you as a disabled citizen in lieu of a developer that stands to make a healthy profit from their venture. I’m sure the local newspapers would have a field day.

How do I know who the developer is? I think it's my council. As I have had nothing to say what is being built.

Can't they move it?

It does NOT matter who te developer is, your council should consult with local residents and those affected by it.

Also, any developer would normally be responsible for rerouting and services that te developemnt interferes with. Can yiou imagine the uproar if they said "sorry, we are cutting te water main as it is in the way"

And what service level will be provided to te new properties? People will not be happy it they find they only get slow ADSL.

You should approach the planning department in council. Any development whether private or by council themselves will need to be logged on their publicly accessible planning portal before it gets decided. Typically a max of 8 weeks from lodgement/ verification before a planning decision is made I believe. There will be a public consultation period included within the development consideration period.

I've only got the notice today saying they're giving me 30 days to move away.

What do they mean by "move away"? You move house, or migrate your broadband?

What is mobile reception where you are? Check out this page. I'm now using their current ZTE MF286D 4G+ router (as of last week) and a speedtest.net test just now gave 113/19.6Mbps.

(Sig update needed).

In reply to a post by pluralist:

What do they mean by "move away"? You move house, or migrate your broadband?

Migrate.

I'm not using "mobile" internet if this is what sort of thing I'll get https://imgur.com/KiQ2Pku

I checked the link and got "We're busy expanding our network to connect more homes"

Umm. A bit (very!) poor.

What does the Three site say if you check availability at your address? It's worth checking all options .

Also have a look at EE mobile broadband. More expensive but great coverage.

Also bear in mind Home Mobile broadband is very dependent on position of the router. Many people even install external antennae. Have a browse of the last few months of the thinkbroadband Mobile Broadband forum.

I went for Three on my phone at the end of 2018 as a cost saving measure, just tethering my iPad and laptop to my it. Ditched my AAISP FTTC and BT landline in January 2019 when the idea worked.

Then got the Home Mobile broadband when I installed security cameras, as tethering those to my phone for upload to the cloud was obviously pointless.

This is strange because sub-loop unbundling requires Glide's cabinet to be as close to the Openreach cabinet as all the other FTTC cabinets are, so I can't really see how it's such a huge job to just move it.

Is it possible that Glide have negotiated with the developer to simply walk away from what is by now a pretty much dead technology and charged them less than the cost of actually doing the move to just pull the cabinet out? I'm not sure we'd ever find out unless you fancied going down the FOI request route with your council.

In reply to a post by jpm:

This is strange because sub-loop unbundling requires Glide's cabinet to be as close to the Openreach cabinet as all the other FTTC cabinets are, so I can't really see how it's such a huge job to just move it.

I've found some email addresses of my councillors and MP, I have emailed them all linking this thread (hope that's ok).

I know I sound wimpy, I'm nearly 50, do not go out, and right about now, I could cry!

In reply to a post by jpm:

This is strange because sub-loop unbundling requires Glide's cabinet to be as close to the Openreach cabinet as all the other FTTC cabinets are, so I can't really see how it's such a huge job to just move it.

Is it possible that Glide have negotiated with the developer to simply walk away from what is by now a pretty much dead technology and charged them less than the cost of actually doing the move to just pull the cabinet out? I'm not sure we'd ever find out unless you fancied going down the FOI request route with your council.

I’m at a loss why Glide would not simply move the cabinet. Surely the council (if indeed they are the developer) would not deliberately disenfranchise people like this by virtue of their own development initiatives. Someone’s [censored] needs kicking if they came to a cosy arrangement with Glide.

There must be more to it, but the OP needs to do a bit of digging and challenging. Unfortunately not a lot of time, which is other thing which is strange. They’re effectively totally terminating service with just 30 days notice. Seems wrong.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

Umm. A bit (very!) poor.

O2 on the west side of the country, unfortunately this is very common. ANY other network is worth trying via PAYG SIM, often available in local supermarkets and petrol stations for £1.

sounds a bit odd - it that was a Warwicknet Cab it was done as a sub loop unbundled cab of of the existing pcp (meaning that cab could not be FTTC Enabled- The DSLAM needs to be placed within a Max 100m of the PCOP which is why they are chosing to decommision rather than move as prob no place it can be moved to -- i would be onto your local paper and Glide and your MP as well as that area wont now be covered by anyone else as Glide will have claimed it covere already -- so you are in the worst of all worlds -- Developer should be funding FTTP for that as part of there recovery -- one thingk to check - what the developer is the developer getting FTTP from Openreach or from a another operator such as Virgin , GTC or INFL or someone else

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

I've found some email addresses of my councillors and MP, I have emailed them all linking this thread (hope that's ok).

