AltaVista UK Withdraws Unmetered Service In UK 133
WhiteWash writes "AltaVista's UK branch is terminating its offer of unmetred access, and blaming BT for the trouble as the BBC says at their news page.
This was a good deal that provided an alternative to BT's monopolistic unmetred access options. Where does Britain turn now for unmetred access?" We originally touched on this subject a while back, for more background info.
Re:announcement spurred competition... (Score:1)
You're correct that the calls aren't billed via BT but you have to rent your line from BT, and keep the line BT, to use the freeserve offer.
I don't have the info to hand but I think the Telecom partner may be Energis [energis.co.uk]. Although that could be my other ISP (U-NET [u-net.net]), or both.
Flawed Business Model (Score:2)
Look at the ISPs that have a successful free-call service (like WorldOnline, ClaraNET). Their money comes from Calls and Access provision - where they operate (or partner with) a piggyback access provider (like Localtel or whoever) and take a decent cut of the call charges, while also being able to profit from voice calls made from the same number. The free ISP access essentially acts as a catalyst to get people to use your telecoms service.
The companies offering access for a 'one-time flat rate fee' don't especially inspire confidence in me - the disappearance of these services from the fly-by-night operations currently in place supports this.
Don't put all the blame on BT. Yes, the local loop has to be unbundled, but this is a much wider problem. The telecoms infrastructure in this country isn't marvellous, and, in some areas, still suffers from load issues. It takes time to deregulate an industry, let's make sure it's done properly. In the meantime, check CUT [unmetered.org.uk] for details of the unmetered access issues.
Re:Note: (Score:1)
Re:Telewest doesn't count (Score:3)
I'm online right now via Unlimited Freeserve Time, available to anyone with a BT line. This costs me 10 UKP per month, which I can (effectively) reduce by prefixing national rate calls with a dialler code. See, that £10 is technically buying that amount of national rate calls over Energis.
I've had some problems with a badly setup cache box on their system sending my firewall mad - and a POP server doing the same thing on a smaller scale - but in other respects they're good. No discernable difference in performance from normal Freeserve (perfectly good), but no phone bill.
I'm very happy with them and could recommend them to anyone else. Except, as a warning, that they're only taking 10,000 new users per week - took me 2-3 weeks IIRC to get added to the system.
Re:Note: (Score:1)
Demon's Surftime is supposed to start soon (when was it supposed to start? October?). They are not going to charge extra for the use of their Surftime number for the evenings and weekends package at least.
Freeserve don't charge at all, and are doing Surftime right now.
So get Surftime now, use Freeserve with it for free (they even do a cashback of 3UKP every three months if you use them regularly on Surftime!). Then, when Demon roll out their Surftime number, you are already fully ready to use it from day one, because Surftime is not in any way associated with any one ISP, it just gives you access to the Surftime numbers (there is a Surftime national dialing code, just like there is a local-rate national dialing code, and signing up for Surftime just lets you use those numbers unmetered).
Who knows, you might (like me) discover that other than the percieved lameness factor, Freeserve offer everything you want from an ISP. I am seriously considering leaving Demon now that I have tried Freeserve... The old Demon email address is a bit of a legacy though.
And I should point out that this wasn't my original idea, a friend put me on to it. He is pretty happy with the scheme too.
What about Linux? (Score:1)
I don't know if anyones ever explained to you what the first two W's in WWW stand for?
Or what nationality Tim Berners-Lee is? Or what country Charles Babbage or Alan Turing came from, or where electricity was discovered?
No didn't think so America boy. You stick your head back up your arse, it's probably a lot safer for you, nothing to challenge your way of thinking.
Nice little BBC Compilation (Score:1)
Re:Nice little BBC Compilation (Score:1)
Best alternative (Score:1)
Re:World Online (Score:1)
ADSL (Score:1)
Regret for the past is a waste of spirit
Re:Move to a... (Score:1)
It's a good job they didn't just pop along near the end and kill a few people then go home, otherwise where would the American film industry be?
Let Him Without Sin.... (Score:4)
I certainly agree that AltaVista's finger-pointing at BT is a desperate attempt to avoid blame for this unmitigated disaster.
