Which ISP did you go with in the end?

I haven't because of BT's issue I am still stuck with BT, with no service!

Basically an order to move me from Digital Voice to PSTN is stuck, without the move I can't move providers.

Situation with NO internet now resolved.

It's likely to be either IDNet (very impressed with their knowledge) or Pulse8 (great call to them on Tuesday very knowledgable)

Both will be fine from my personal experience. Pulse 8 will be a tad cheaper but put you on a TTw MPF connection, whereas IDNet will put you on a SMPF connection. There will be significant migration costs if you want to move back to having SMPF and a BTw phone line.

In reply to a post by jaydub:

Both will be fine from my personal experience. Pulse 8 will be a tad cheaper but put you on a TTw MPF connection, whereas IDNet will put you on a SMPF connection. There will be significant migration costs if you want to move back to having SMPF and a BTw phone line.

Hi jaydub

Just to clarify, if I go Pulse8 it's TT (I assume TalkTalk) Wholesale, but IDNet it's BTWholesale?

TalkTalk Business Wholesale. A very different beastie from TalkTalk Retail.

I did wonder.

Yes I have heard many things about TT Business as opposed to Retail.

Oddly I was just discussing TTB with a friend who's looking to leave BT and move his Business connection!

In reply to a post by jaydub:

Both will be fine from my personal experience. Pulse 8 will be a tad cheaper but put you on a TTw MPF connection, whereas IDNet will put you on a SMPF connection. There will be significant migration costs if you want to move back to having SMPF and a BTw phone line.

"Most FTTC Migrations are free of charge. For new connections and transfers from full LLU (Sky / Talk Talk) or Cable (Virgin Media) there is a combined activation charge of £75.00. See our price list for full details. FTTC connections are subject to a 1 month contract." - IDNet

So should be OK when coming from BT retail. Is that a TTB FTTC broadband and BTw line rental (SMPF) deal?

In reply to a post by CJT:

Hi jaydub

Just to clarify, if I go Pulse8 it's TT (I assume TalkTalk) Wholesale, but IDNet it's BTWholesale?

Pulse 8 is Talk Talk Wholesale and is Metal Path Facility connection where the broadband and phone services are bound together.

As far as i know IDNet still use TTw, BTw and Zen for their backhaul connections. At one stage the default was Zen, but I've no idea whether that is still the case or indeed whether they are still using Zen. The main difference is that it is a Shared Metal Path Facility connection, so your phone line can be on BTw, but your broadband on TTw or Zen. This does make migration away much easier so a definite plus for IDNet.

IDNet support has been brilliant for me, as they have swapped me from TTw to Zen and finally to BTw to resolve inconsistent single thread speeds; Pulse8 struggled to get TTw's attention when I had significant single thread speed problems with them, but did eventually get it sorted thanks to Adam mithering them. My BTw connection has been absolutely rock solid for the last 2.5 years with teh single thread and multi thread speeds matching on the TBB speed test.

If you pay for an annual contract you pay get one month free, however you do have to pay it all up front. This is what I am doing and I am only paying ~£4 more a month than I would with Pulse8.

I think the difference is worth it, but YMMV.

One other choice you might want to consider is going to TT Business who are offering some very favourable deals at the moment. The downside is that you are taking out a 24 month contract with TTB, whereas Pulse8 and IDNet are 1 month rolling contracts. Not sure I can bring myself to commit for that length of time, but there are significant savings to be had, so worth a think.

In reply to a post by 4M2:

In reply to a post by jaydub:

"Most FTTC Migrations are free of charge. For new connections and transfers from full LLU (Sky / Talk Talk) or Cable (Virgin Media) there is a combined activation charge of £75.00. See our price list for full details. FTTC connections are subject to a 1 month contract." - IDNet

So should be OK when coming from BT retail. Is that a TTB FTTC broadband and BTw line rental (SMPF) deal?

Coming from BTw there will be no FTTC migration charge. When I was leaving Pulse8 and enquired, I would have copped for the £75 migration charge. I ended up migrating to another provider as an interim measure to soften the blow (still £50) and then onto IDNet. Much better in my book to keep your phone line with BTw, which is why I have a very strong preference for SMPF offerings.

In terms of what the current IDNet offering is, CJT will need to check. When I joined them 3 years ago, there was no problem with me requesting a BTw phone line with a TTw FTTC connection. As it turned out, it didn't prove the best choice for me, but we all live and learn.