Broadband Prices

IdeasVacuum

Insurance Companies have to offer existing customers the same rates as new customers. I think this should be applied to Broadband Suppliers too - Virgin Media for example are currently charging new customers less than half the fee that current customers pay, and while current customers have old, flaky routers, new customers are supplied with higher tech/better WiFi/more reliable ones. How is that fair? Virgin have a monopoly in fibre-to-the-premises and this is being abused.

Mnoee

Openreach are adding fibre to premises in more places now - I live in suburbia, surrounded by retired people who look at me strange for saying I read the news on a tablet, but for whatever reason it's here. Very thankful for it too! 

I think it'd be easier for everyone to not have to play the 'phone up virgin and say you're cancelling' game, but I don't see them offering everyone the cheaper price and effecting their profits. There are people who just accept the price rises and are paying £50+ for 100mb/s - and those ones are subsidising the new customers. 

IdeasVacuum

... which was the issue with Insurance Companies until the Government intervened.

custardy

depends where you live. I have (at least) 3 gigabit capable suppliers here.
So plenty leverage for haggling come renewals time. VMs 'monopoly' comes from them putting in the infrastructure

ciderboy2009

IdeasVacuum said:

Virgin have a monopoly in fibre-to-the-premises and this is being abused.

As others have said - Openreach are rolling out FTTP fairly quickly so Virgin no longer have a monopoly.

Also, is Virgin really FTTP nowadays?  It always used to be copper for the last bit from the street to the house