well since 2006 i had very slow connection. My internet used some kind of telephone lines in the uk. But even in my own country back in 2004 we had 100mbps down and 20 up and that was in 2004 haha. So in 2006 I was stuck with 0.5mbps down and 0.1mbps up with so called plusnet lol. In 2010 i joined vivacity actually network improved much with 4mbps down and 1mbps upload. And still was horrible then in 2015 i joined BT 60MBPS DOWN and 15MBPS up . It was just okay but not so good also compared to other normal countries. Then in 2019 i joined talktalk with 150mbps down and 20mbps up. Still talktalk used some kind of telephone lines from 90s. Well download was finally okay but still more like 2005 times with really bad upload. . And in 2024 i finaly have 1gbps down and 1gbp up. The only problem you can't play games without disconnections and speeds just drops for no reason. So yeah good times. Not to mention super expensive insane prices in the uk for super horrible service. All they want money from you but can't deliver aynthing.

I'm a guy who cares about internet. You'd be surprised what you can get in other countries where 10GBPS easily accesible almost in any street for just 26 euros per month.

Edited by MotoFanatic (Sat 30-May-26 17:53:23)

Good afternoon,
The interesting thing is the amount of hardware Bulldog had to install in BT exchanges, to then connect into the LLU network.

The altnet situation does remind me of the 30 or so local cable networks that were originally licensed as the Govt of the day hoped it would create real competition to BT's telephone service. The TV was seen as extra, and now we see the network as useful for internet and telephone is just an over-the-top service on an IP network. I think if the value of money hadn't changed with the Ukraine war, maybe we would have seen altnets progressing faster.

You're right, the first mover advantage was a mirage, and whilst homes passed increases, homes installed may not.

In reply to a post by bit_bucket:

Morning Adrian,

Hopefully I'm mistaken, but I get the impression that Mr Moto might just be "extracting the urine" out of those of us of an age that desire less hassle(?), in his reply to Ian.

If it weren't for the Alt-Nets, likely BT's copper assets would still be dripping with sweat, however, surely there's a better way to get from where we were, to where the UK needs to be, without a shed-load of wasted CapEx into duplicated, triplicated or even, in some cases, quadruplicated fibre networks (proverbially & literally) sunk in the ground?

I sometimes wonder what that investment capital could have been used for, if it hadn't been used for chasing high flying pies.

/end of rant.

All the best,

It would have been great if we had Dark fibre in the U.K, run either by a non-profit making company or government owned, but not run, if you know what I mean. That would have solved the problems we have now with loads of networks being shoved into the same places.
Where I live we have two, Openreach and Zzoomm. Nexfibre was going to come this year until they decided not to .
The problem is with networks is that they make a mess, still can see where Zzoomm have put their fibre in around the city on the pavements. Saying that Openreach dug a big hole not so faraway from me and have left it in a worse mess than anything i have seen from Zzoomm.

Hassle i don't want now, just things to work. I spent nearly an hour trying to get my brothers TV to work with Alexa a few days ago due to the internet going off while he was in hospital and everything being disconnected for so long. That was bad workmanship on Zzoomm's part, someone did not connect the fibre to a decent standard in the splice box. Seem to have gone a bit downhill since they have been taken over.

I just want things to work

I don't know what country you come from, but where ever it is, this is not it and things are not going to be the same. I don't disagree wioth you about the state of our broadand. Openreach went the cheap and nasty way years ago with the Fibre to the cabinet instead of going for Fibre to the home. Down to money I suppose and BT being stuck in the past, they still are. I think if we did not have Altnets, Openreach would have dragged their heels for longer. Now, even without Altnets taking their customers, they have have little choice but to go fibre, as the equipment is getting old and expensive to replace and fix, so may as well go for full fibre. The problem now for Openreach/BT is it have allowed others to step in.

I realise there are countries that are doing things better than us, but also some that are not, the U.S broadband is still hit and miss depending on where you live and who supplies you. I chat to people in different states in the U.S. and a fair few of them have broadband that is slower than what I had with FTTC at 36Mb/s. They also pay more than I do for my 500Mb/s. That is the other thing price, look at other countries and see what the prices are, some are less, but a fair few are more.

My contract with Swish/Cuckoo/Onestream/APFN/whoever it is today expired just over a week ago.

Did your contract expire or your minimum term? Most contracts do not expire but have some sort of deal in the minimum term. After the minimum term it usually reverts to a monthly rolling contract. Getting a new minimum term contract might result in better pricing but in most cases it is not necessary.

I would guess the contract would just have been novated to the new owners and continue as is. Unless you want to try and negotiate a cheaper deal there should be no reason for you to need to sign a new minimum term.

In reply to a post by ian72:

Did your contract expire or your minimum term?

Who knows? It's complicated. My records show I signed an 18-month contract with Swish Fibre in Nov 24, so expiring May 26. Then after I was transferred to Cuckoo in May 25, my account page on the Cuckoo website showed my contract ending in Nov 26 - ie, Cuckoo seemed to have reset the contract to start from the date they took me over. I queried this, but true to form Cuckoo CS never managed to resolve it, and after prodding them a few times I gave up trying.

In March this year I had to contact Cuckoo CS about something else, and asked about it. The person I spoke to stated I was on a rolling monthly contract, but this was before I think the contract should have expired. Cuckoo have never informed me about this. The CS contact said I could stay on it for ever, and there wouldn't be price hikes. Since I'm paying a reasonable £25/mo for 150/150, I was content to leave it at that.

Provided my service continues, or until OR light up my nice new CBT, I'll just wait quietly to see what Onestream make of it.

The CS contact said I could stay on it for ever, and there wouldn't be price hikes

Hope that is in the contract in writing... That is an impressive statement - there were some ISPs in the past where that was the case but they tended to create new products at different prices and keep the legacy products on the old pricing - if they are offering this then I agree that it would be difficult to see a reason to move if the service keeps running ok.

Hope that is in the contract in writing... That is an impressive statement

Not in the contract, but in an email from Cuckoo - relevant extract below. It's only semi-literate, as usual with Cuckoo CS, and almost certainly not legally watertight, but it might be something to wave at them later. In fhe telecon no price hikes is what he said. Not that I'm ever likely to be clinging deperately to Onestream..

As you have requested on our telephone conversation today, I am sending you this email as a confirmation, that you can stay on your current rolling Contract, and you would not be covered with annual price increase, or you can renew the Contract on 24 month period...

Hopefully there would be no price hikes, but I would note that "not be covered by annual price increase" is not actually saying 'no price increases'.