How do you change provider and guarantee improvement?

macman

pfaas wrote: »

The Exchange is shown as having no LLU services, so I guess that means if I want good performance I have to get BT (?)

So you are on an expensive TT non-LLU contract?
No, you don't have to use BT at all, you can use any of the dozens of BT resellers, Plusnet probably being the best known. The speed will be the same, as they all use BT's network.

pfaas

I've been happy with the contract for many years, it's just that the performance which was ok for email & browsing is not up to today's need to stream. I'm sure nowadays there are better deals, but my package gives me free calls (except mobile/premium), line rental, and broadband for £37 per month - I don't think that's excessive, but based on broadband performance it's time to change.

macman

£37? That's extremely high by today's' prices, even on a Market 1 exchange. Plusnet comes in at around £30 with Anytime calls, less if you take LRS-and there's curently a £50 cashback via the MSE link.. TT is pointless on such an exchange, they make little margin on it so they don't really want your business.
The calls aren't free, they're inclusive.
As others have pointed out, there's no guarantee of faster line speeds on any other service: on a non-LLU exchange you will still be dependent on the same BT network.

onomatopoeia99

macman wrote: »

So you are on an expensive TT non-LLU contract?
No, you don't have to use BT at all, you can use any of the dozens of BT resellers, Plusnet probably being the best known. The speed will be the same, as they all use BT's network.

Describing an ISP that uses BT's 20CN or 21CN backhaul as a "BT reseller" is wholly inaccurate. Backhaul is just one constituent of internet service provision.

I use A&A as my ISP. At various times my connection has used 20CN, 21CN, Be and talktalk backhaul (they allow ADSL customers to choose their backhaul provider if they have contracts with more than one provider at the exchange), but always with the same ISP, the same IPv4 subnet, the same services, same policies etc.

macman

I'm using it a a generic term for those providers who do not have their own LLU network and use BT Wholesale services. I don't think there's anything inaccurate in that as a way of distinguishing the 2 services, especially to posters who are not familiar with the idea of LLU/non LLU services.

pfaas

Done. A switch to plus net now started. Having looked at the deals open to me I wouldn't say that the £37 I was paying was excessive. BT & plusnet were only cheaper based on initial offers and money back. The key difference hopefully will be performance - although when I phoned Talk Talk for a Mac code they still insisted that I'd get only 2mbps from another supplier. I'll let this thread lapse now unless in a month time I'm getting 1.9mbps!
Thanks for the advice.

kwikbreaks

Your router stats would show why you only get 2mbps and whether changing would help.

As somebody mentioned you are probably on one of the old fixed speed profiles if others nearby are getting far faster. If your TT wasn't LLU then a straight migration probably won't change the profile. Plusnet will be more amenable to sorting it out though - especially through their forum so long as you provide all the info they ask for.

Good luck

pfaas

So here I am 2 weeks later with PlusNet Broadband. A few hiccups along the way, but good service sorted it out. So were Talk Talk right when they assured me that my new provider would only deliver the same service of 1.9mbps? - were they heck! Since Tuesday I've enjoyed 6.5 - 6.9mbps. Last night I was able to stream BBCIplayer without spooling for the first time time ever.:T
Thanks for all the advice