'Doomsday' plan to renationalise BT

ukcarper

BTs network carries the majority of the mobile network and broadband network the only other major network is Virgin. So if BTs network collapses phone system collapses

Koptor

Time to clear up some of the !!!!!!!! said about BT here I reckon...

Fire_Fox wrote: »

BT still effectively have a monopoly on certain areas of the telecoms market. To be able to take advantage of the cheap prices for landline calls and broadband offered by some competitors one needs an active BT line in place. In rented properties it is common practise to have the line cancelled at the end of a tenancy, meaning the next person has to pay a substantial charge plus agree to an 18 month contract with BT. As a result it's substantially cheaper to have a basic mobile phone contract with mobile internet access - I pay less than £30 for both and it doesn't matter if I relocate.

Incorrect. When a line is disconnected, it isn't usually completely disconnected and you'll still have a dialtone on it - the only time it'll be properly cut off is if that line is required somewhere else in the area - only usually happens if it's been stood disconnected for a loooong time!

18 month contract? Nope. With the line rental, there's an option to have no contract at all, but then you just get free weekends and not free evenings (it's one way or the other anyway). It's a 12 month contract anyway. If you're referring to broadband, find me another broadband company who doesn't have a 12+ month contract?

epz wrote: »

really, given most of the country already own's a mobile and most businesses (even very small ones) own voip exchanges I doubt it.

At best it we would see a bidding war for parts of the backbone as parts as the loop unbundlers buy up their required capacity and a few bt broadband customers see their service deteriorate.

As I said before its not like power or water where you dont have an alternative, ntl went bankrupt loads of times and no customer noticed.

Right ok, so the lines will connect themselves?
The backup generators in the exchanges will maintain themselves?
Capacity management will happen all on its own?
The power equipment (which, even in the case of LLUs, is still maintained by BT) will maintain itself?

Of course it won't. We do alot more than other providers, we even plan and install their kit for them sometimes.

Lotus-eater

Koptor wrote: »

Right ok, so the lines will connect themselves?
The backup generators in the exchanges will maintain themselves?
Capacity management will happen all on its own?
The power equipment (which, even in the case of LLUs, is still maintained by BT) will maintain itself?

Of course it won't. We do alot more than other providers, we even plan and install their kit for them sometimes.

If the bit of BT is sold or nationalised that includes all the hardware in the country, exchanges (ok I know bt don't own many anymore I think), cabling etc, then you lot would go along with it.
Then they would decide that they could do the job with alot less engineers, which atm they can. You might want to disagree

ukcarper

Who owns the exchanges if BT don't

harryhound

amcluesent wrote: »

It's tempting to think BT run by the mandarins would be better than the current crew.

Then you remember waiting 6 months for the GPO to 'allow' you to have one of their lovely phones, in a choice of 5 colours.

and you had to bribe the engineer to move your office phone when the partitions were moved; because officially you had to apply to BT, they would rise a ticket and the job might get done within the month.

epz_2

Koptor wrote: »

Right ok, so the lines will connect themselves?
The backup generators in the exchanges will maintain themselves?
Capacity management will happen all on its own?
The power equipment (which, even in the case of LLUs, is still maintained by BT) will maintain itself?

Of course it won't. We do alot more than other providers, we even plan and install their kit for them sometimes.

I will believe the backup generators bit when i see it, most of our customers run hard comms (serial) with a satellite backup as they cant trust phone networks in a black start. Last times i heard the power network got wobbely the mobile base stations were begging the rec for power as all the site batteries wernt maintained.


My position wasnt that the phone network would run till domesday if bt went bankrupt, more that life as normal would continue for a resonble period of time and somone would buy the bits needed to maintain the service their customers pay for.

its not like if BT went bust we woulnt have food or heat.

harryhound

Koptor wrote: »

Incorrect. When a line is disconnected, it isn't usually completely disconnected and you'll still have a dialtone on it - the only time it'll be properly cut off is if that line is required somewhere else in the area - only usually happens if it's been stood disconnected for a loooong time!

.

Yes that is what gets people's goat. There are the wires, usually screwed to the window frame in just the right place to get soaked in condensation and you are on a 6 month short hold.
That will do nicely it is xxx GBP to "reconnect" you and we expect you to sign up for 12 months at least.

No wonder a lot of people say "I'll use the office broad band plus my mobile".

Harry.

PS I will never forgive BT for leaving an UNUSED "daacs" up one of my poles, while I flapped around for 6 years unable to understand why my 56K modem would never work at more than about half that speed. [It put me on a "party line" with nobody on the other half].

brightonman123

and just where will ther govt get the sqiuillions needed to buy back shares?

or will they just do like what happened (i think) with railtrack?

chewmylegoff

Fire_Fox wrote: »

BT still effectively have a monopoly on certain areas of the telecoms market. To be able to take advantage of the cheap prices for landline calls and broadband offered by some competitors one needs an active BT line in place. In rented properties it is common practise to have the line cancelled at the end of a tenancy, meaning the next person has to pay a substantial charge plus agree to an 18 month contract with BT. As a result it's substantially cheaper to have a basic mobile phone contract with mobile internet access - I pay less than £30 for both and it doesn't matter if I relocate.

i hear this thing about rental properties a lot. i must have lived in 10 or so now, and every time i just phone up BT and they connect me for free.

Lotus-eater

ukcarper wrote: »

Who owns the exchanges if BT don't

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/2743456/Property-sale-to-cost-BT-40m-a-year.html

Not sure what has happened since then.