FTTP that doesn't use Zen in anyway

After almost a year with IDNet that backhaul/resell Zen and finding it basically behaves exactly like a Zen service, with random gateways that offer good and bad performance etc, I'm looking for another ISP, something more business oriented rather than stack 'em' high sell it cheap ISPs.

Some potential contenders I can think of are:

Aquiss - seem to get good reviews
Cerberus - They dealt with my FTTPonD order so was with them a year, left as their prices were very high for faster services but now reduced
Trunk Networks - which now seem to have rebranded as 'No One' broadband

A&A would be good but they don't do faster FTTP packages.
UNO don't either as far as I can tell (can't get a list of products as you need to have a landline number which I no longer have, plus I don't think they do IPv6)

So the questions is do any of above partner or resell via Zen, as if they do, I can cross them off. Any other suggestions?

Cerberus use BT Wholesale (or at least they did whilst I was with them).

You could add TalkTalk Biz to your list, but they don’t do IPv6. So possibly a non starter for you.

Lol, IDNet do not 'sell them cheap'. Did you contact Support and ask them to investigate? The premium that IDNet charge results in competent and active Support staff. Several years ago I had issues and they switched me to a different backhaul provider.

Edited by Andrue (Sun 26-Sep-21 18:52:04)

I didn't mean IDNet when I said that, it was just my reasoning for discounting the PlusNet types.

I've contacted support and there is nothing they can do, I'm just told that is how it is. It seems when Zen swapped people over to different backhauls then IDNet could do as well, presumably they just put the request into Zen, but it seems Zen don't change people over anymore, and IDNet are now the same.

I would say Cerberus Networks myself. I'm still with them, albeit on the higher pricing (out of contract) as I'm waiting for Lightning Fibre (local ISP) to get my street live soon so I'll be going to them. Otherwise I would've renewed a 12 month term with Cerberus Networks at the now lower pricing. My connection's still on BT Wholesale, I presume new/returning customers are also the same but I would check with Cerberus Networks first to make sure they still do so.

I've never tried Aquiss but likewise I've heard good things about them. There's possibly Pulse8 but I don't know who they use and I don't know if they do IPv6. Their pricing is sadly on the higher end, although I believe they have a policy of no long-term contracts (or used to?) and 'home' comes with care level 2. I don't know how good their service is personally either.

If you don't need a static IP then I find it very hard to fault BT.

Pulse8 use TalkTalk Business, on monthly contracts. But no IPv6, presumably until TTB do. Plenty of higher speed FTTP.

In reply to a post by jpm:

If you don't need a static IP then I find it very hard to fault BT.

Unfortunately need a static IP for work reasons as otherwise they would be a contender.

In reply to a post by pluralist:

Pulse8 use TalkTalk Business, on monthly contracts. But no IPv6, presumably until TTB do. Plenty of higher speed FTTP.

I did have a look at Pulse8, but no IPv6 which for work reasons makes life a lot easier.

So back to Cerberus perhaps, just need to check their backhaul supplier, and potentially Aquiss to check out as well.

I can confirm that we don't use Zen for wholesale or backhaul.

In reply to a post by aquiss:

I can confirm that we don't use Zen for wholesale or backhaul.

Many thanks for the confirmation. Quick question, apart from the Standard care and Enhanced care for repair times when comparing your Home and Business products, are there any other advantages taking the business offering over the home?

In reply to a post by E300:

Many thanks for the confirmation. Quick question, apart from the Standard care and Enhanced care for repair times when comparing your Home and Business products, are there any other advantages taking the business offering over the home?

The services are delivered identical in all other ways, it's purely the care levels that define the difference as you have correctly picked up on.

In reply to a post by E300:

In reply to a post by jpm:

If you don't need a static IP then I find it very hard to fault BT.

Unfortunately need a static IP for work reasons as otherwise they would be a contender.

BT's business packages do come with static IP addresses

Many thanks, yes they do indeed, they don't say if the IPv6 address is also static or what range they give, I presume a /56? I will hit them up on their chat service. The only slight negative is the 24 month contract on their business packages.

We have a couple of ICUK/CIX FTTP connections which use BT Wholesale. Their FTTC connections typically use TTB backhaul, not sure if they also use this for FTTP - it may be down to what handover is in place at the head-end exchanges.
They don't provide the higher speed packages, maximum is currently 330/50. Small charges for one or more static IPv4 addresses, no charge for IPv6 /48.

In reply to a post by tdw42:

They don't provide the higher speed packages, maximum is currently 330/50.

Just checked and of my address and shows "Full Fibre 900" is available to order, so seems that maximum is just limited by head-end equipment.

Not a direct answer but Andrew recently mentioned on A&A IRC that L2TP limits are been raised "shortly", then some days later RevK started talking about asking for people to test higher speed FTTx services and upgrade of firebricks, so I think there is some coming higher speed A&A packages.

Andrew also said they in talks with cityfibre.

I do have concerns for Zen as the reports of performance problems just are not going away, the stories of gateway hopping reminds me of my plusnet and entanet days which I would rather avoid, but for me they seem the current best option.

I am hoping though that by the time cityfibre is available to me it will be available on A&A.

Edited by Chrysalis (Tue 16-Nov-21 11:24:14)