Unfortunately for your illustrious company, however, it's a far too tempting target to shoot at. Regardless of the reality, the widespread perception is that BT is still a monopolistic quasi-governmental organisation with an inherent belief that the population of this little island should be gratefull for any morsels it happens to throw their way. You only have to look at the ADSL roll-out for a prime example (and ISDN before it) - BT won't even quote which *year* my exchange is going to be enabled, because I have the gall to live outside a megalopolis. Not that the so-called competition is helping one iota; you only have to look at the availability vs. penetration of cable-modem for that!
So you can certainly see where the temptation to "spin" this story came from... It's not like this result doesn't favourably affect BT after all - all those disappointed AltaVista users turning to the only other supplier of unmetered access in the UK (no prizes for guessing the company... Starts with a "B")
Regardless, in this instance it was wrong to attack BT. Just this once, mind!
Re:Typical BT really (Score:1)
Re:FreeServe (Score:1)
Similar situation, I use Freeserve purely for my connectivity over ISDN. The throughput at times can be, shall we say, less than optimal, but for the price I don't think that it can be beaten (10GBP for what is effectively a 64Kbs leased line!). Especially as it allows my Linux boxen access throught my router - as you say, no special software is a blessing.
I still use my (paid for) Demon Internet [demon.net] account for email and web hosting, but as their service has been in decline for a while now this may change.
Re:Note: (Score:3)
I'll be trying NTLWorld [ntlworld.com] shortly for unmetered internet access, but I'll also keep my Demon [demon.net] account active - they're due to have 'SurfTime' offerings soon.
More details can be found at the following Register [theregister.co.uk] articles:
Richy C. [beebware.com]
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cable modems (Score:1)
cable modems are [...] vapourware in this part of the country
We've found that the NTL cable modem service has mostly worked. There've been a couple of outages a few hours long, and the performance was a bit poor the other night - I think the connection from Cambridge to London is getting a bit full.
NTL have taken quite a bit of flack for the problems with providing free dialup, but personally I'm fairly happy with them at the moment; web browsing with graphics turned on is a joy compared to dialup, and interactive logins are snappy and responsive.
Re:The NTL package (Score:1)
Re:Please.. (Score:1)
Re:Unmetered Access in the UK (Score:1)
Re:World Online (Score:1)
Re:Let's see.. (Score:1)
It's the american tourists who seem to "worship" the royal family a lot more than the natives.
You really should sell your story, to have had gay relations with one of the royals, perhaps the Weekly World news or whatever it is would take it.
Who has to pay for medical treatment and who gets it for free?
Have you got a mobile phone? What is it Nokia, Errikson? All good USAian companies.
Do you use Linux? Oh of course, we just give away our innovations, whereas you stick the customer for whatever you can get (mention no names, Microsoft).
FreeServe (Score:3)
Where does Britain turn? Well, FreeServe [freeserve.co.uk] are offering unmetered use for a flat 10GBP a month!
Not terminating per se... (Score:2)
There are many options for a flat monthy fee connection in the UK...
Re:How does Surftime work? (Score:1)
They'll set it up to time out automatically if you don't keep the connection alive.
Note: (Score:1)
Not only that, they are now blaming BT (My employer, #include ) for not providing the lines. Nice one Altavista.
Still, there are plenty of other unmetered ISP's in the UK, so it's not a major loss to UK Net addicts like myself.
Re:AltaVista the bad guy? No, it was BT. (Score:1)
I do agree with all the points you make about BT. However, in this instance, I think Alta Vista were entirely to blame for their own inability to provide a service that several other ISPs (e.g. Freeserve, Demon, NTLWorld) are managing to deliver.
~Cederic
Re:Please.. (Score:1)
What can I say, there's idiots everywhere regardless of country.
announcement spurred competition... (Score:1)
Some use British Telecom's "surftime" pacakge but not all. I use "freeserve time" which doesn't go thru BT.
While it's never good for companies to hype away without substance, in this case I think the announcement (in part) led to a more rapid bringing to market of other company's toll-free services, which ultimately benefited the consumer.
