Handback threshold v Minimum Guarantee

Good evening,

On the BT Wholesale website there is something called hand back threshold. For my line this is 21/25 impacted/clean.

My current ISP has reduced my minimum speed guarantee (MSG) to below the threshold, so as my contract is nearly up, I shopped around and found that most providers (that offer MSG) are doing the same.

Is it usual for MSG to be below the handback thresholds?

Thanks

The handback threshold is a figure used between the ISP and Openreach. It's the figure that Openreach use to let the ISP end the service early without fees. This had nothing to do with you the end user.

The minimum guarantee the ISP gives you, called an MGAL (minimum guaranteed access line speed) is your version of the handback threshold with the ISP.

The ISP does not need to offer you the handback threshold as a minimum guarantee. The MGAL has no direct link to the handback threshold.

Is it usual for MSG to be below the handback thresholds?

It can be. It varies between providers.

Edit: I've never seen that acronym used before (MSG).

Edited by j0hn83 (Wed 17-Nov-21 16:57:59)

Am I right, John, in thinking that the handback threshold is specifically sync speed, and the ISP guarantee to the user is throughput? (Which we know has to be lower than sync).

The way I would treat it is examine the contract, all the t&c etc, the marketing page, if sync speed is not mentioned, only speed, then treat it as throughput.