I know I sound wimpy, I'm nearly 50, do not go out, and right about now, I could cry!

Wimpy, nope. I would be rather upset and annoyed if that happen to me. Which should go down as one of the biggest understatments in history. So no you are not wimpy, your not acting in an entitled way.

I would also get in touch local and the national papers. Local BBC/ITV news and national news at BBC and ITV (ITN) and Channel 4 (ITN).

Do you use the Internet for work?

Moving plant due to building or roadworks is known as 'repayment works' and day to day stuff for telcos.

The telcos are able to pass on their 'reasonable costs' to the developer.

So I would be asking why this is not happening in this case. . .

You need to kick a few backsides ...

The press will have a field day with this ... Are you able to provide a link to te planning application for the developement - I will have a look and see if there is anything in that which will add weight to your case.

Get your local councillor round and tell/show him what is happening too.

What about neighbours? Are they affected too? I would guess they are and if that is te case then work together: one person talks to te council, one calls and annoys teh developers, another speaks to teh national press, &c

In reply to a post by MHC:

You need to kick a few backsides ...

The press will have a field day with this ... Are you able to provide a link to te planning application for the developement - I will have a look and see if there is anything in that which will add weight to your case.
Get your local councillor round and tell/show him what is happening too.
What about neighbours? Are they affected too? I would guess they are and if that is te case then work together: one person talks to te council, one calls and annoys teh developers, another speaks to teh national press,

Here is the area https://imgur.com/rIqHW0R - wasn't aware of any development near me

Not sure about neighbours, I keep myself to myself

My councillor has replied, they'll get back within 14 days 🤦‍♂️

I've approached BBC News, Sky News, and a few papers to see if they're interested.

Edited by PalsyP (Fri 06-Aug-21 11:56:27)

You realy do need to talk to the neighbours - sevaral fighting the same casue together is way better than you all doing te same thing.

As for teh councillor, email them back and tell them that 14 days is unacceptable and you need an earlier response pointing out that by the time that has elapsed you contract will be near termination.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

How do I know who the developer is? I think it's my council. As I have had nothing to say what is being built.

As you seem to be in Warwickshire, you use their planning portal https://planning.warwickshire.gov.uk/swiftlg/apas/ru... Search for a town or address and you should be able to bring up the planning application.
If you are being adversely affected by a planning desision which you had no notice of you might get some help here. https://www.lgo.org.uk/make-a-complaint/fact-sheets/...

In reply to a post by burble:

As you seem to be in Warwickshire

North London..... Wish I was in Warwickshire!

It's not Warwickshire, it's Glide which used to be called Warwicknet.

This is the planning application:
https://planningandbuildingcontrol.enfield.gov.uk/on...

Note that the planning says "relocation and provision of telecommunications equipment". You need to take this up with planning enforcement at the council.

I would accept nothing less at this point than the development funding an Openreach fibre build to all affected properties, it's the only outcome that makes sense.

Also email Mark at ISPreview and he can ask Glide directly what the deal is.

Edit: Are you sure you don't also have access to Virgin Media? The argument that this is going to have a large impact on your ability to work is going to be severely hampered if you're served by VM.

Edited by jpm (Fri 06-Aug-21 13:08:20)

Time to get your MP involved, don't just leave it to the councillors.

As jpm says, this could be a good opportunity to insist on getting FTTP rolled out as part of the re-development, which otherwise sees your essential broadband service being removed and degraded with an inferior service with potentially sub-USO level of service. All through no fault of yours. I'd be going ballistic.

If that is the application then under documents there is a Utilities Ststement - Part 3. Covers BT and Virgin but no mention of Warwick, so the OP and neighbours need to get onto councillors ASAP and get it STOPPED until the developers confirm how they plan to resolve the issue.

Also, the work should have started by mid June this year - three years from approval. If it is only just starting, that needs checking too.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Edit: Are you sure you don't also have access to Virgin Media? The argument that this is going to have a large impact on your ability to work is going to be severely hampered if you're served by VM.

Can't even get VM - trust me, I might be in Enfield (sadly not in the posh area), I might as well be in Shetland.... My area is utter.. * * * * ....

By the way, that link you gave is where I got the email addresses of my councillors. It is good to know I found the right thing.