Re:Where (Score:1)
Not withdrawn at all (Score:5)
The entertainingly cynical UK tech website the register [theregister.co.uk] has been running an entertaining campaign over the last few days appealing for any real user of the service to come forwards. This has been building up in the media, until finally AV admit the service is totally phantom, as are the happy satisfied users that they have been referring to in previous press releases.
It was all an out and out lie. And now they are trying to pin the blame on BT ( the now privatised, previously state-owned telco that has a near monopoly ovet the UK tel infrastructure). This despite the fact that there are other (admittedly smaller) ISP's [telewest.co.uk] who are successfully offering a similar service right now.
I wonder what Alta Vista are going to do with all of the user data they collected for pre registration ? Donate it to charity perhaps ? [hollow sarcastic laugh]
The state of the UK ISP is a real mess. I have just moved house ( I live in Bristol ) and I can't decide what the best company / route is for connectivity - DSL and cable modems are both real soon now vapourware in this part of the country, BT changes tack every two minutes , and smoke and mirrors tactics like this AV stuff make it even more confusing.
Alta Vista got a hell of a lot of PR for this in the UK, government commendations, newspaper front pages etc. I feel that their behaviour over this is criminal, and I would like to see them punished
Re:Spelling Correction (Score:1)
Freeserve beat them to it. (Score:1)
Now all the UK needs is ADSL connections...
FreeServe (Score:1)
Re:ntlworld (Score:1)
Ah, but just try and connect to any Linux 2.3.x or 2.4.x box from NTL's network. Or 'notwork' in this case.
Caused me no end of hassle tracking that problem down. We've had to downgrade now, since NTL's senior network engineers have been quite uncooperative on this issue.
Unmetered Access in the UK (Score:2)
There are many unmetered access providers in the UK now. This is partly due to the initial Altavista announcement. From this point of view it is great that Altavista made the announcement in the first place but on the other hand is sad that it has fallen through
The state of the UK's current flat rate or unmetered ISP provider standard and level of service is poor and its plain to all involved that it is infact BT who are holding back this market. They seem to have severe problems handling the increase of traffic on their network. You get all kinds of BT announcement whilst trying to connect to ISPs now.. Things like 'Sorry there is a fault, please hang up and try again' or 'The telephone network is currently busy, please try again later'. These messages are created by the switches being unable to open a new connection, ie the switches are overloaded.
If you ask me BT must be cringing at the thought of the 'unbundling or the loop' that is being forced on them by OFTEL (the uk telecomunications ombudsman). Expect to see the BT stock take a hit and all kinds of nasty telepone problems.
Funnily enough none of these problems affect BT's own ISP btinternet.com
Re:Move to a... (Score:1)
*laugh* Sorry, I
NTLWOrld, for one (Score:1)
And as an NTL customer, it costs me precisely nothing. Nil, nix, nada, zilch.
Only things are that the far end will disconnect you if you go idle for 20 minutes, and it disconnects after two hours anyway. However, you can just redial immediately.
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Re:Best alternative (Score:1)
NTL do have cable modems, and the service is quite acceptable - assuming they get their current router problems sorted out.
~Cederic has a cable modem and wont give it back.
Re:RedHotAnt (Score:1)
They mentioned that other services were having funding problems and for that reason were withdrawing their services
I think they're referring to Line One and others writing to their customers claiming they were spending too much time on line and trying to limit them to 17 hours a week. Apparently they didn't realise that if you have free internet access you will leave it on all the time.
Re:AltaVista the bad guy? No, it was BT. (Score:2)
I know personally several of the people who told AV to lay off all promotions and PR until BT actually turned up the trunks and calls could be passed. BT has a long history of screwing over any potential competitor, much in the same way american telcos behaved in the first few years after divestiture. They block access to equipment in buildings, cut power at odd times, jinx circuits, lose trouble tickets, and ignore regulator's demands.
So yes, blaming BT rings very true. But AV is also to blame for not realising this is business as usual for BT.
the AC
Re:Why does everyone forget Telewest (Score:2)
Anyway The Blueyonder serice is oversubscribed. Between the launch of the 24/7 service in February and July, it has been immensely slow or totally unusable. It was fine for most of July and early August (at least for me; others milage apparently varied).
