Zen dropping use net what next ?

Zen has reduced the functionality of usenet about 5 years ago and are now dropping it all together. While this service is not used a lot, what worries me is what Zen will drop next, Email as everyone is using we mail from the large providers, static in addresses , included webspace?
Is Zen turning into a wires only provider. If so what is the reason to stay, when others are clearly cheaper .

I was very disappointed to get that email saying that Zen is dropping the Usenet service. Is it really a big overhead for a good, expensive, proper ISP to keep a text-only service? It matters to me, but not to very many other customers, I guess. Still, a sad day for someone who has been a very happy customer for years.

You ask an interesting question, AndrewW. While I could live without Zen email addresses and web space, those would probably be important to a lot more customers.

Hi,

In reply to a post by mikk:

I was very disappointed to get that email saying that Zen is dropping the Usenet service. Is it really a big overhead for a good, expensive, proper ISP to keep a text-only service? It matters to me, but not to very many other customers, I guess. Still, a sad day for someone who has been a very happy customer for years.

Essentially, yes - it is a big overhead and very few customers were using it (fractions of a percent); the cost of maintaining hardware, software and the skills necessary for running a usenet service far exceeds the usage of the service.

Naturally for those, like yourself, who do use the service this is disappointing, however beyond the removal of the usenet service at the end of August the service remains the same reliable Broadband with high quality customer service.

While we don't make any direct recommendations, a search between now and the retirement of the service should uncover a number of third-party text usenet providers which may suit your needs.

In reply to a post by mikk:

You ask an interesting question, AndrewW. While I could live without Zen email addresses and web space, those would probably be important to a lot more customers.

You've hit the nail on the head, here. Services which are important to customers get a lot of usage. Usenet was no longer amongst the list of services that the overwhelming majority found useful and the cost can no longer be justified. It's taken a significant drop for it to reach that point; we don't take decisions like this lightly.

kind regards,
Phil.

Edited by deleted (Thu 29-May-14 11:45:51)

Agreed, there are savings to be made, however loyal Zen customers have seen the offerings get less, and Zen move closer to a wires only provider.
It would have been nice if Zen had provided access to another provider for users who used the service. That way Zen would have had happy users and also cost savings.

Back to my earlier question which other services are for the chop, for example included Web hosting, email, static IP's. What is actually included in Zen contracts for the fttc services.

Hi there,

We have no plans to remove web space, email or static IPs. There is clear customer demand for these aspects of the service, and are areas we want to improve on rather than remove.

regards,
Phil.

In reply to a post by SkyFire:

we want to improve on rather than remove.

Any chance of IPv6 then?

Hi,

Not in the near-term - no; the demand isn't there currently.

regards,
Phil.

In reply to a post by lexden16:

Any chance of IPv6 then?

Nice to see someone with a sense of humour!

The last update from Zen said that there were no plans to offer IPv6 "in the foreseeable future"

If/when it does become even vaguely interesting for Zen, I'm sure you'd find a number of users on here who would be interested in being guinea pigs for any trials you may end up doing. I know I would.

I had native v6 for years on my previous Entanet connection and moved to Zen in January this year, the lack of v6 was a bit of an annoyance if I'm honest, but I've been making do with a he.net v6 tunnel since then.

I am averaging 20-30gb of v6 data per month. Netflix and anything Google is all v6 enabled for instance, so it does get some good use across the 5 people living here.

It was made as a slightly 'tongue-in-cheek' comment. That said, if there is no demand for IPv6 then why do other ISPs either offer it or are trialling it? Even PlusNet is trialling it (and has been for sometime). IDNet and AAISP have had it as part of their packages for over 3 years.

It is not a big issue per se: I am just interested in why ISPs view IPv6 connectivity so differently.