Going by the OPs timeline the Glide equipment didn't arrive until 2019 so it won't be in the surveys for this planning application. It also implies that Glide were aware the site was being redeveloped when they sited the cabinet.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Going by the OPs timeline the Glide equipment didn't arrive until 2019 so it won't be in the surveys for this planning application. It also implies that Glide were aware the site was being redeveloped when they sited the cabinet.

Or not aware ...

And infrastructure changes all the time and if Glide have used the powers they have to site the cabinet which is likely to be on public land then why do private developers have the ability to demand removal?

It is still wrong and teh developers need to take full responsibility.

In reply to a post by MHC:

It is still wrong and teh developers need to take full responsibility.

Personally I also think Glide need to take some responsibility if below is true.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Glide equipment didn't arrive until 2019 so it won't be in the surveys for this planning application.

In reply to a post by dect:

Personally I also think Glide need to take some responsibility if below is true.

In reply to a post by jpm:

Glide equipment didn't arrive until 2019 so it won't be in the surveys for this planning application.

Surely, Glide had to seek permission to place the cabinet there, so the planning should've been updated to reflect this?

I just read this and laughed

The USO gives everyone living or working in a fixed location the right to request a broadband connection that connects at 10 Mbps or more in the download direction and 1 Mbps or more in the upload direction.

from https://www.thinkbroadband.com/guides/broadband-uso-...

By the way, I contacted Mark at ISPreview, he contacted Glide directly, should get back by Tuesday.

I've loads of people contacting me due to the email I sent to the councillors et al...... Might be too late but all this is not fair, and I'm trying to do something...

Edited by PalsyP (Fri 06-Aug-21 18:18:23)

Generally Telcos don't need planning permission to install cabinets, exceptions such and conservation areas .
The USO doesn't apply to glide. Only BT and KCOM are bound d by the USO.
I would guess take up has been low and they don't want the bother or relocating.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

By the way, I contacted Mark at ISPreview, he contacted Glide directly, should get back by Tuesday.

I've loads of people contacting me due to the email I sent to the councillors et al...... Might be too late but all this is not fair, and I'm trying to do something...

👍 Good work. Another good avenue worth following. Glide could do without any negative publicity.

Any joy from your MP?

the cost of relocation tends to have to be covered as part of repayment works process -- interesting you could see the openreach copper cabinet moved which means its would be out of distance to the warwick.net Glide cab which is why they have taken the decision they have -- poor that deicison appears to be ,, interesting to see what permissions warwicknet had to undergo to get that cab done as a Sub loop unbundler, Assume cab not enabled as not commercially viable by Openreach (assume small cab)

This is what I think as well. A quick look shows this area enjoying pretty much blanket Virgin Media coverage excluding one block of flats, so I can't see this Glide cabinet making a return for the company. This is just a convenient way to close the service down and spread the blame around a bit.

Throwing my experience in with Glide as we have them in our Derby office (Pride Park) where there was no OR NGA coverage, they seem to blanket the place with their Glide Ultrafast Cab's, which offer a full FTTP service, rather than the VDSL service seen in this case via SLLU.

Low uptake of VDSL would probably be why Glide haven't put up a fight with any development and it's probs more hassle to relocate than to lose customers. (law of marginal returns)

Is there any chance of the OP getting FTTP via Glide since they have the infrastructure in the area, plus the image of a cab that OP attached is exactly what our office is connected to for a 1GB service.

Edited by Whitehall11 (Fri 06-Aug-21 20:36:04)

In reply to a post by Whitehall11:

s there any chance of the OP getting FTTP via Glide since they have the infrastructure in the area, plus the image of a cab that OP attached is exactly what our office is connected to for a 1GB service.

As I'm residential, they said FTTP is for businesses only... Besides I'm paying £60/m for 80/20 - lucky I get the full 80/20 - dread to know what FTTP would cost.

I just find it ironic they chose to pay for the cabinet to be installed (for such a small BT cabinet I may add), keep it running for 2 years, then after knowing building works were going on (prior to 2018) they decided to just to abandon it wrecking peoples lives.

You can see both cabinets here https://imgur.com/Uvxt8nK - so close together but in hindsight, in the wrong place!

Edited by PalsyP (Fri 06-Aug-21 23:21:06)

£60/month will comfortably get you an unlimited 4G option. Vodafone offer 5G to that area as well.

Edited by jpm (Fri 06-Aug-21 23:29:48)

In reply to a post by jpm:

£60/month will comfortably get you an unlimited 4G option

Will it be reliable though...I use my connection for everything, even to use the phone (via NGT Relay), imagine it going down during a 999 call.......