This past fortnight however, the service became abysmal. No more than 2K/s download speeds from pretty much anywhere, epsecially through ftp ports. And on Friday night, all routes to the US were compeltely lost for about 20 hours!
The webcaching system they use is totally shafted; often showing porn sites rather than the correct site, but fortunately for me, the dialup area I am covered by doesn't use transparent caches, so that saves me those problems
I would love to know whether any other ISP would completely take down the network for 2 hours like they did on Monday morning this week (it should be mentioned on their service page at status.blueyonder.co.uk:888 [blueyonder.co.uk]. OK it was at 4am, but it does seem rediculous to need to take the whole ISP down.
It is a good deal on paper and yes I am satisfied overall, but the failures are incredibly numerous and I will not trust their e-mail service, considering how often it fails.
Anyway, for £10/month with min of £10 on call charges it is a very good deal and the 3.99/month second phone line is also a worthy deal. Just don't exect as good a service as you might have had with other ISPs
Re:AltaVista the bad guy? No, it was BT. (Score:1)
Just the 2nd round... (Score:1)
Only gullible people really fell for this (including some of my friends :-)), because they fell for all the advertising and the fact that it said 'Free' in the title. Many people ran up HUGE phonebills with this and got very pissed off, at which point i spent much of my time saying 'I told you so...'.
I personally thought that the first completely free service would be backed up by a large company. For instance, I thought that the first to offer this service would be places like banks, who would offer the service if you had an account with them etc., as they are already making money from you out of your business, so their own ISP can afford to make a loss, because they would be backed up by a large company. It turned out this didn't quite happen, instead the phone companies are taking a similar approach.
The third round is going to be with broadband access, and in fact it has already started. This time it's the cable companies (NTL et al with cable modems) vs BT with ADSL. To be honest, BT has already fucked up with the launch of ADSL, but on the other hand, the cable companies have caused problems by banning users from running http and ftp servers on their machines. To some extent that war is still up in the air, but i reckon the cable companies have the edge.
Re:Note: (Score:1)
Has AltaVista UK broken any laws by advertising a service that it couldn't provide and then sending out misleading emails (that the service was available) and press releases?
If so, who do we take this to? Oftel or trading standards?
I wonder if the head of AV UK is going to jump or be pushed with the upcoming flotation on all their minds.
Best wishes,
Mike.
A Cable and Wireless Internet user who now pays NTL for the service, but isn't allowed to use NTL's unmetered access... sigh.
Re:WHO CARES? (Score:1)
Britain Has Chance To Do It Right (Score:1)
I am in the midst of installing a vpn and a framerelay one with AT&T and the other with MCI. MCI, doing the frame has to deal with three different local carriers in five different states. And local carriers are known for their anti-competitive practices.
I believe strongly in competition, but realistic regulation also needs to go along with it.
Re:announcement spurred competition... (Score:1)
Re:announcement spurred competition... (Score:1)
Anyone using surftime has to have BT too. My point, I think :-), was that the "freeserve time" offer doesn't use the BT Surftime IP or financial infrastructure.
UK TV news on this story (Score:1)
Re:The NTL package (Score:1)
Basically, once you've connected the official way under Win9x for that first registration call (it rings up a dedicated server not the normal dial-in number) and got the passwords etc you can bin the NTL 'ware. Stick the relevant info in your dial-up config and away you go. All very jolly.
Andrew
British Internet fiasco (Score:1)
Britain has not been very lucky with unmetered access up until now. There is no single provider that offers a simple flat access for a set out tariff. It's always some sort of "pay half and we pay the other" or metered access with bonus points earning or even "recommend to a friend and get free hours online"!. I can't wait till someone comes and offers a simple deal on unmetered access with no strings attached. We still have no cable or dsl available so 99% of us still rely on dial up. I certainly hope this freak show ends soon!
if you happen to live in Britain you may want to check out this [net4nowt.com] page for all the "offers" you can get.
Personally I use the "Scream" crap and it is actually getting better but the 3 hour disconnect is getting progressively more annoying (or am I being a spoilt brat?). Also you have to pay for your phone bills with your credit card! Just like I said every one of them has some weird strings attached.
