Internet cables under block paving?

Miss_Purple_Hat

My parents currently have internet provided by Sky as part of a package deal and it is completely and utterly useless. They've had it for well over the contract period and in that whole time it has never worked properly. It constantly goes down and when it is running the speed is ridiculously low.

EDIT: Sky have been very unhelpful in trying to resolve all the problems.

Having such bad experience, my parents would like to switch to a provider that would need to install a cable up to the house. However, my parents have block paving. They asked in the Virgin store and was told that someone would come out to assess the situation, but apparently that is not the case. After no one turned up and there was no contact, my parents finally revisited the store and were told they do not do that.

My parents do not want to cancel the current internet as my dad needs it to apply for jobs.

Does anyone know of a provider that will reliably take up and replace block paving?

Sorry for the long post and thank you in advance for your time!

kwikbreaks

Virgin would normally run their coax around the perimeter rather than under block paving. If they decide the install requires more work than they are prepared to undertake they will just say you can't have it.

Only cable or FTTP would require anything other than the existing phone line. Cable is VM only and the chances are you can't get FTTP at all.

Many ADSL problems are caused by internal wiring issues - have a read - http://www.kitz.co.uk/adsl/socket.htm

Of course it may just be that they have a very long phone line in which case your only real hope if VM won't install is the BT based FTTC product which BT sell as Infinity and Sky call Sky Fibre which may not be available yet either - use the BT site to see what they offer and what speed estimates they give - that should give you a clue on what is possible.

macman

They'll probably take it up quick enough (it's only laid on a sand base), but, given the limited install times they have, you'll probably need to get it properly relaid if you want a perfect finish. The installers have basic DIY skills, but they're not paving experts.
VM recently did an install near me and didn't even clip the cabling in, they just used cable ties to attach it to the old Sky cabling! A week later it's already becoming detached.

shammyjack

Any company's employees worth their salt will have a powered " Worm " which they can use to burrow under flags and paving to lay a cable with no disruption or damage !

kwikbreaks

IIRC my installers told me they were supposed to do 6 installs a day. That doesn't include pulling cable through the ducting from the cabinet to your own little access plate as that gets done by a different team a day or so before the (usually subcontract) home installer arrives.

Here's a couple of links about this on the VM community board which is a better place to ask as you'll eventually get some sort of reply from a VM employee.

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/Up-to-120Mb-Setup-Equipment/thinking-of-getting-virgin-media-installation-question/td-p/1442316

This one is where the whole street is block paved...

http://community.virginmedia.com/t5/TV/New-Install-Questions-block-paved-street/td-p/285409

I'm pretty much certain that VM will not lift or drill under block paving.

macman

I agree, they'll take it from the street access point down round the site perimeter on one side, clipped to a wall etc.

kwikbreaks

Yep. Unless that's such a long run as to make the install commercially unviable. This isn't a company with a statutary Universal Service Obligation.

Buzby

My mate was in a similar situation - but he solved the problem by arranging to have a conduit installed from the pavement, under the monoblocking, to an air brick at the side of the house. A string was left to pull through the coax - his install by VM took 30 minutes.

If you expect them to do it all, you'll be disappointed - but this way his drive was intact and he was very pleased with the result.

jb66

sometimes virgin leave the cable overground so the customer can arrange it to be burried after