Like I suggested, check all the major networks for $g(+) and 5G coverage. If getting to a paper shop is a problem (most of them sell all the SIMs at 99p then you add a small amount of connection yourself). See how they work particularly from upstairs front back and sides.

It is worth serious consideration if Vodafone is decent 5G and O2 simply rubbish. I still have good Three 4g+, and this evening discovered the Sainsbury's about a mile away that I had walked to where a weird mast was installed next to the carpark a few weeks ago was showing 5G on my phone. It had either just gone live or I had never thought to check.

tbb speed test 664/70, speedtest.net 789/81. Wow! I also got a system message earlier in the week saying they were working near my postcode for a week or so. Here's hoping! Only, I don't need 5G, but as it won't cost me more ....!

The Home Broadband 5G does cost more, but tethering to a phone that doesn't would work well for people that do, without costing extra.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

I still have good Three 4g+, and this evening discovered the Sainsbury's about a mile away that I had walked to where a weird mast was installed next to the carpark a few weeks ago was showing 5G on my phone. It had either just gone live or I had never thought to check.

Probably just gone live. Three is "scatter gun" these new poles around the UK, giving random pools of coverage. If you are in the coverage area speeds are pretty good. There is one outside our Morrisons and speeds of 300 - 400 Mbps are common, but it only covers the shop and about 30% of the housing estate. The other networks deployments are slower but more consistent.

Vodafone’s 5G GigaCube offers gigabit-class speeds and unlimited data for £60 per month to a specified address using their router. It’s like a broadband router but the WAN connection is 5G instead of copper or fibre.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/

Assuming you have coverage, that should be a significant improvement to your current 80/20 for approximately the same monthly cost.

If want to know what mobile signal is like this good site to use

https://www.cellmapper.net

In reply to a post by amiga_dude:

If want to know what mobile signal is like this good site to use

Not great for 5G today as the UK deployment is using "Non Standalone" architecture which means the Cellmapper software (free for Android) can't reliably pick up the signals.

It is very good for 4G and earlier, assuming people in the area have run Cellmapper

In reply to a post by pluralist:

The Home Broadband 5G does cost more, but tethering to a phone that doesn't would work well for people that do, without costing extra.

I don't really have 5G coverage, EE states it is 'rolling it out',...... but....... I have an iPhone 11. So I'd need a third-party 5G device.....

I don't understand this 99p thing, surely I'd need a contract SIM to use tethering?

Edited by PalsyP (Sat 07-Aug-21 09:30:40)

In reply to a post by DougM:

Vodafone’s 5G GigaCube offers gigabit-class speeds and unlimited data for £60 per month to a specified address using their router. It’s like a broadband router but the WAN connection is 5G instead of copper or fibre.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/gigacube/

Assuming you have coverage, that should be a significant improvement to your current 80/20 for approximately the same monthly cost.

Looks like the OP is in a strong VF 5G coverage area, so barring any local reception issues (like being in a basement floor flat) that could be a viable solution. I had an 18 month contract with a GigaCube and on the whole it was very good.

I still think Glide and the developer/council need to come to the party here.

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

Looks like the OP is in a strong VF 5G coverage area,

5g.co.uk states VF has no 5G near me, but VF directly does 🤷‍♂️
The site isn't constantly updated I assume.

It's these contracts that deter me - I understand there are cut off points - but meh

This Gigacube is £325 upfront with no contract? LoL 😲

Unfortunately that is the price of the equipment. VF spread the cost over a 24 month contract (was 18 months when I had mine) if you were to pay £50 up front. I guess the silver lining is that the router is yours at the end of agreement. I sold mine on eBay after my contract was done for almost £250 so it wasn’t all for nought.

There is a 14 day cancellation policy with Vodafone. So you can cancel within 14 days of getting the device and if the service isn’t what you expected, cancel and send it back.

https://www.vodafone.co.uk/terms-and-conditions/cons...

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

5g.co.uk states VF has no 5G near me, but VF directly does 🤷‍♂️

The site "5g.co.uk" is a shop pretending to be an authority. Ignore it!

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

I just find it ironic they chose to pay for the cabinet to be installed (for such a small BT cabinet I may add), keep it running for 2 years, then after knowing building works were going on (prior to 2018) they decided to just to abandon it wrecking peoples lives.

You can see both cabinets here https://imgur.com/Uvxt8nK - so close together but in hindsight, in the wrong place!

From your first post:

"OpenReach, the tight-fisted wads, will not install a fibre cabinet."

Now you know why. They weren't being 'tight-fisted wads', they were making a sensible business decision.

