Potential for high upload speed

Hi all you experts

I hope you can help. I am trying to find out if it is possible to find a provider that offers high upload speeds for a domestic line and what options I might have.

I am (my son) looking to be able to do live streaming of video etc. He tells me this would need to be in the region of 4Mbps + to provide a stable link. We only have access to BT and some LLU providers. Our exchange is Baldslow.

Our current speeds are around 6.5 Mbps down and 0.8 Mbps up.

I hope that makes sense.

Mike

Not on ADSL with a single line. I think the max upstream with perfect conditions is shy of 2Mbps. I suppose you could have a further 3 lines installed and bond/merge them but the cost is likely to be prohibitive.

My Dad and I used to have live webcam chats back in the days before ADSLmax. The upload speeds then were 256K and the chats were fine. Slight lag (like speaking to someone offshore). You soon get used to it. With 700K or so upload it should be really do-able.

Perhaps the stream quality should be toned down a little?

More info (8th post down):

http://www.teamliquid.net/forum/viewmessage.php?topi...

Not from your exchange.
The only LLU providers are Talk-Talk and Sky.
I suspect you're already on a Talk-Talk unbundled connection, as you're with UW (who tend to use LLU products if they're available).

I don't think either do something called 'Annex M' on ADSL2+ (to the best of my knowledge, only BE offer this service), which would have boosted your upload speed to around 2 to 3Mbps (if you were close enough to the exchange).

As there are only 4,379 lines served by your exchange, I guess you'll have a very long wait for BT's fibre roll-out (which would easily give the upload speeds you're looking for).

As has been mentioned by others, the only option for you (other than a stupidly expensive fibre connection - which will cost many thousands of pounds a year) is to have maybe 5 x ADSL2+ connections (from Sky or Talk-Talk) and bond them together.
This will also cost a heavy packet, as you'll need five phone lines (a total annual line rental of around £700), five ADSL2+ products (if you opt for five Sky 'Unlimited' products, and aren't a SkyTV customer, this will cost you £900 a year).
Then you'll need to add expensive bonding equipment.
You're looking at an initial outlay of hundreds and an ongoing annual cost of well over £1,500.

I am (my son) looking to be able to do live streaming of video etc.

Just to clarify; are you talking about watching live video streams (e.g. YouTube, BBC iPlayer), which only requires a good download speed (which you already have), or is you son actually looking to serve out live video streaming to others (which will need a high upload speed)?

Thanks for all your responses. I guess that was the answer I was expecting.

To clarify, my son is wanting to serve out live video streams to others, hence the need for the upload speed. The streaming is currently being handled by somebody in Sweden, but they need to bring the streaming into the UK. As you mention, our exchange has only recently had LLU equipment installed so any further upgrades look a long way off.

In general terms, are there any providers that offer the type of upstream requirements on non-cable / non-fibre line? The cost is important, but not necessarily the driving factor. Is it something that can be obtained via any business-type packages?

Am I right in assuming that it is possible to bond more than 2 lines together and the costs would be x times the number of lines plus the cost of additional equipment to manage the bonded lines? (expensive)

Thanks again

Mike

In reply to a post by 1066mike:

In general terms, are there any providers that offer the type of upstream requirements on non-cable / non-fibre line?

Quite simply; no.
The only non-cable (I assume you mean cable TV) and non-fibre services available are all based on ADSL1, ADSL2 or ADSL2+ products.
If you were to switch your broadband to Sky LLU, you'd be able to get the fastest upload available from your exchange (around 800kbps - i.e. what you have already).

ADSL2+ AnnexM can go faster (but AFAIK only BEthere.co.uk, and ISPs they wholesale to, offer that). It comes at the expense of a little download speed and only works over very short lines.
In any case; this is irrelevant as BE don't operate out of your exchange.

Bonding is the only option and as your upload speed is limited to around 0.8Mbps (due to the small amount of providers operating out of your exchange) you'd need to bond at least five lines.
You are correct; if you want to bond 5 lines, you'll have to pay for five line installs (at between £70 to £130 a line - depending on who you go with), you'd then have to pay five ADSL connection charges, five sets of monthly voice-line rental (because ADSL is not available in this country without a working voice-line), and five sets of ADSL monthly charges.
You'd then need bonding equipment etc.

There are ISPs which specialise in bonded lines (AAISP is one) but it's going to cost you big-time.

The only other option is a leased fibre line, and you're talking thousands of pounds install, and serious money for monthly rental.

It might be simpler telling your son to find someone down the road (in Hastings) to host the video streaming service.
Hastings exchange has BE LLU (so anyone close enough to the exchange can get up to around 2.5Mbps upload speed (with BE Pro), BE did offer a bonding service (so two 'AnnexM' lines would give 5Mbps total upload (but they appear to have put applications on hold for now).
Additionally; Hastings is due to get FTTC 40Mbps down (10Mbps up) fibre next year.

Have you thought about moving home

EDIT: just in case you do move to Hastings and BE suddenly open up applications for line bonding, they price line bonding of two 'AnnexM' lines (giving a max download of 44Mbps and a max upload of 5Mbps) at £65/month, with a connection charge of £85 (which includes the bonding router).
You still need two working phone lines (£130 line install - ish, plus around £10 to £13 a month line rental for each line).

Edited by adebov (Sat 20-Aug-11 17:53:05)

It perhaps depends on what budget is available, but you may want to investigate Sharedband or possibly a service delivered via EFM, such as this example from eclipse (EFM is also available from other providers).

Is this publishing of a single stream to streaming server? Or is the server actually running in the home?

Makes a big difference to your options and costs.

Satellite using the new KA-Band satellites may give you the upstream you want but at a cost.