21CN Upgrade

Hey guys, just a quick question.

I'm currently on an 8mb connection with Orange. My local exchange was upgraded to 21CN in the new year, and now the BT line checker show's my line can support 17mb. So, being on an ''up to 20mb'' contract with them, I phoned them at the start of January to query this, and they said that I will go to the new speed, but it will take a week or 2.

Suffice to say, my speed hasn't been upgraded yet, so I decided to give them a ring back today.

What they are now telling me is that they cant give me a timeframe because, even though the exchange has been enabled, BT still has to do work on the exchange to enable the phone lines for 21CN.

Are they telling me the truth, or are they just trying to fob me off with this answer?

Cheers for any help.

SteveMD

If the checker at https://www.btwholesale.com/includes/adsl/main.html

has a section like
Our test also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 3Mbps and 7.5Mbps. Our test also indicates that your line could support an estimated ADSL 2+ Annex-M broadband upstream line speed of 1Mbps and downstream line speed of 5Mbps; typically the downstream speed would range between 3Mbps and 7.5Mbps.

Then the line is all ready, and just needs a migration order to be placed by Orange to get BT Wholesale to move you across. Alas providers usually wait until they can do this as a bulk process since it is cheaper for them that way.

Orange is particularly slow in this process, but they will get there as its cheaper per month to have you on the WBC product, rather than the IPStream one.

Yup, there is a section like that in it. So my line is ready then, and Orange are basically fobbing me off, and waiting untill they can do it in bulk? Hmmm...well, i'm going away soon for a bit, so will take that up with them when I get back.

Thanks for the quick response and help, much appreciated.

SteveMD

Some reputable ISPs charge £11 for an earlier upgrade, but nothing for the bulk one.

In reply to a post by Anonymous:

I'm currently on an 8mb connection with Orange.

Were you on LLU before Orange switched you to BT IPStream because your exchange was 20CN only?

If not, you were on the 8 Meg "out-of-area" package and Orange may choose to upgrade you only if you take out a new contract.

What time do BT normally change you over to 21CN? Im sure migrations between ISPs happen in the early hours on the day of changeover. Dunno if this applies when going from 20CN to 21CN?

I think ISP migrations take place at any time. Mine have all occurred during the day, and I've seen reports on here of it happening late afternoon or even during the early evening.

It may depend on what work is needed at the exchange.

An interesting point in the question though. The move from the 20CN DSLAM to a 21CN MSAN is clearly a change at the exchange, and many will be done at the same time. But this also seems to result in the user being placed on a G.DMT, (up to 8Mbps), service in many, (or all?), cases rather than G.993.5, (ADSL2+).

I can see the logic of that, as it saves the package the user is on with their ISP needing to be taken into consideration, but I can't see why the upgrade later to G.993.5 needs any exchange work or BT Wholesale involvement. I would have expected it to be a software setting that the ISP could access at will.

Mine happened around 5am a couple of days after I asked my ISP to upgrade me to ADSL2+.
The exchange had been changed to 21CN but my connection remained on GDMT until I requested the change.

I keep seeing stuff like G.DMT and G.993.5 mentioned. Is that just a fancy term for the different way the data is sent to and from the exchange?

Edited by bobble_bob (Tue 31-Jan-12 17:45:42)

Basically

G.DMT is ADSL, as is G.992.1
G.992.3 is ADSL2
G.992.5 is ADSL2+

The G numbers define the international standard name