Plusnet - are they for real?

grumbler

Received a junk letter from them, but addressed directly to my address and with my name on it.

Plusnet's new high speed Fibre optic broadband is available where you live...
Plusnet Fibre can give you amazing speed up to 40MB...

Happy days. I do want fibre optics, but I am pretty sure that it is not available in my area.
Well, let's read the letter further:

...this depends on your location, phone line, home wiring...

Wait.... Do you not know my location already when sending the letter to my exact address?
And why on earth fibre optic BB speed depends on the copper phone line and the copper home wiring?

Well, their website despite offering the same 'fibre optic' for my exact address, is far less optimistic: 14Mb "estimated", but again depending "on your location, phone line, home wiring...". Still not bad but still as clear as mud.

A email fired and a reply received in a matter of minutes. Good job!

The reason why we can have fibre in your area is because the fibre cable is to your exchange and then the wiring to your house will be copper...

Wait... Was I wrong in thinking that copper wiring between my house and the exchange is the main limiting factor for the achievable speed?

... I can see by your line that the maximum speed which you can get at the minute is around about 2.5MB...

Correct.

... So the speeds that we can offer you with fibre is a lot better than you can get with normal ADSL2+.

And the questions are:

1. Can they?
2. If they really can how faster it can be than my current 2Mb and how close to their "estimated" 14Mb?

Any thoughts/experience?

kwikbreaks

It sounds like they are offering their own version of the BT Infinity product which is fibre to the cabinet not just to the exchange. You still have copper in the equation but only the length to your local cabinet.

If you want to know if you are likely to be able to get this use the BT site to see if you can get Infinity - http://www.productsandservices.bt.com/consumerProducts/displayTopic.do?topicId=29017

BT will only offer Infinity if it can deliver at least 15Mbps (top is 40Mbps) but it can be sold under other branding which would help if the ADSL is dire because it's bound to be better than that.

grumbler

Thanks.
What's the "cabinet"? Something between the exchange and the house?

Idiophreak

grumbler wrote: »

Thanks.
What's the "cabinet"? Something between the exchange and the house?

The little green boxes you see on footpaths etc...

grumbler

Well, BT say "BT Infinity is not currently due to be rolled out in your area within the next 6 months".
And it's as clear as mud with Pulsnet:

• On the website they say: "Plusnet Fibre uses technology known as 'Fibre To The Cabinet' (or FTTC) which connects telephone exchanges to street cabinets using fibre optic links".
• Their "Yorkshire-based" CS is useless. In the same email (second one, after I specifically asked for a clarification) they say: "The fibre cable runs between the cabinet and the exchange, the copper wire will run from the cabinet to your property. Your current speed will be lower due to the copper cables ability to carry speed a long distance between the exchange and your property.
• And "We do not offer fibre on a trial basis at this time, so you would have to take an 18 month contract should you wish to set up an account with us"

Is it really possible that they are ahead of BT with FTTC?
How can I make sure that I'll get any improvement after switching and getting tied for 18 months?
Is it possible to check that they do have the fibre between the exchange and the cabinet?

iniltous

grumbler wrote: »

Well, BT say "BT Infinity is not currently due to be rolled out in your area within the next 6 months".
And it's as clear as mud with Pulsnet:

• On the website they say: "Plusnet Fibre uses technology known as 'Fibre To The Cabinet' (or FTTC) which connects telephone exchanges to street cabinets using fibre optic links".
• Their "Yorkshire-based" CS is useless. In the same email (second one, after I specifically asked for a clarification) they say: "The fibre cable runs between the cabinet and the exchange, the copper wire will run from the cabinet to your property. Your current speed will be lower due to the copper cables ability to carry speed a long distance between the exchange and your property.
• And "We do not offer fibre on a trial basis at this time, so you would have to take an 18 month contract should you wish to set up an account with us"

Is it really possible that they are ahead of BT with FTTC?
How can I make sure that I'll get any improvement after switching and getting tied for 18 months?
Is it possible to check that they do have the fibre between the exchange and the cabinet?

As already said, they re-sell BT's FTTC service under their own brand, Plusnet is a BT company anyway.
To be clear FTTC is fibre to a new cabinet located close to the existing 'copper' cabinet (the green BT boxes you see around), the reason for giving an estimated speed is because the individual distance from the existing cabinet to peoples houses is still copper and the further away from the copper cab you are, the slower the service will be.....your problem seems to be that Plusnet are saying FTTC is available and BT are saying it isnt....if you know where your local copper cabinet is you could have an educated guess yourself, go and have a look, because the new fibre cabinet shouldnt be more than a few metres away from it....no new cabinet then you wont be able to get FTTC from anybody

hippey

You don't say where you live...

Plusnet also offer FTTP/H in a few locations, this also is on a 'survey' basis. In some of these ares you won't find any new cabinets, but a simple line check via BT Wholesale will shed light on whats happening.

ruggedtoast

I would personally be very reticent to sign an 18 month contract with Plusnet.

stephen25uk

been with plusnet for 5 years now...very reliable and only had to phone customer services twice and problems were resolved in a timely manner...look a the surveys done they are allways in the top 5 isps

kwikbreaks

A spelling mistake in a sig should be avoided. Especially one referencing fools.

slinga

I've found Plusnet OK.
I get around 2mbps on an up to 8mbps service. Not great but does what I want.
BTW I get 0.92mbps on a free 1mbps service in Singapore and download times appear to me to be no different to that which I get from Plusnet.
As I'm overseas for big chunks of the year Plus net have been good at suspending my payments while away with no start up charge.
But now they say they won't do a free suspension in future.

Any other ISPs that will do a free suspension????