Virgin Media installing new fibre, but I'm with BT

GingerBob_3

Belatedly, we're getting 'fibred up' in my neck of the woods. The work is being done by Virgin Media. I'm currently with BT, so will this new VM fibre be available to BT customers as well - without switching?

lee111s

No. Virgin media don't Wholesale their network.

GingerBob_3

lee111s wrote: »

No. Virgin media don't Wholesale their network.

Brilliant! So they are digging up the street and causing a bit of hassle, but unless you move to them, there's no advantage. VM are parasites! When I was with them, they used the BT infrastructure. Next thing, they shovelled me off to TalkTalk because we weren't a fibre area. TalkTalk were rubbish, so I moved to BT and that was a big improvement.


What sort of bum arrangement do we have in this country whereby a single company can install infrastructure like this and not make it available to others? So in theory all the providers could dig up the street independently?

JJ_Egan

Has BT not fibred your area yet ??

Only two suppliers of cabling for phone/ broadband .
One dedicated VM network .
Two the BT Openreach network that other ISPs may buy off .
So TT or Sky will not be digging up your street .

GingerBob_3

JJ_Egan wrote: »

Has BT not fibred your area yet ??

Only two suppliers of cabling for phone/ broadband .
One dedicated VM network .
Two the BT Openreach network that other ISPs may buy off .
So TT or Sky will not be digging up your street .

Yes, BT have fibred the general area, but have not penetrated into the deepest recesses. VM are doing that now. It would surely make sense for BT to put their fibres down the same trunking that VM are currently installing. At the moment we have copper from the house to the BT cabinet, which is about half a mile away.

lee111s

GingerBob wrote: »

Yes, BT have fibred the general area, but have not penetrated into the deepest recesses. VM are doing that now. It would surely make sense for BT to put their fibres down the same trunking that VM are currently installing. At the moment we have copper from the house to the BT cabinet, which is about half a mile away.

Is your current cabinet twinned with a fibre cabinet?

duchy

I'd be quite happy to have a choice of moving if I was stuck in "the darkest recesses" with no fast BB. Just wait til the end of your contract and then move-or take the hit with termination charges if you are that impatient.

Cable laying doesn't take long so not sure what the tantrum about laying cables are especially as you will eventually benefit. Have you checked how long you are still in contract with BT for yet ?

GingerBob_3

duchy wrote: »

I'd be quite happy to have a choice of moving if I was stuck in "the darkest recesses" with no fast BB. Just wait til the end of your contract and then move-or take the hit with termination charges if you are that impatient.

Cable laying doesn't take long so not sure what the tantrum about laying cables are especially as you will eventually benefit. Have you checked how long you are still in contract with BT for yet ?

I said; "So they are digging up the street and causing a bit of hassle". Hardly a tantrum! In fact, it's not (yet) affecting me at all. Unlike the guy up the road who hasn't been able to access his garage for two days!

GingerBob_3

lee111s wrote: »

Is your current cabinet twinned with a fibre cabinet?

I'm not sure, but it's got one of those BT posters about "Fibre" on it, so I'm guessing 'yes'.


My current connection speed it about 20 mb download, so not too bad.

marleyboy

I personally cannot wait for VM to start digging up our Street and install fibre, the majority in our area are of the same opinion.

lee111s

I get 6meg with BT on ADSL.

You couldn't get me to take Virgin media's service even if it were free. Regardless of the speed.