Guaranteed Minimum Speed

[#1]

Mustrum, I am sorry for over complicating things and that I must be doing this often. It wasn't my intention to annoy anyone.

And its become totally obvious that I misread/misunderstood and I'll just add this, move on, and allow you to continue.

I read upgrade as just that, IMHO moving to fibre only isn't an upgrade. Sorry about how I wrongly understood that.

(and I say that respectfully to the OP - its how I read it)

I did say do you mean you updated, that should have said upgraded but sorry about that too

(I was assuming an upgrade was being based on a speed upgrade/increase, not the loss of phone and I was asking a question)

Where the OP wrote not changed over yet I also assumed the estimated speed of 36mb was pre-upgrade and this estimate was going to increase too. Sorry for misunderstanding.

Regarding the estimated speeds and my IIRC - this was roughly how this was explained to me from Warren Buckley when I dealt directly with him. I don't remember that exact conversation. Sorry for any confusion

In some of my posts I try to lighten the mood as this place isn't how it used to be, Sorry about this too

(or maybe its always been this bad and I didn't notice this prior to 2019)

In my (and I genuinely thought) methods of explaining my reasoning's in simple to understand terms, which I now see can become a chore to read, I was only trying to help. Clearly I'm doing this wrong too and the efforts of my peers are the best way forward for my fellow Plusnet customers.

The explanation of my neighbour never having broadband also served a purpose for future readers, in case they ever thought like I used to. I'm sorry about this too and accept this wasn't required in assisting Don101

And I have forgotten at which point the MGS is altered when the Fibre speed is upgraded / increased.

Anyway, sorry once more Mustrum and sorry to you too Don101. I'll unsubscribe after posting.

[#2]

Thanks again for your replies, incl DS. I"ll raise a support issue and get them to check the line. If I can"t get more than 7mb download I will cancel the "upgrade".

With regards to actually upgrading to "full fibre", we had people digging up all the pavements in Edinburgh for several years and laying fibre optic cables everywhere. We have them all down our street. No idea who owns or uses them. Whenever I put my address in to see what I can get, it"s not full fibre. Plusnet don"t offer it for my address, nor does anyone else as far as I can tell, but I have a plastic tube with a cable in it pocking out of the pavement in front of my house.

[#3]

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@Don101 wrote:

With regards to actually upgrading to "full fibre", we had people digging up all the pavements in Edinburgh for several years and laying fibre optic cables everywhere. We have them all down our street. No idea who owns or uses them.

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@Don101  try putting your address in to the Ofcom Broadband Availability Checker

and see whether you get any results for "Ultrafast"

or alternative broadband providers listed after "Networks in your area"

It looks like Openreach have nearly completed installing FTTP across Edinburgh -

[#4]

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@Don101 wrote:

 If I can"t get more than 7mb download I will cancel the "upgrade"

I would very much doubt that the "upgrade" could be reversed.

Once Openreach have removed the analogue phone signal from your FTTC connection to "upgrade" to Plusnet 'Fibre' (AKA SoGEA), I'd imagine it would be impossible to have FTTC reinstated since the 5th September 2023 "WLR stop sell"

[#5]

Thanks PlanetX, Ive got until the 6th before they remove the phone number. I will check that website.

[#6]

I just checked with Ofcom, and I can get Ultrafast (up to 1000 Mb), Superfast (upto 40) and standard (upto 8).

Sounds like Plusnets "fibre" broadband is now only "standard" !?

It seems I can get superfast and ultrafast form Cityfibre, Openreach and Virginmedia.

Thanks very much for that infon PlanetX

[#7]

@Don101  You already have super fast from PN, but it is running slow and due to the distance from the cabinet will only ever be mid 30-40 Mbps.

You will need to check out the Virgin and Cityfibre websites to see what they can offer you and the costs. You should be able to get a decent deal for at least the first year, but will need a hole drilled in the property for the new cable.

It is worth noting that Cityfibre works with a number of suppliers therefore you have the ability for competitive prices each contract, not something you will get with Virgin - but their combined TV/internet package is worth looking at if you need such things.

[#8]

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@Don101 wrote:

If I can"t get more than 7mb download I will cancel the "upgrade".