Have to go now cause the dialup line is about to get discon
Re:Let Him Without Sin.... (Score:1)
Re:The NTL package (Score:1)
When you logon for the first time (must be under widows) they e-mail you a welcome message which contains all the info you need to configure your dial-up under Linux.
They disconnect you after 2 hours but you can reconnect immediately - A small price to pay for cheaper calls and unlimited free dial-up
Re:Freeserve Unlimited is via Energis, Not BT (Score:1)
-- Jim
Re:BT is evil? (Score:1)
Admittedly I have to reconnect every few hours so I have to use a smart FTP package for downloads (go!Zilla), and lately it's taken a few tries before connecting.
Oh, and that's 64k ISDN, not V90, the only downside is still paying BT for the ISDN line rental, but I'm not going back now- so my quarterly bill is down to about £110 from $300-£400, because the ISDN is a business line almost exclusively for intrenet. When ADSL rolls in (Ha ha, it's already 2 months late) I shall have my ISDN line down-graded to PSTN and then up-graded to ADSL, as BT can't install ADSL over ISDN, even though Deutsche Telekom can....
I also get the 'free' £10 calls from Energis too - and that's on a separate line from the ISDN.
As the Freeserve service has a 7 day notice period I'm happy to drop it to get ADSL and I'm also keeping my old (non-free) ISP account to handle my email etc.
I suppose it could be simpler...
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Hear, hear old chap (Score:1)
Thankyou very much sir, I shall look forward to that beer. (I haven't got anything against USA either, it's all just a bit of a laugh, innit !)
Re:RedHotAnt (Score:1)
Re:Best alternative (Score:1)
Re:Freeserve Unlimited is via Energis, Not BT (Score:1)
It works pretty much like the guy says, except that Linux or NetBSD with SSH is my preferred remote access method. Remote FTP and CVS (through SSH) is feasible, but a web-server is pushing the upload speed of the modem a bit much.
Re:ntlworld (Score:1)
These problems are apparent when making TCP connections from a Windows or Mac box to a Linux 2.3.x or 2.4.x server. The setting up of a connection is fine, and occurs as usual, but data transfer is very, very slow - to the point of unusability
Oddly, these problems don't occur when dialled up from a Linux machine - but they're still apparent when masquerading a Windows or Mac box behind that Linux gateway.
Re:You (Score:1)
Re:FreeServe (Score:1)
On another point there phones bill never have the correct numbers dialled on, and there digital TV is POOR, that is why I went with SKY digital
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its all BT's fault. (Score:2)
ive been using telewest's unmetered access since feb. at £20 a month, its sweet.
the problem is that all the ISP's int he UK are waiting for BT to get their surftime thing done. i know this as i work for an ISP, for the last 3 months, theyve been delyaing the unmtered rollout, for no reason whatsoever. they just dont help. the isp are also doing ADSL access, again, delayed because of BT's lack of support.
they dont help, because they are making so much money from metered access at the moment.
the other problem is the consumers, the majority of the ppl in the UK (probably) have only been online since the launch of the "free" isps, (non-subscription) this wasvery bad, because att he time AOL were justa bout to trial an unmtered service for around £30 a month (~$70) but as freeserve were taken up so heartily they rejected the idea. and ever since, everytime someone suggested some unmtered access (first seen a year ago, trials by AOL) the consumers said: "why should *I* pay £50 a month???" sot hey stopped that plan.
the problem is nobody thinks of the future., and the press, they are to blame too.
everyone claimed how "bad" the service from telewest was, about 5% had a problem. most other people (like me) had no problem.
</rant>
Other Providers (Score:1)
Richy C. [beebware.com]
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Re:Not withdrawn at all (Score:2)
But the service is legendarily unreliable round these parts. And the cable modem rollout has been pushed back before ;o)
Re:FreeServe (Score:1)
Re:FreeServe (Score:1)
Before Everyone starts saying it is excellent value. REMEMBER that you have to use BT otherwise you can't use the free service, and you still have to pay for it :(.
I know this because I use Telewest and the Cabl;e i-net offer is pure rubish, but BTInternet, have a OK'ish offer for none BT users.
