Are upload speeds guaranteed? And 'superfast' infrastructure question.

battenburg88

I've been with Now Broadband on their Brilliant Broadband package for a few years. They've generally been good and my package seems like decent value because it includes line rental (I wanted to keep a landline phone).

Recently I've been having issues using multiple devices e.g. streaming TV on a Firestick and then trying to make a Facetime call at the same time. Work video calls are usually fine, but I can barely upload files on my work system when working from home and VNC can be a problem. I've just done a speed test (via the test that comes up on a Google search) and it came out at 0.1mbps then 0.3mbps. Now Broadband's test on their website says 0.8mbps. They estimate I should get between 0.7-1mbps.

I have a couple of questions:

1) Is upload speed guaranteed by a provider and could I challenge the service I am getting? On my account they only state the download speed is guaranteed and the upload is just listed as an estimate. How would I prove that I'm not getting the estimated speed if the checker on Now's website give better results than I seem to be shown by alternative internet speed checker.

2) I enquired with Now about upgrading to one of their other packages to get generally faster speeds - perhaps 'Fab Fibre'. They eventually told me that I couldn't actually receive this service and that the infrastructure isn't available for my property. I'm not technical expert so its very likely that my understanding of how this works is incorrect but, my local council have an information service that states that 93.5% of my street can get 'superfast broadband'. If I search for broadband packages with, say, BT, they seem to suggest I can get a much faster option too. Unless I'm in the unlucky 6.5% of my street, is there any reason that Now Broadband couldn't/wouldn't make use of the faster infrastructure? Or could I just be stuck with the slowest broadband packages regardless of provider and would need to switch to cable to get a better service?

Any advice appreciated! Perhaps the service has always been quite slow and its only recently, in having more occasions where multiple device are connected, that I've noticed quite how slow.

Neil_Jones

If you're doing speed tests via wireless its not a true representation.  Do them wired.

Re: upload speeds, if you are on ADSL / "old" / slower broadband, your upload speed will do well to get above 1Mb.  Upload speeds for home internet are often about 1/10th of the speed of your download speed.

Fibre will give you a better upload speed, but if Now have quoted you for FTTP, not everybody can get that (yet).  You're more likely able to get FTTC, which is slower than FTTP but is also cheaper. 

https://availability.samknows.com/broadband/broadband  will tell you what and who's available at your address.

iniltous

TBH , if you are on ADSL2+ with Now , and use things that rely on reasonable upload , like when using FaceTime , upload is around 1Mb in ideal circumstances,  so 0.3, 0.7 or 1Mb is going to show the limitations of ADSL ,
If VDSL ( FTTC ) is available, if not from Now , but someone else , an upgrade is really the way to go , enter your address at the DSL checker 
https://www.broadbandchecker.btwholesale.com/#/ADSL
post the results 
Upload speed isn’t guaranteed, if your download is within the estimate provided, they won’t look at the upload as a problem, especially if it’s 0.7Mb difference between what you get and the max the system can deliver 

battenburg88

Here you go:

And the following text is beneath the table:

FTTP is available and a new ONT may be ordered.

The exchange is not in a current fibre priority programme

WLR is currently available at the exchange

SOADSL is restricted at the exchange

iniltous

Lots of people would be envious of your situation , you have access to FTTP ( fibre to the premises ) , although AFAIK your current ISP , Now , don’t offer FTTP , many others do.

If you want to swap to FTTP then the speeds on offer are shown in the table posted , the potential increase in upload and download speeds , which are not affected by line length etc. are massive, 

battenburg88

Thanks everyone. This is obviously good news. I'd hoped something like that would be the case as I live in a city but was confused with what I was told over the phone.

Perhaps I just need to give them a call back to check this, but even if Now Broadband don't offer FTTP, they still advertise faster options (Super Fibre and Fab Fibre). I understand there are nuances with referring to 'fibre', but how are those services provided to people? If I can get FTTP, which sounds like the gold standard, why wouldn't Now be able to provide a service that uses a 'lesser' technology?

My contract with them ends in July so if I can't upgrade with Now (which I would be happy to do) then I'll need to wait before I can switch. 

littleboo

You only have ADSL or FTTP available at you address, so the bottom tier and top tier of products. VDSL/FTTC, or the middle tier, is not available. |So for some reason, your green cabinet has not been upgraded for FTTC, you may be an exchange only line that doesn't pass through a green cabinet. So if you want to stay with Now, then they can only offer offer ADSL until they decide to offer FTTP. Other providers will be be able to give you an FTTP service.

As FTTP is delivered over new infrastructure, you could order FTTP now but would obviously be paying for both until July. You also need to consider if you want/need to keep your landline number.

battenburg88

Ah, ok, this makes sense. So in some cases, people will also (or only) have FTTC, in which case Now could offer their faster packages. But in my case, that middle option has been skipped.

For a long time I had really poor mobile signal at home, to the point that I couldn't really make calls, which is why I wanted a landline. Perhaps there was/is a little bit of nostalgia caught up in that too! For whatever reason my mobile signal is now reasonable so that isn't so much of an issue.

Are you suggesting that if I switched to a faster service using FTTP that couldn't include a landline and therefore - if I wanted to keep it - I would need to maintain the landline separately?

littleboo

Not all FTTP providers offer a phone line option - the phone system as we know is is being phased out and replaced by VOIP. It is possible to switch to FTTP and retain your phone service ( as VOIP, or Digital Voice as BT call it) with the same number, but you need to check the provider offers that.

It is possible to port a landline number to your own VOIP provider and thereby separate your Internet service from your Phone service, but that needs a bit of planning, new equipment if you want to retain a physical phone and may not be straightforward. But it would mean that in the future you would never need to worry about your landline number when switching ISP's.

For the mobile, if your phone and service supports WiFi calling, the phone can switch to using  WiFi for calls if the mobile signal is poor.

iniltous

If a ‘landline’ is required, then with FTTP it will not continue to use the copper pair but be delivered via the FTTP broadband , so should the broadband go off , the phone is off as well, as stated not all FTTP providers will offer phone services, but most do.
If the landline phone number you currently have is important to you and has to be retained then it would need to be ported to the FTTP provider you chose , but they should arrange that at the sign up stage,(  assuming  you are prepared to leave Now , if they don’t offer FTTP ) 
You could keep your Now service ( ADSL and phone ) and get a broadband only FTTP service , but that would be IMHO unnecessarily expensive paying for two services