Need an ISP recommendation in Edinburgh

I've just moved in to a flat in Edinburgh and need some advice with regards to signing up with an ISP. In my old place I was with Be, but I've read a few things online about their level of service having dropped in the last year or so.

I don't mind paying a bit more for a good service, and a good upload speed and an unthrottled connection are important to me.

One thing that I think will be relevant is the fact that my phone line is delivered overhead from an old-style telegraph pole, rather than underground.

Looking forward to getting some suggestions!

Which exchange?

Have you already got the phone line in? If so, what does this checker say about it.

Within reason, how important is the cost?

How long do you expect to stay there.

Fountainbridge - http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/ESFOU - is my local exchange.

There is a physical phone line, but I don't have a contract with BT so I've got no phone number to put through the BT checker website. Searching by address gives the following:

Your exchange is ADSL enabled, and our initial check on your address indicates that your line should be able to have an ADSL broadband service that provides a fixed line speed up to 2Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL Max broadband line speed of 7.5Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 6.5Mbps and 8Mbps.

Our check also indicates that your line currently supports an estimated ADSL2+ broadband line speed of 17Mbps; typically the line speed would range between 10Mbps and 19.5Mbps.

The actual stable line speed supportable will be determined during the first 10 days of use. This speed may change over time, to ensure line stability is maintained.

If you decide to place an order, a further test will be performed to confirm if your line is suitable for the service you wish to purchase.

Thank you for your interest.

Please note that postcode and address check results are indicative only. Most accurate results can be obtained from a telephone number check.
Note: Provision of some services may not be allowed due to product withdrawal, please contact your service provider for further details.

I'm not too bothered about the cost. I'm keen on getting an unthrottled connection with a good upstream speed.

I expect to stay here indefinitely.

Thanks!

You should get a fairly good ADSL2+ connection there, sufficient to make it worthwhile getting Annex M for the upload. That gives you "up to 2.5Mbps" upload instead of the normal "up to 1.3 or 1.4Mbps".

There is a download speed cost, which as a rule of thumb, and looking at the Annex A downstream connection speeds, loses about 2.5Mbps from 16Mbps for a small upstream gain, on a curve up to 19 or 20Mbps Annex A where you can lose no downstream and get over 2Mbps up on Annex M.

My short list would be Be or Sky, both LLU, but I don't think Sky do Annex M. BT Wholesale ISPs, (ie most), can now provide Annex M, and the new DLM isn't anything like as interfering as the old one was. On good lines it even automatically drops the sync-time noise margin to 3dB, like the Be user setting.

The only unlimited I know of on BT Wholesale is BT itself. On that there is P2P throttling when deemed necessary by the load.

Sky and BT both require you to have the line rental with them.

It doesn't look as though you can get fibre there .

Thank you, that's really useful.

I think I'll go with a three month contract with Be to start with and then review my options once I know what the real-world performance of the line is.

With regards to not being able to get fibre, is that because my phone line is provided overhead via a telegraph pole or is FTTC a completely new line that BT would put in? I know nothing about fibre, so any links to beginners' guides would be greatly appreciated.

In reply to a post by jim0203:

With regards to not being able to get fibre, is that because my phone line is provided overhead via a telegraph pole or is FTTC a completely new line that BT would put in? I know nothing about fibre, so any links to beginners' guides would be greatly appreciated.

Fountainbridge does have FTTx (I vaguely recall that it was one of the first batch of exchanges in Edinburgh to get FTTP/C).

Exchange Name: FOUNTAINBRIDGE
Status: Accepting Orders

Some areas only! See the samknows output.

The OP's postcode was not scheduled in December 2011, though things have moved on since then. However if it were scheduled now, for availability some time in the future, it would be showing in the Wholesale Checker result. Which is why I asked the OP for that report.

FTTx Beginner's Guide .

Three-month Be contract sounds like a good plan.

Thanks for the beginner's guide to FTTx, that's really useful.

I'll get on to Be today and get a three-month contract and phone line put in.

! ! !
Careful. If you have your line rental with Be and migrate the broadband away you have to move the line as well. I believe you get a short "grace period" to do that, but maybe you have to move the line first.

Is there a minimum term for the line with Be?
_{Edit - typo.}

Edited by RobertoS (Mon 24-Sep-12 15:19:20)