You could try contacting BT in the hope that the situation has changed over the last three years but if Glide are happy to run away from it I suspect they still won't be interested.

Edited by Andrue (Sat 07-Aug-21 10:54:02)

In reply to a post by Andrue:

Now you know why. They weren't being 'tight-fisted wads', they were making a sensible business decision.

You could say the same about Glide - they made a bad decision though..

Still a díck move though.......... Imagine if I was a business relying on a decent connection.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

In reply to a post by Andrue:

Now you know why. They weren't being 'tight-fisted wads', they were making a sensible business decision.

You could say the same about Glide - they made a bad decision though..

Still a díck move though.......... Imagine if I was a business relying on a decent connection.

Yup. I'm not sure which is worse - being too cautious to take a punt or taking a punt then just walking away at the first excuse when things don't pan out.

I'm prepared to stick my neck out further though and suggest that BT would not have done what Glide have. I stand to be corrected but I can't see BT just giving up and walking away once they'd committed to a service. Failing to provide the service as originally promised is another matter though

Edited by Andrue (Sat 07-Aug-21 16:03:45)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

In reply to a post by amiga_dude:

If want to know what mobile signal is like this good site to use

Not great for 5G today as the UK deployment is using "Non Standalone" architecture which means the Cellmapper software (free for Android) can't reliably pick up the signals.

It is very good for 4G and earlier, assuming people in the area have run Cellmapper

It's also using a very odd GEO location DB. It seems to think I care about the area around Moffatt. That's only about 300 miles away from me and a different country

In reply to a post by Andrue:

It's also using a very odd GEO location DB. It seems to think I care about the area around Moffatt. That's only about 300 miles away from me and a different country

I don't think the volunteers would be paying for a Geo location DB licence, if you're just clicking on cellmapper.net then you'll get somewhere random, I find myself in the middle of the sea hundreds of miles off the cost of Africa.

Bookmark a useful URL that takes you somewhere interesting.

Edited by jchamier (Sat 07-Aug-21 17:56:18)

In order to confirm the actual coverage you have, you get 4 pay as you go SIMs for free (or £1 at the most) from the 4 suppliers (Voda, 3, O2 & EE) and try each in your phone to confirm which gives you the best connection.

You are only using these SIMs to test the connection, not for anything else.

(Obviously, you don't need one from the network you are currently on)

In reply to a post by timandhaylea:

In order to confirm the actual coverage you have, you get 4 pay as you go SIMs for free (or £1 at the most) from the 4 suppliers (Voda, 3, O2 & EE) and try each in your phone to confirm which gives you the best connection.

You are only using these SIMs to test the connection, not for anything else.

(Obviously, you don't need one from the network you are currently on)

OP has an iPhone 11, so would be limited to LTE/4G coverage checks - wouldn’t be able to test 5G coverage / results in this way unless they borrowed another handset which was 5G capable.

Looks like Vodafone and Three 5G coverage is OK based on their coverage maps. EE 5G coverage might be a bit spotty. O2 have no 5G cover and the OPs O2 speed tests on 4G was poor.

Edit: Both VF and Three also have 14 day return policies on their mobile broadband contracts. Might be worth investigating as a plan B / Plan A

Edited by Pheasant (Sun 08-Aug-21 09:54:01)

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

OP has an iPhone 11, so would be limited to LTE/4G coverage checks - wouldn’t be able to test 5G coverage / results in this way unless they borrowed another handset which was 5G capable.

And PAYG SIMs don't offer 5G except for Three.

You can reduce this further if iphones allows manual provider selection, android phones allow that

also you won't be able to test the speed without puting 5 to 10 pounds on the sim

Ok, say I am going to lose this 80/20 and be forced back to ADSL - despite me having 4G coverage (whether it's reliable or dog poo), will I be entitled to this universal service obligation (USO)? Or will BT/OR just bung me a 4G router thing?

I know for a fact that me getting a 10/1 connection on DSL is impossible.

(Honestly, I rather not head to a mobile style connection)

You are deemed covered by the USO if you can get 10Mb/s from 4G.

Apologies in advance if this comes across a bit blunt, but the situation is currently that your ISP is withdrawing service in less than 30 days from now. While you're making attempts to get clarification on why this is happening and whether the decision can be reversed I think the chances of that happening is minimal (making assumptions on how many customers are actually served by that Glide cabinet).

You know that your only fixed line alternative is ADSL which is not suitable for your requirements, and we can pretty much guarantee that no other fixed line option is going to come along before your Glide service ceases.

