Changing Internet Service Provider
Yesterday we changed internet service providers. We moved from EE (formerly BT) to Plusnet. The transition went surprisingly well, mainly due to the existing infrastructure remaining the same. We’ve had fibre to the premises (FTTP) since 2022 so this was essentially an administrative change. The previous ISP terminated their service at 1:30 AM in the morning, while I was playing Star Trek Online. By 6:30 AM I received a message from Plusnet that the new service was live. It took about an hour to configure the new Netgear Nighthawk RS100 router (I bought my own) and get all our household devices attached to the new network. The connection is running at exactly the same speed and stability as it had under the previous supplier. At present a 1Gbps connection is sufficient for our needs. The main factor that has driven this change is cost. We are currently paying £28 per month for internet access which is a competitive price in the UK.
Yesterday we changed internet service providers. We moved from EE (formerly BT) to Plusnet. The transition went surprisingly well, mainly due to the existing infrastructure remaining the same. We’ve had fibre to the premises (FTTP) since 2022 so this was essentially an administrative change. The previous ISP terminated their service at 1:30 AM in the morning, while I was playing Star Trek Online. By 6:30 AM I received a message from Plusnet that the new service was live. It took about an hour to configure the new Netgear Nighthawk RS100 router (I bought my own) and get all our household devices attached to the new network. The connection is running at exactly the same speed and stability as it had under the previous supplier. At present a 1Gbps connection is sufficient for our needs. The main factor that has driven this change is cost. We are currently paying £28 per month for internet access which is a competitive price in the UK.
When we had FTTP set up, the Optical Network Terminal (ONT) was installed in the spare room at the front of the bungalow. I use this room as my office. Hence the router is located here and sits on the lower shelf of a table, next to my desk. I have an ethernet connection to my PC. However, the wifi in our lounge has always been quite low, due to the brick walls. Furthermore, we have our home media equipment setup in the fireplace, which compounds the problem. Previously I was using a wifi extender, which connected to a mini-hub. The TV, Media player, Blu-ray player and Satellite box all have ethernet connections. Unfortunately, this wifi extender did not perform well with the new router, mainly due to its age. However, after searching through my stash of IT related bric-a-brac, I found a pair of powerline adaptors, so I was able to replace the wifi extender. The equipment in the fireplace now has a 60Mbps connection.
As part of this change of service, we finally said goodbye to our landline. When we moved over to FTTP, the old analogue line was disconnected but we retained a VOIP landline purely for incoming calls. Mainly because several clinics and other healthcare institutions still contacted us via our old telephone number. We have addressed this issue now and made sure that all calls of this nature come purely to our mobile phones. Hence there was no longer a reason to keep the landline and it has finally been decommissioned. It is a curious milestone as we’ve had that number since 2003 and had access to a landline all our adult life. However, the culture associated with telecommunications has changed radically in the last twenty five years and by and large, landlines have become an anachronism for most people. As have the concept of voice calls. The majority of those I do receive nowadays are marketing and other spam.
Our new ISP is providing an identical service to the old one over exactly the same infrastructure. Hence this change has not been about seeking an upgrade in internet speed or superior technical support but getting a better deal. The best deals in the UK for internet and cell phones always seem to be for new customers. Brand loyalty is not especially well served. We left EE mainly because they could not or would not offer us a competitive price. So we have contributed to market churn and taken advantage of a “new customer” deal with Plusnet. We know what price we shall be paying over the next twenty four months and if a more favourable one can be found at the end of that period, we will move once again. It strikes me as a risible and unsustainable course of action but if that is the way to ensure the most economic price, then so be it.
Internet Service Providers and Choice
I would like to make my point by recounting a tale that hopefully demonstrates it. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us begin. I am trying to find a new Internet Service Provider for my Mother’s home. The existing one, British Telecom, cannot meet the parameters of the service contract that’s in place. Simply put, the existing fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) connection is unstable and drops 40+ times a day. We’ve had 6 engineer visits in the last 3 months and the problem hasn’t been resolved. It probably won’t because the issue is specifically at the cabinet and I cannot see BT making major changes to such a major piece of infrastructure for the benefits of just one customer. The problem with trying to find another ISP is that they mostly provide FTTC connections, so any new internet connection will still include the “troublesome” cabinet that then links to my Mother’s house. Hence I will more than likely just be swapping one poor quality internet connection for another.
I would like to make my point by recounting a tale that hopefully demonstrates it. Are you sitting comfortably? Then let us begin. I am trying to find a new Internet Service Provider for my Mother’s home. The existing one, British Telecom, cannot meet the parameters of the service contract that’s in place. Simply put, the existing fibre to the cabinet (FTTC) connection is unstable and drops 40+ times a day. We’ve had 6 engineer visits in the last 3 months and the problem hasn’t been resolved. It probably won’t because the issue is specifically at the cabinet and I cannot see BT making major changes to such a major piece of infrastructure for the benefits of just one customer. The problem with trying to find another ISP is that they mostly provide FTTC connections, so any new internet connection will still include the “troublesome” cabinet that then links to my Mother’s house. Hence I will more than likely just be swapping one poor quality internet connection for another.
If I want to bypass this problem, I need a fibre to the premises (FTTP) connection. That means running an additional fibre optic line from the cabinet to my Mother’s home which is two streets away. No ISP in the area currently does this for home connections, due to the installation costs. They will for a new business connection and a long term contract but the price for this is prohibitive for home users. However, cable TV provider Virgin can provide a fibre connection but to do so means digging up the drive in front of the house to connect their network. This is a significant amount of work with a similar cost implication. Plus for ethical reasons I try to avoid doing business with Virgin. The only other alternative is a mobile internet solution using 5G. It has been rolled out in South East London but the coverage is “patchy”. Hence it would appear that no company can provide me with a stable 50Mbps internet connection at present.
Because I live in Greater London it can be argued that I have far more choice with regard to Internet Service Providers compared to other parts of the UK. In principle that is true. I have friends and family that live in more rural areas and they are often stuck with just one possible supplier and that is BT. Often this means that the only services available are low grade ADSL connections and nothing else. However, as my situation demonstrates, the so-called choice available in urban areas is often an illusion, amounting ultimately to nothing more than “same meat, different gravy”. Until fibre to the premises and other wireless solutions becomes commonplace, many ISPs will remain reliant upon legacy BT infrastructure and therefore at risk of being hamstrung by issues arising from it.
What makes this matter far more galling is the fact that the UK allegedly has one of the largest and competitive markets for domestic home internet services in the world. A Google search shows that hundreds of ISPs exist in this sector offering a growing number of alternative network platforms as well. However, although I do not doubt this, many of these companies seem to be concentrated in specific parts of the UK due to population density and existing infrastructure and therefore aren’t accessible to customers elsewhere. It’s the same situation we’ve endured for years with regard to rail, bus and postal services. Businesses naturally favour areas which have the most lucrative potential return on investment. Hence for me and many other UK customers seeking stable, functional internet access at acceptable speeds, choice is still a loaded term and isn’t necessarily available despite advertisements to the contrary.
