Not allowed Sky Broadband

Matt_L

We move into our newly built home next Tuesday so i got a deal with Sky to come and set up the TV, phone line and broadband yesterday. All was good until later in the day when i received a message from Sky telling me that my phone line and broadband had been cancelled. They explained that BT/Openreach own the cables and won't allow sky to use them..

Is this correct and does this mean we have to go with BT or is there a chance that Virgin will be allowed to use the line. I ask because BT call the down load speed will be around 1.5mb, we are currently with Virgin and our speed is 51mb..

Thanks..

[Deleted User]

It's certainly possible (it's called silver key or some such nonsense) and basically gives them a monopoly for a period.

Virgin don't use the same lines, you'd have to check with them if they're available.

iniltous

Unless you are moving into a new build that has FTTP/H , then Sky are talking boll*cks.
If your new build does benefit from fibre to the premises/home , then Sky choose not to purchase wholesale access from Openreach ( and then retail it themselves) , that's their decision...there are other providers apart from BT Consumer that offer FTTP/H

If it's not fibre to the home, but 'ordinary' copper cables ( regular ADSL) or FTTC ( fibre to the cab) the speed you get with Sky would be the same speed you would get with BT or Talk Talk or anyone else,providing you bought the equivalent package.
Presumably you checked the address and you say you would get 1.5Mb with BT, then that is the same speed Sky would have given you if they hadn't cancelled your line/broadband, what speed did Sky say before they cancelled you ?
Virgin use their own network , so if VM haven't 'cabled your street' then you won't get VM

iniltous

Colin_Maybe wrote: »

It's certainly possible (it's called silver key or some such nonsense) and basically gives them a monopoly for a period.

Virgin don't use the same lines, you'd have to check with them if they're available.

Absolute nonsense about BT having a monopoly for a period, if it's an unmatched address then all providers have the same ability/access into OR to do something about it, you seem to assume that if a provider isn't very good at using the tools that OR provide, or are more likely to tell people who's order may take a little more thought or effort, to take a hike, then it must be 'BT's' fault in some way

Matt_L

Sky said between 2.5 and 5mb which is still extremely low.

Our new build home is surrounded by older houses and only a few doors down from where i currently live. There used to be 4 very large blocks of flats there which they knocked down to replace with these new homes..

iniltous

It's less likely ( but not impossible) that it's FTTH, if Sky said 2.5Mb, they probably used the upper estimate , if BT said 1.5Mb, perhaps that's the lower estimate ( they should all give an estimate range not a specific figure)... anyway, the speed would be near enough identical, so if you were happy enough to take Sky broadband, then anyone else's broadband would be similar, and if that turned out to be 1.5Mb, that's what you would have got from Sky.
You could call Sky back, ask to speak to someone who knows what they are talking about, and say Sky have exactly the same wholesale access to Openreach products as 'BT', so what's the real reason they cancelled your order , or chose another ISP, there are many to chose from.
If these new builds distribution cables are off the same copper cabinet that your current property is served from ( accepting that you don't have working 'OR' service) then the speed won't be massively different to the speed Sky or anyone else would have given you at your current address ( if the new address is only a few doors down from your current address)
The post code thing could be a factor, but that's not the 'reason' Sky gave you for cancellation, a more accurate response from Sky, ( if the post code is an issue) would have been, 'the address is so new that it doesn't yet appear in OR systems, we cannot be ars*d with difficult orders, so will tell you 'BT don't allow us etc' , that way you get a bad opinion of them when it should be us you are angry with'

Matt_L

Thanks for your replies iniltous, Im not understanding why only 1.5mb, I'm really confused as to why its so low.
I spoke to a chap at Sky who couldn't explain why we weren't able to have broadband so he connected me to their Technical support where another chap explained something similar to what Colin said, that Sky maybe able to supply use in 12 months but for now they aren't allowed to use the line. I shall however phone them back if needed.

We are currently with Virgin not Sky so i think thats why we have faster speeds now. We will try Virgin first as they might be able to getting a better service...

lee111s

Matt_L wrote: »

We move into our newly built home next Tuesday so i got a deal with Sky to come and set up the TV, phone line and broadband yesterday. All was good until later in the day when i received a message from Sky telling me that my phone line and broadband had been cancelled. They explained that BT/Openreach own the cables and won't allow sky to use them..

Is this correct and does this mean we have to go with BT or is there a chance that Virgin will be allowed to use the line. I ask because BT call the down load speed will be around 1.5mb, we are currently with Virgin and our speed is 51mb..

Thanks..

Can you use the address checker here https://www.dslchecker.bt.com and post up the results please?

Matt_L

lee111s wrote: »

Can you use the address checker here https://www.dslchecker.bt.com and post up the results please?

Where would i find my, "line id"? Is it on our Virgin broadband box?

Matt_L

lee111s wrote: »

Can you use the address checker here https://www.dslchecker.bt.com and post up the results please?

Looking at that again, don't i need to be in the house before i can use that? We don't move in till the 11th Sep??

iniltous

If this new address only has access to exchange based 'ADSL' broadband, then the distance to the exchange from that address is the critical factor in the speed you would get, the further away , the slower you get, in my own case I'm about 5Km from the exchange and get about 3 to 3.5Mb...it's plain old physics.
If your current address had service from BT then swapped to Sky or anyone else ( so ignoring VM for now) then the speed you would have stayed about the same , now ( a very rough guide) if you enquired at you current address about non virgin service, and the new address is very close to your old address , and assuming it is served from the same OR cables , then the speed wouldn't be massively different ( in other words get a speed estimate for you current address, there is a good chance the speed for your 'new' address would be similar to your old address if they are only a 'few doors' apart from each other.

If BT were allowed any sort of priority or 'sweet heart' deal with OR, the regulator would come down on them like a ton of bricks, it's just not true that only BT can offer service , if you don't want to use BT that's fine, if Sky don't want you, blame them not BT, and look at other providers..., if it turns out only BT can process your order, it's because their staff are better trained or more tenacious