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Re:Hey Limey... (Score:1)
Re:Just another (Score:1)
BT being fleeced by AV (Score:2)
Putting it a lil bit more accurately: they didn't like BT's terms trading freely for line costs - so they went public with a huge vaporware in the hopes of getting our polls-obsessed govt to straitjacket BT via the telephone regulator (Yeah, they privatized the company and kept all the control. Govts, hmph). When everyone else - including BT - came up with me-too unmetered services, AV's plan floundered. Good tactical planning there by BT
Least, that's how it looks to me.
Re:AltaVista the bad guy? No, it was BT. (Score:3)
Briefly, BT is regulated by Oftel. However when BT says "this is hard to do" Oftel says "OK, how long will it take you". This is not a recipie for getting things done that BT doesn't want.
In this case BT has two major cash cows: leased lines (GBP 1000/month for 64kbits) and per-minute charging on voice and ISDN lines (a penny a minute upwards). Oftel, the EU, the UK government and just about everybody else want to knock these cows on the head because they are blocking the widespread uptake of the Internet. BT wants to keep them.
This has manifested itself in two main ways:
The only dodgy thing that AV did do was to pretend that their service was up and running with 10,000 users. The Register [theregister.co.uk] has the story so far.
Paul.
It is a bit much though.... (Score:1)
Cheaper ADSL at the end of the year. (Score:1)
"Since AltaVista made its ground-breaking announcement of its intention to launch an unmetered internet access package on 6th March 2000, the entireUKaccess market has transformed dramatically."
Umm...bullshit!
"AltaVista Unlimited Internet Access launched on 30 June, 2000, and is currently being rolled out to our list of preregistered customers. So as to ensure the quality of this service, AltaVista has elected to rollout this service in a controlled manner."
Infact, it was so tightly controlled that it didn't actually get rolled out, period!
Thanks to the fat monopoly that is BT, we in the UK are way behind the US in terms of broadband internet access. The UK's Telco governing body (OFTEL) have set a deadline for BT to lose their monopoly on the local loop at the end of this year, after which the price of non-NAT ADSL installation/usage will hopefully become comparable to the US. I for one will be waiting until then before I get my ADSL.
Re:Note: (Score:1)
BT (Score:1)
Cable Modems and NTL (Score:1)
Make of that what you will. And stop making me sound like an NTL salesman, cuz I'm not
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Point is, I was already an NTL subscriber (Score:1)
The impact of NTLWorld on my monthly outgoings is therefore zero. Well, it's better than that because I no longer pay for my internet calls.
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Re:FreeServe (Score:1)
The NTL package (Score:2)
One good tip is that despite the pin numbers/serials, you can easily install the service on several PCs (if the Dial-Up number doesn't work on its own) by choosing 'reinstall' from the setup options and putting your password in. My flatmate and I are using the same service, despite NTL's claims that this wouldn't be possible.
I know it's a free service - as in beer (providing you don't have to call the helpline) - but even so, it smacks of crap and I think I'd rather pay a set amount for a well-designed and provided service.
I don't think free net access in the UK will work out correctly until we have a phone system similar to the US's, though American readers may wish to correct me here...
Re:How does Surftime work? (Score:1)
Re:Britain Has Chance To Do It Right (Score:1)
Oh dear. We have OFTEL.
That's us buggered then.
--
Hell hath no fury like a pissed-off Glaswegian.
Re:British Internet fiasco (Score:1)
You must pay your bill my credit card OR by direct debit.
The 3 hour disconnect is annoying, but only 66% as annoying as the old 2 hour disconnect
Re:Note: (Score:1)
I'll wait, mainly because I've only just moved and my computer is in 4 rooms...
Richy C. [beebware.com]
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Re:BT (Score:1)
When "June" becomes "late summer" which in turn becomes "October/November", and when you pay 40GBP per month for USB ADSL modem which is already NATed and has dubious support for sharing, games, servers etc. then "a little overpriced" is a phrase worthy of BT's marketing dept.
Re:Best alternative (Score:1)
Re:Move to a... (Score:2)
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Re:Not withdrawn at all (Score:2)
>moved house ( I live in Bristol )
Me too. FWIW where I live now has both a BT phone
line and a Telewest line. The Telewest line consistently
connects at 52 K, the BT line manages 28K. Whether
this is due to the Telewest being a newer connection
than the BT one I couldn't say.