So as much as you might not like 5G/4G options, people's advice in this thread to at least try them out is honestly your only option here. We can talk about how unfortunate it is that your broadband connection is going away if we want, but it doesn't actually help you, and meanwhile the clock is running down.

Edited by jpm (Sun 08-Aug-21 11:53:55)

In reply to a post by jpm:

]So as much as you might not like 5G/4G options, people's advice in this thread to at least try them out is honestly your only option here. We can talk about how unfortunate it is that your broadband connection is going away if we want, but it doesn't actually help you, and meanwhile the clock is running down.

I appreciate that. I have never used a 4G connection at all, so excuse me if I'm a bit hesitant...... My O2 4G is poor so I can only go by that. Sure, there are others that could be better, however, I do not have the money to try every avenue with every provider, to get stuck into a contract with one for 2 years, just to find for a few months later get a downgrade in service....... I know nothing is 100% reliable

Do I go back to DSL? Do I bite the bullet and cease my landline and go with a 4G/5G provider hoping my walls aren't made of lead? 🤷‍♂️ To be honest, even my wifi is pants unless you're in the same room

Edited by PalsyP (Sun 08-Aug-21 12:30:17)

In reply to a post by Taras:

You can reduce this further if iphones allows manual provider selection, android phones allow that

Yes, all mobile phones allow this, even back to the old basic feature phones from Nokia, Motorola, LG etc. This was a requirement for roaming back in the 90s and early 2000s.

And yes you need to top up to test speeds, but you can see signal levels without topping up. No point paying money if you get "no service" in the room you use as an office at home for example.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

My O2 4G is poor so I can only go by that. Sure, there are others that could be better, however, I do not have the money to try every avenue with every provider, to get stuck into a contract with one for 2 years, just to find for a few months later get a downgrade in service....... I know nothing is 100% reliable

You should be aware that O2 is classed as the lowest in most of the independent national surveys sadly.

There are only 4 physical networks in the UK and you already have O2, so the suggestion was to get PAYG SIMs for the other three, and see if you get signal. If you get signal, you can choose to add some money (typically £10) and test speeds.

That limits the cost of experimenting or buying any hardware.

Your iPhone will tell you if it locked or unlocked in settings (assuming iOS 14).

Edited by jchamier (Sun 08-Aug-21 12:32:27)

In reply to a post by jchamier:

That limits the cost of experimenting or buying any hardware.

Both Three and Vodafone appear to have have the strongest 5G coverage around the OP's postcode in Enfield. O2 have no 5G cover at all according to their checker and EE's checker shows a 5G dead spot precisely where that Glide cabinet is located.

Both Three and Vodafone provide what I would say is a relatively risk free, 14 day returns policy on their mobile broadband service. So the OP could try one or both and return them within the period if they turn out to be dud.

My own experience with Vodafone's 5G GigaCube in North London was very positive on the whole. I would think it would more than adequately replace the Glide VDSL based service, perhaps with the penalty of some latency (ping time) performance, but otherwise v.good. The downside is Vodaofone's offering is relatively expensive (albeit the same cost as the OP is paying Glide) and if wanting a low cost of entry, ties you into a 24 month contract. There is no 12 month alternative.

I have no experience at all of Three, however there are some very good reports of their 5G service, and they are cheaper by around £30 per month than Vodafone, with less up front cost and also offer a 12 month contract term.

These would be my go to Plan B's if I was in the OP's unfortunate position.

Edited by Pheasant (Sun 08-Aug-21 13:24:27)

I have my old Three router sitting here. I don't recommend it really as it is much slower than my new one. See my sig now. But I could post you the SIM which has unlimited data until 8 or 9 September then it expires.

Only any use if your phone is not locked to O2 of course. Dual SIM would be useful as well of course if it has that.

Also, are you still in a minimum term contract with O2? That is perhaps the least of your worries in this regard.

I wonder if his phone is 5G capable?

Of course, the option of Home "mobile broadband" is another option, though the Three one of those is more expensive. Maybe with a TV included though. I expect my TV to arrive in a couple of weeks or so.

Phone SIMs from Three are all 5G-ready all at the low price. Mine clocked 789/81.4 outside Sainsbury's on Friday! Only 10 metres from the mast though LOL.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

I wonder if his phone is 5G capable?

It isn't unfortunately.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

I don't really have 5G coverage, EE states it is 'rolling it out',...... but....... I have an iPhone 11. So I'd need a third-party 5G device.....

I found an EE SIMM I forgot I had it...... Will top it up and get back.



