MSE Poll: How do you rate your broadband provider? 17 August 2021 at 9:06AM in MoneySaving polls 6 replies 1K views

MSE_Petar

Poll started 17 August 2021

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VillageIdiot

Haven't the days of land-line-based Internet access (Often erroneously called Broadband) passed for most people? You can get Internet access via a mobile phone or a tablet on a 4G signal on typically 8Mb/s, 10GB per month or more, plus unlimited phone calls and texts, for £10 per month, 30 day contract, on all four networks; - EE, O2, three and Vodafone, perhaps via a sub-provider. You can use it almost anywhere with your mobile phone, can access the Internet from computers, laptops and tablets via tethering, and don't get the nuisance phone calls resulting from the multitudinous lists of landline phone numbers.

So, for most, what's the point of a fixed copper or fibre connection?

It will still work during a power cut, unlike a fixed-line based cordless phone and router/modem.

Use an old phone, or cheap phone, with a PAYG SIM for another network, for emergency back-up.

The four networks don't all use the same mast or antenna to cover your house. Try all four with £5 SIMs to find which works best. And don't trust their coverage maps - their claims are based on the best time of day, with fewest people using their network, and don't apply for 24/365.

MovingForwards

I would hazard a guess there's still plenty of us with phone line based internet, the infrastructure cost is too high for companies to change it where I live.

Using a mobile network for internet would cost a lot more than what I pay for my internet, especially with WAH for the last 17 months and my own personal use. I need my phone line internet as I don't have a mobile signal in my home; nor in my previous 2 properties.

Who'd have thought it in 2021.

Gerry1

VillageIdiot said:

Use an old phone, or cheap phone, with a PAYG SIM for another network, for emergency back-up.

Wrong.

You could well be in for a very unpleasant surprise when there's a power cut and only then do you discover that your provider's local base station has no battery backup.

Choose the time of your fire, heart attack or stroke very carefully if you don't have a landline and a corded phone.  Even that won't be a guarantee when the Openreach network goes VoIP by 2025: dozy Ofcom thinks an hour of battery backup (only on request) will be sufficient.

JJ_Egan

(Haven't the days of land-line-based Internet access (Often erroneously called Broadband) passed for most people? )

Definitely not

Though a good idea for those that only want a few emails . Not much use for my IPTV services .

bobharv

VillageIdiot said:

So, for most, what's the point of a fixed copper or fibre connection?

Copper (POTS, Plain, Old Telephone System) has backup power under the telephone regulations. This is feasible because POTS only consumes power when it is in use. Full fibre (FTP, Fibre To the Premises) can supply the sort of bandwidth that is only available if you are close to a 5G mast. Like 5G it also has very low latency making your internet feel more responsive. Full fibre is also very robust as it is delivered through a continuous strand, there are no terminals to corrode or work loose, although it remains susceptible to squirrels or rats chewing on it. However, you are right that we are at a point of change. VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) telephone connections are starting to replace copper landlines. There are probably a lot of people using VoIP without realising it! (Look out for your phone plugging into the box delivering your internet connection). As a long time user of VoIP I know that it can be both cheap and more flexible than our current mobile phone systems.

Anja

SHELL BROADBAND
Beware of the small print! They charge an exit fee of £12 whether you are in OR out of your minimum period!

This surely isn’t right?