ISP phone and broadband package inc. line installation

Another house move another Openreach fail. Last time I moved I was with Plusnet and it took Openreach six weeks to connect me. This time it's been four weeks since I moved and still waiting.

I've been told they've finished the work at the local cabinet--three weeks to send an engineer to connect our building--and a new phone line order should now be able to proceed. Ideally I'd like to avoid Openreach altogether but Virgin aren't available at my address.

SamKnows says my exchange is Primrose Hill:

https://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/WEWPRI

I'm interested in:

Sky: ADSL £18.99 a month + £9.95 connection + 12 month contract
NOW TV: Fibre £29.99 a month + £44 connection + 1 month contract

My old ISP wanted around £80 inc. VAT for a new line connection so those two deals look good. I'm aware that NOW TV is a subsidiary of Sky and based on those numbers I would go for the NOW TV fibre package.

Have I missed anything or does anyone have any comments before I commit. We may relocate in a year so want a monthly or one year contract at the most. I believe SKY is LLU so they have some independence from Openreach if I understand correctly.

Thanks.

I am on the NowTV 1 month contract which is my backup line, Just be aware that the wifi on the router they supply is pants and you can use your own if you know how to set it up - but Sky don't like it.

I am about to leave them because my third party router is not allowed, and theirs is pants.

Sky have their own network but Openreach do not allow anyone but them to look after it - So they are all at the mercy of Openreach. It just means they can do cheaper pricing.

You might want to have a look at Talk Talk Business. Much better than Talk Talk residential in regards to faults and network priority, okay it's a 24 month contract at £45.54 a month BUT they include the line rental and this is the 80/20 product, unlimited calls to mobile and landlines, 7 day support and you can move twice for free within a 12 month period inside of the 24 month contract, which may well come in handy for you if you do move within the next 24 months. You DONT have to reset the contract either!

Many people cringe at the 24 month contract, but I am 6 months in now and I have had no problems at all.

Edited by deleted (Mon 17-Apr-17 20:50:48)

Thanks. What's the issue with the Now TV router? Is it reach, speed, stability or a combination of problems? If it's reach it won't be a problem for us as we're in a small apartment for this year at least. If our circumstances were more stable the Talk Talk business package would be a possibility---I've seen other posts recommending it---but we can't commit to 24 months at the moment.

Have you already placed an order for a new line?

I can't work out from your post as it sounds like BT openreach are already working on connecting you, but you're after a new provider which sounds conflicting.

If you've not placed an order, BT have £150 reward card and £100 cashback from topcash back.

No idea on their fee for a new line though.

It's free usually if you sign for 12 months.

OP - fair enough. It's the wifi and the fact it's not good at getting speed through it.

Thanks. I didn't go into details because it's too complicated. My new address is a new build where Openreach have a bad track record. I had placed an order for a new line with my old ISP but when Openreach came surprise surprise they couldn't connect me. Last week my old ISP told me work at a cabinet in the street has been completed so a new phone line should be closer but at that point my ISP notified me they were cancelling my order for whatever reason. They refunded me in full and recommended I find another supplier.

Thanks for the BT suggestion but I'd rather avoid them as I just don't want to give them my money. I seem to recall they also have numerous reports of bad customer service.

From what you say it may be that a new "infill cabinet" has been installed to cater for EO lines that cannot get FTTC. Until that Openreach work is completed and existing users moved over I believe no new orders for anything can be taken.

As has been said, but not in detail, everybody who is not on Virgin Media cable is reliant on Openreach from their premises to the exchange.

There is a slight difference between ADSLx and FTTC in that LLU strictly speaking only refers to ADSL2+, and means the LLU supplier has their own MSAN in the exchange and has full control of the DSL on the line.

On FTTC the DSL is supplied by Openreach from the local cabinet and only they have full control over it. The ISP can request one of three stability levels, but that's about it. At the FTTC headend exchange, which may not be the current line exchange, the traffic is handed over to the relevant wholesaler's or retailer's backhaul.

I went with NOW TV. It's a great price for someone that needs a new line installation and a TV service to boot.

My next Openreach engineer visit is scheduled for two weeks away. Lets see if they can actually manage to install the line this time. That gives me plenty of time before their visit to write to OFCOM and the government about how pathetic Openreach are and how they should be broken up.

Breaking up Openreach is a novel idea. What bits do you suggest is it broken into and how would the separate bits work together? Quite apart from buyers for the bits would be required.

As others have mentioned router is really bad:

1. Regularly reboots if you connect 16ish or more devices (SR102)
2. Single band 2.4Ghz

Best to change this up.

Regarding your choice of provider, it does not seem an amazing deal given the £44 install fee and the fact you will need to buy a new router if you want something decent.

TalkTalk is £27 including new line
Sky is also cheaper than NowTV.

Regarding moving properties I have moved 6 times in 7 years and I have never paid an install fee. I have also never been outside of a minimum term contract. All I do is when it comes to the move, I renegotiate the whole contract, and get a free home move included in that. This usually locks me in for a further 12 months or 24 months, and guess what, I end up moving again before it's done with and renegotiate again. Not saying it is always possible but I have had no issues.