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I think that is wise. It doesn't really matter that the actual speed you may get is way above the minimum guaranteed speed, it is the fact that speeds as low as the minimum guaranteed speeds are considered OK by Plusnet. So don't accept a minimum guaranteed speed that isn't acceptable to you.

[#9]

So, I think plusnet have the best customer service. I phoned up, got through almost immediately. They cancelled the upgrade and put me back on my old contract, which doesnt run out till april anyway. No hassle at all.

They then put me through to a technician who chatted for 20 mins or so.

Basically it seams they are struggling a bit with copper to junction, then fibre systems. He said I probably wouldnt get more than 8 or 9mbs anymore. he suggested turning the router off, leaving it for an hour, and turning it on again to allow any updates to be installed, and whatever. Personally I think the problem is because of the huge rise in streaming services and 4K etc that the system has to limit the bandwidth to each customer.

Plusnet use openreach, and apparently openreach dont have full access to the new fibre laid in our street. Once they get access then plusnet can offer ultrafast.

Thanks for all your replies.

[#10]

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@Don101 wrote:

Basically it seams they are struggling a bit with copper to junction, then fibre systems. He said I probably wouldnt get more than 8 or 9mbs anymore. he suggested turning the router off, leaving it for an hour, and turning it on again to allow any updates to be installed, and whatever.

If your speed used to be 36Mbps it should still be 36Mbps - there is no reason for it to drop to 8-9Mbps unless there is a fault.

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Personally I think the problem is because of the huge rise in streaming services and 4K etc that the system has to limit the bandwidth to each customer.

The speed you get for a particular service is different to the speed of the connection. If one service is congested that is the only thing that should be slowed down. Plusnet do not use traffic shaping to limit customers speeds, so your connection should run at the full speed.

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Plusnet use openreach, and apparently openreach dont have full access to the new fibre laid in our street. Once they get access then plusnet can offer ultrafast.

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Unless it is Openreach installing the fibre, then Openreach and hence Plusnet will never have access to it. Openreach have to install their own network before Plusnet will be able to offer FTTP.

[#11]

Couldn't have put it better myself, @corringham .👍

[#12]

Unless it is Openreach installing the fibre, then Openreach and hence Plusnet will never have access to it. Openreach have to install their own network before Plusnet will be able to offer FTTP.

Well, I see your point, however Cityfibre have been travelling the streets of Edinburgh for some years, digging up pavements and roads and laying fibre optic cables at great expense. If you go to the Cityfibre website you will find they dont offer any broadband services themselves but they provide links to a long list of providers who do. I think most likely theyve done all the hard work, and now charge other providers lots of money for using there cables. I dont think openreach will start digging up all the pavements and roads all over again to lay there own cables. But I may be wrong.

The plusnet technician said you can go to the openreach website and register your interest in ultrafast. the more people in your area that do so the more likely openreach will offer ultrafast, then plusnet can as well.

[#13]

Unless it is Openreach installing the fibre, then Openreach and hence Plusnet will never have access to it. Openreach have to install their own network before Plusnet will be able to offer FTTP.

[#14]

@Don101 

I wouldn't bother looking at FTTP from Virgin, there have been a lot of reviews lately indicating that Virgin are among the worst broadband providers -

https://www.expertreviews.co.uk/virgin-media/virgin-media-broadband 

https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.virginmedia.com 

[#15]

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@Don101 wrote:

I dont think openreach will start digging up all the pavements and roads all over again to lay there own cables. But I may be wrong.

Openreach never use anybody else's network. They will build their own FTTP network, or they won't have one. They do of course already have a copper network, in many places that runs in ducts so they can install a lot of the necessary fibre without digging the roads up.

In rural sparsely populated areas such as mine where there are no ducts, they have no plans for FTTP, and I expect that once they close small exchanges after PSTN switch off they will abandon uneconomic areas altogether with fixed line services and only offer 4G.  

[#16]

OK, I accept that now, which is a shame for Plusnet. There is a long list of providers using Cityfibres network, and many are offering 150mbs for the same price as im getting 7 to 9 mbs from plusnet (the technician I spoke to seemed very sure I would be unlikely to ever get more than 9mbs, whatever the reason). Much that I would hate to leave plusnet after many years of good service its becoming a bit of a no brainer.

Thanks for the advice and help from everyone.