>and I can't decide what the best company / route is
>for connectivity - DSL and cable modems are both
>real soon now vapourware in this part of the country,
>BT changes tack every two minutes , and smoke and
>mirrors tactics like this AV stuff make it even more
>confusing.
Stick to V90 modems. The market for broadband (and
unmetered) won't settle down until the local loop is
unbundled. Or find a friendly ISP in Bristol, get BT to
setup a 'bell wire' permanent connection between
you and the ISP. Bung a DSL modem on each end, and
hope you ISP has got plenty of bandwidth.
From the cable modem rollout it sounds like they could
have charged a lot more, particularly as there is no
competition from BT. The higher price would have get
demand down to level they could cope with.
Back on topic, couldn't Altavista's actions be described
as fraud?
Cheers
David
Re:Let Him Without Sin.... (Score:1)
Re:announcement spurred competition... (Score:1)
AltaVista the bad guy? (Score:3)
I thought that only in the USA could we get stomped by some faceless giant. Don't we own a trademark on that or something???
Where To Turn? (Score:2)
Re:FreeServe (Score:2)
Telewest doesn't count (Score:2)
The ISP you refer to is Telewest. AIUI their unmetered offer is only for people connecting via their own telephone network, which doesn't involve BT.
If you are in Telewest's service area then this is great: go for it. (I like my Cable Modem too). But outside their area you are stuffed.
(Actually I think NTL offer a similar deal.)
Paul.
Re:Totalise? (Score:2)
Hmm (Score:2)
Re:FreeServe (Score:2)
The ususal OK connection rates and overall performance issues exist as on the regular Freeserve accounts but I've been using it on a 56k modem for 18+ hrs a day for over a month with no real problems.
No special dialup programs that tie you to a W98 box and 10ukp/mon of normal calls thrown in for the price too.
I don't recommend you let go of your paid ISP yet (SLAs still mean something after all) but this is an excellent way to manage your bill if you do a lot of daytime work on the web/email.
http://www.freeserve.com [freeserve.com]
Last time I rang up accounts were taking about 10 days to clear and payment was by direct debit monthly. My account has saved me a LOT of money, maybe 100ukp/mon (about $750/yr)
BT is evil? (Score:2)
Freeserve Unlimited is via Energis, Not BT (Score:2)
Sorry matey but that's a bunch of arse. Freeserve do offer an off-peak [freeserve.com] unmetered scheme via BT Surftime (limited to weekends and 6pm-8am) but their peak/off-peak (ie. any time of day) unmetered scheme is via Energis [energis.co.uk].
With Unlimited Freeserve Time [freeserve.com] (the Energis service) you pay a minimum of 10 pounds per month. As well as getting unlimited Internet usage, you can also make long distance voice/fax calls at a discount up to your 10 quid (if you want to make more, you can, but you pay extra).
Unlimited Freeserve Time has the following restrictions:
Yup, I'd hardly call that "unlimited" either, but it's good enough for me- my 'phone bill has gone down from 80 quid a month + rental to 10 quid + rental in one fell swoop. Neat.
Combine a 64kbps ISDN line, Unlimited Freeserve Time, auto-redialling software and a dynamic domain name [dyndns.org] plus a bit of socket/port wizardry and you too can remote control your PC from the office [deja.com] or run FTP/web servers etc.
Readers might like to know that the NTL offering, unlike Freeserve, doesn't support ISDN at all, not even 64kbps.
Find out more on freeserve.help.isdn [deja.com] .
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Typical BT really (Score:3)
Later this year BT are supposed to be 'unbundling the local loop' but it's a case of I'll believe it when I see it!
Those unmetered services that are available (for example my local cable TV company (Telewest) run an unmetered ISP for thier cable TV subscribers) are so heavily over subscribed that they are having to stop taking on new accounts cos they physically can't get the hardware in place fast enough to service the demands.
To quote one of BTs own operators in a conversation with me in summer of 1992 "Well, it's [BT] not an honest company.".
Stephen