News alert: I've just checked their coverage checker ( https://glidegroup.co.uk/fibre-leased-lines-voip/fttc ) and saw an LNPON-ALMA-1 as "under construction" next to my cab...... I've replied to them asking what is this and if this is still happening or now defunct? Be ironic if it's going ahead.

Edited by PalsyP (Sun 08-Aug-21 13:58:17)

In reply to a post by pluralist:

Phone SIMs from Three are all 5G-ready all at the low price. Mine clocked 789/81.4 outside Sainsbury's on Friday! Only 10 metres from the mast though LOL.

That Three mast will be using their 100 MHz capacity, where they have more spectrum than the competitors. Three's Ericsson Gigabit Poles of Wonder and a map of all thousands of new sites

At the end of this page,3.5 GHz, see the large 100 MHz box owned by Three. Strangely many new Three masts are not configured with the full capacity. My nearest "random new mast" is about 1.5 miles away, and I've seen 400 Mbps on a Three PAYG SIM, and it is using only 40 MHz of capacity.

At home I am covered by a macro cell which gives at best 38 Mbps on 4G for Three, or between 180 Mbps and 250 Mbps on EE. Vodafone 4G signal strength is low but manages 30 Mbps, and O2 is pathetic at 4 Mbps. No 5G other than that one Three mast. Another 12 months I'm guessing for much increase in coverage outside of major cities.

Edited by jchamier (Sun 08-Aug-21 14:17:30)

If it’s that old, will it do 4g ?
Not sure if they are forward compatible ?

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

I found an EE SIMM I forgot I had it...... Will top it up and get back.

Forget that.... Even though it has a signal, I can't call it or top-up/add data.. GG.

Yes, the Sainsbury's one is one of those. And ...!!

On that superb map once I filtered it down to just Stockport and zoomed in I found the Sainsbury's (green blob) one with Status 2, and another green blob with status 1.5 but the listing of 2 approved only shows the Sainsbury's as approved on the list of 21 applications. But I can only see the first 5, paging it doesn't seem to work. So can't get the postcode.

I shall go and mooch for any similar street furniture later today. With luck it will be tall enough to reach over houses to me. It might be the works in my area they warned me about a week ago.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

News alert: I've just checked their coverage checker ( https://glidegroup.co.uk/fibre-leased-lines-voip/fttc ) and saw an LNPON-ALMA-1 as "under construction" next to my cab...... I've replied to them asking what is this and if this is still happening or now defunct? Be ironic if it's going ahead.

Yes can see it here. You need to speak with someone from Glide tomorrow who can help you to fully understand what is going on. This may be a red herring or indeed a legit new cab/cab relocation. The initial comms you received from them may turn out to be partially in error if it only referred to the closure of the original cab. Either way hopefully speak to a human about it ASAP.

I’d pursue “Plan B” (mobile broadband options) also, as even if this new cab does eventually exist, you may have a gap in service. Rome wasn’t built in a day.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

News alert: I've just checked their coverage checker ( https://glidegroup.co.uk/fibre-leased-lines-voip/fttc ) and saw an LNPON-ALMA-1 as "under construction" next to my cab...... I've replied to them asking what is this and if this is still happening or now defunct? Be ironic if it's going ahead.

The name implies FTTP.

Cell reference SPT13889 is the non-active one. I don't think it will be any use for me. Maybe half a mile to threequarters, with a ruddy great railway embankment crossing the line of sight.

Planning applications database seems to be down right now .

http://public.londonworks.gov.uk/roadworks/?x=aKqjjX...

Shows that Virgin are removing a cabinet too ...

Well, managed to activate the 4G EE sim... However, the upload is meh.


https://imgur.com/uJZYPQ9

No EE 5G in my area..... So, it'll have to be Vodafone or Three I'd need. But with Three, (ironically?) according to them, my area for 5G is best "outdoor".

Doesn't show anything.... Your session has expired.

Easy enough to then add the street name and to date to be + 2 months.

That's too much like hard work at this time of night.

As for @palsyp's mobile data speeds a lot of people on long ADSL lines would give an arm and a leg to get speeds in that sort of range.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Well, managed to activate the 4G EE sim... However, the upload is meh.

that says tested with iPhone 6s. If you have access to anything newer you may see faster. However that speed is faster than I had with FTTC (45 / 6 at best)

In reply to a post by Realalemadrid:

As for @palsyp's mobile data speeds a lot of people on long ADSL lines would give an arm and a leg to get speeds in that sort of range.

