Which ISP, which tarrif?

Hi - my question is quite specific hence I'm posting after having researched a little online.

I currently use BE Broadband and have been happy with the service. However I have been unhappy with the number of outages caused by dodgy BT lines for which BT have called out engineers, not found faults, tried to charge me, then subsequently admitted there was a fault...

In short I am looking for a home connection without it relying on BT.

- I *never* use a landline
- New home *might* not have a BT line anyway as hasn't been occupied for a long time = rather avoid paying BT to reconnect
- I care about net neutrality issues
- I'd like the option of upgrading to a fibre service without having to wait until my minimum contract has run out
- I don't really like Virgin Media / TalkTalk etc. as they are lowest common denominator and I'm a power user with a technical background; their service annoys me.

Do I have any options given the above?

Or should I just get BT in and use a LLU service for now?

Mat

Power user? You mean you download a lot?

Which exchange? http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange_search

Power user in the sense I prefer to use my own router and configure it, and also I'm impatient with tech support phone lines that are less technical than myself. I know I may have to just lump it, however.

But yes, I also download a lot. Definitely no download data caps.

I know I'll have to compromise on one of my requirements, but it's a question of exactly which one! Advice gratefully received.

ETA: my exchange is Chiswick, London.

Also, previously mentioned dodgy BT lines: this is in London Zone 2 we are talking about!

Edited by deleted (Tue 05-Apr-11 15:49:38)

You'll need a BT line, although it might be cheaper to get the Post Office to install it and you could pay line-rental to another party. It's still a BT line.

The other issues are dependent on your exchange.

O2/Be LLU or Sky LLU.

Probably O2 if you have an O2 phone, Sky if you want Sky TV.

Thanks. Would you definitely advise against using a cable broadband service for now then upgrading to Fibre (i.e. Virgin Media)?

I'm not wild about them but perhaps they have a reasonable upgrade path for new contracts taken out (in terms of upgrade price / installation work) ?

>against using a cable broadband service for now then upgrading to Fibre (i.e. Virgin Media)?

What do you mean? Virgin Media is cable service, they have no fibre upgrade plans, their network has the fibre as close to the customer as it ever will be.

Presume Metro Ethernet fibre solutions at £200 ish a month would be too expensive?

Virgin media is no more a fibre service than normal phone line ADSL. If you can prioritise your usage e.g. speed over quantity, then others in your locality could advise better.

Thanks for the reply.

I was referring to Virgin Media 100Mb, which is not yet available as far as I knew.

I wondered, if I took out a 10Mb package with Virgin Media for now, whether the upgrade would require a new cable installation.

VM 100 or 200 or 300 will all use the same cables, no more fibre involved than there is in the 10 meg product

In reply to a post by john2007:

O2/Be LLU or Sky LLU.

Probably O2 if you have an O2 phone, Sky if you want Sky TV.

In reply to a post by matmat:

...... But yes, I also download a lot. Definitely no download data caps...

That rules out O2 then.

True.

Be is the alternative to Sky now, not O2, but SKy is cheaper.

Locally, a lot of households use Sky TV because of the topography of the area and the resulting poor reception of Freeview. Sky have a pretty extensive LLU coverage here so the broadband is peanuts. This, along with the obvious attraction for the "download the internet" brigade, the Sky network is starting to creak quite loudly.
Although the service is on the whole, still very useable, it seems that Sky's policy for now at least is to sit tight and let users "slug it out". I can't help wondering just how long this "all you can eat" bravado will last. Given that all the profitable exchanges have long been snapped up with the inevitable tail off in "new customer land grab" lockins, a (Probably small) bleed to FTTx and mobile services and a gloomy looking financial future, I think that Sky will soon be following O2 down the belt tightening route.