Annex M (again?)

[#1]

I've not noticed this being raised recently, but is Annex M available yet FOR FREE on Plusnet for suitable ADSL non-fibre customers.

Back in the mists of time I recall a trial and even that it was offered for a ludicrous monthly fee, mainly because BTOR also charged for something that costs nothing!

I could just about understand a one-off nominal admin fee to check a line was good enough for it (hardly difficult) and switch it on, but nothing else.

So, "What's the story morning glory?"

I've got to the stage where, if I need something large uploaded relatively quickly, I turn off WiFi and do it over 4G from my phone, either directly or using it as a hotspot.

My ADSL connection speeds have actually improved as more people nearby migrate to fibre so I have Downstream: 21.23 Mbps and Upstream: 1.103 Mbps which is nice but slow uploading.

[#2]

Was discussed less than 2 weeks ago in this thread https://community.plus.net/t5/Broadband/ADSL-upload-cap/m-p/1893262  which had zero staff input but a long term poster stated that Annex M wasn't available from Plusnet (and no staff member posted to contradict that statement).

[#3]

I'd say "mentioned in passing" rather than discussed, but as you say there was no staff input there, let's see if this prompts some. Limitations on the Forum search (I did try) mean that I missed that thread.

The poster there had a much worse line than me anyway and Annex M probably wouldn't work for them.

Annex M has definitely been available (at a price) in the past with standard hardware.

[#4]

@HPsauce  As I said in the linked thread as far as I know Plusnet have never offered Annex M so I don't think there is much chance of you getting if for free.🙄

[#5]

And I can ABSOLUTELY confirm that they did, not least because I had it for a while, but cancelled when the costs became excessive. You will find threads on this forum about various trials, some years ago, which is why I'd like PN staff to explain the current situation. 

See here, for example: https://community.plus.net/t5/Plusnet-Feedback/Annex-M-pricing/m-p/1097081#M49025

[#6]

@HPsauce  You are correct, perhaps I should have said it has not been offered recently, I have no idea what percentage of customers are still on ADSL but it must be getting pretty small.

Annex M does still exist on the BT Wholesale price list but I doubt that Plusnet will offer it.

[#7]

I've no idea on the proportions of customers on ADSL vs Fibre, but it makes little sense for me to move.

My cabinet is MUCH closer to the exchange than my house and the slight speed increase (for the extra cost) is just not worth it.

The over 20mbps I already get is way more than adequate for our needs, it's just the slow upload that's a bit of a pain sometimes.

I have neighbours close by, further from the exchange but on an even more distant cabinet who get way better speeds on fibre than I ever could, but that's just the way the technology works.

Given all this, you'd think BT/PN would "look after" their remaining ADSL customers better before they jump ship to more competitive suppliers.

[#8]

Just to confirm (from a staffer), I’m afraid we don’t offer Annex M. Have you checked if Openreach have any plans to provide full fibre to your area? Their fibre checker may help: https://www.openreach.com/fibre-broadband/ultrafast-full-fibre-broadband#fibrechecker

[#9]

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@HPsauce wrote:

you'd think BT/PN would "look after" their remaining ADSL customers better before they jump ship to more competitive suppliers.

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You mean their uneconomic and expensive to upgrade ADSL customers? I expect they are more interested in their cheap to upgrade and profitable customers (I'm in an OR ADSL2+ only area with no plans for any upgrade - and most people in the area have moved away from OR to an altnet, so I doubt OR will ever offer FTTP here which will save OR the expense).

[#10]

Thanks @Gandalf, however: [quote] At the moment, we don't have any plans to upgrade your area to full fibre [/quote]