Aye, me.

https://www.speedtest.net/result/11850368898.png

That's FTTC. They've tried to sort it for years, but no getting around the distance I suppose. Got Fibre up the pole now so hopefully won't be too long until we get the real thing, but who knows when it comes to this stuff.

The offer of my Three SIM with unlimited data for a couple of weeks is there ....
You could see how that does.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Well, managed to activate the 4G EE sim... However, the upload is meh.


https://imgur.com/uJZYPQ9

No EE 5G in my area..... So, it'll have to be Vodafone or Three I'd need. But with Three, (ironically?) according to them, my area for 5G is best "outdoor".

I mean, it seems much faster than 8/0.65 which is what you said was your alternative.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Well, managed to activate the 4G EE sim... However, the upload is meh.


https://imgur.com/uJZYPQ9

No EE 5G in my area..... So, it'll have to be Vodafone or Three I'd need. But with Three, (ironically?) according to them, my area for 5G is best "outdoor".

Wow, I'm really surprised/disappointed you turned your nose up at those 4G speed test results. There is always ADSL as an alternative.

comments like OpenReach, the tight-fisted wads, will not install a fibre cabinet. -- interesting view of the world -- so if you wanted something you do do a communty fibre partnertship and co fund the area with the other affected parties

Ok, I'm done with this thread..... It has gone off on a tangent.....

When you have the full 80/20 and out the blue, you get told it's being taken away, I guess no one here would be píssed about that, ok.

People's approach to this thread has been to advise you on alternatives that can be up and running before your current service stops working, and you've been quite resistant to those suggestions. If you wanted three pages of people posting "wow that's bad, Glide are awful!" then while that might have made you feel better it wouldn't have actually helped you.

You've even had an offer from somebody you've never met to post you a Three SIM free of charge to use the last month or so of their contract, but instead you've decided to do one speed test with a six year old handset and declare it all pointless.

What outcome did you want when starting this thread?

Edited by jpm (Mon 09-Aug-21 10:56:29)

Have you actually contacted Glide to try and get more information on what is happening, particularly about the construction notice?

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Ok, I'm done with this thread..... It has gone off on a tangent.....

When you have the full 80/20 and out the blue, you get told it's being taken away, I guess no one here would be píssed about that, ok.

I do have a lot of sympathy for your situation. Its not really fair to be told without prior warning, that your fixed line service will cease within 30 days in this manner. A good deal more notice, at least, would help.

I do think you should get in verbal and written contact with Glide, your council/developer as well as your MP to state your particular dependence on the service. Collectively they should do better than this, especially given your disability and as broadband is quite essential to your day to day and working life. Its also worth understanding what that new cabinet, on their FTTC coverage map, is all about and whether that in fact could be THE replacement.

Secondly I agree with others that you should have a ready 'Plan B' with the ever shortening timescales of your fixed line service cancellation. Even getting an ADSL connection may not be immediate in the current circumstances. So I would urge you too inverstigate some of the mobile broadband services which could deliver what you need for broadband at least in the short term if not long term. At least try exploring that option and if is dud result, then so be it, but worth a shot.

Best of luck.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Ok, I'm done with this thread..... It has gone off on a tangent.....

When you have the full 80/20 and out the blue, you get told it's being taken away, I guess no one here would be píssed about that, ok.

Hopefully this is a call to action, let us know how you get on with Glide and the others and what alternative service you decide to use.

You don't "need" 5G. That would just be a bonus if the signal is good enough.

Someone said your phone is six years old. The problem with that and any SIM is that it will give a very low speed compared to a modern (even quite cheap) phone.

In reply to a post by jpm:

People's approach to this thread has been to advise you on alternatives that can be up and running before your current service stops working, and you've been quite resistant to those suggestions. If you wanted three pages of people posting "wow that's bad, Glide are awful!" then while that might have made you feel better it wouldn't have actually helped you.

You've even had an offer from somebody you've never met to post you a Three SIM free of charge to use the last month or so of their contract, but instead you've decided to do one speed test with a six year old handset and declare it all pointless.

What outcome did you want when starting this thread?

+1

In reply to a post by Pheasant:

I do have a lot of sympathy for your situation. Its not really fair to be told without prior warning, that your fixed line service will cease within 30 days in this manner. A good deal more notice, at least, would help.

Although you typically only have to give them 30 days notice, so it seems fair and balanced really.

In reply to a post by PalsyP:

Ok, I'm done with this thread..... It has gone off on a tangent.....

When you have the full 80/20 and out the blue, you get told it's being taken away, I guess no one here would be píssed about that, ok.

Did you get an update from Glide in the end?