Plusnet Removes Broadband Internet Traffic Prioritisation

[#1]

Will this see the return of the defunct pro addon?

And the additional cost.

[#2]

Hi Everyone, 

Most people shouldn't notice any difference with their connection, If this change is causing issues for anyone please contact us either over the telephone/Live Chat or here and we will do all we can to help.

[#3]

Perversely, I find @JonoH's comment somewhat disappointing 

[#4]

John Lewis broadband ( provided  by PN)  still states traffic prioritisation , is that still the case?
https://www.johnlewisbroadband.com/faq/#whenbusy

In exceptional circumstances the network could become much busier than expected. This could be due to a major news event leading to a huge amount of online traffic, or in the rare case of network failure for example. In these situations, we would prioritise traffic on our network to help ensure that you get a great service no matter how busy it is.

[#5]

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@JonoH wrote:

Hi Everyone, 

Most people shouldn't notice any difference with their connection, If this change is causing issues for anyone please contact us either over the telephone/Live Chat or here and we will do all we can to help.

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@JonoH Can we have some answers  to the questions raised in this thread please  

[#6]

PN On the new network what are the advantages to the customer, in having traffic prioritisation turned off, rather than kept on? 

[#7]

I can see two sides of this.

Firstly, I know from the very many posts in the past it had caused issues for people: gaming, P2P, etc.

Secondly, people are unstably concerned as to whether this will degrade their connection or make a negative difference to it depending on the actions of others. I just hope PlusNet take action if needed, on my ISP there is something essentially (paraphrasing) saying in the T&C's that "If you affect our network, we reserve the right to take action" and presumably PlusNet have and most other ISP's.

EDIT: Should use the Lithium spell checker before posting, or the lazy option of copy and pasting in Word before posting 

[#8]

I think Plusnet removed of Internet Traffic Prioritisation is very bad move indeed. Because over many years of Internet Traffic Prioritisation was excellent. But, now if SkyQ is downloading movies or drama series or tv catchup then internet will be badly hit for other in my household such as streaming Netflix.

[#9]

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@corringham wrote:

Does anyone know whether this applies to 20CN ADSL Max connections on IPStream backhaul, or just connections on Plusnet's own new network?

This change has been applied to all unlimited products.

Also, what happens to anyone with the Pro add-on (I don't have it as it is no use with t he 20CN connections, and I have the Premium add-on anyway), as that relies on traffic prioritization.

If you have the Pro add-on you will continue to have your traffic managed by Plusnet 

[#10]

I try Pro Add On before on fibre, make no difference at all, nothing is change in network in one bit. So, it will be waste of money £5 to add on. I recommend not to use Pro Add On.

[#11]

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@goldenfibre wrote:

I try Pro Add On before on fibre, make no difference at all, nothing is change in network in one bit.

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I wouldn't expect the Pro add-on to make a difference to a fibre connection unless it was very heavily utilized. It also doesn't make any difference a low speed ADSL connection, as the bandwidth gets saturated anyway. So I wouldn't recommend it either.

I asked about it as I was curious whether people who do have it were now paying for something which has been removed, but apparently it hasn't changed - so any non-business user that still wants traffic prioritization can have it - for £5 a month.

[#12]

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@maranello wrote:

Perversely, I find @JonoH's comment somewhat disappointing 

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Sorry @maranello I'm trying to get through the questions, Some my technical knowledge is not equipped to deal with so I'm working on those whilst I answer the easier ones  

@goldenfibre wrote:

I try Pro Add On before on fibre, make no difference at all, nothing is change in network in one bit. So, it will be waste of money £5 to add on. I recommend not to use Pro Add On.

You may not have noticed much of a difference, however the add on does include enhanced traffic prioritisation  

[#13]

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@JonoH wrote:

Most people shouldn't notice any difference with their connection,

@JonoH,

In the petty ASA ruling - https://www.asa.org.uk/rulings/plusnet-plc-a15-292223.html

They [Plusnet] said removing traffic prioritisation would have more than a “moderate” impact on some consumers’ overall internet user experience, especially those who had purchased lower broadband line speeds.

Also from the ASA's response...

We understood that Plusnet applied a traffic prioritisation policy, which impacted those customers who reached their maximum bandwidth, to prioritise time-sensitive traffic and maintain a high quality experience for individuals engaged in those activities. We noted that, contrary to typical forms of traffic management, the overall line speed delivered to a household was not impacted by traffic prioritisation.

Are you able to obtain an explanation of how the investment in the core network removes the need / benefit derived from a traffic flow control, who's objective is to mitigate the limitations of exchange to property bandwidth?  The core network might have more capacity and deliver it edge to edge quicker, but it's still the same limitation of slow speeds over much of BTOR's wet cotton local network.  Can @bobpullen or @Kelly contribute here please?

Personally I have never thought traffic prioritisation has had any significant bearing on the concurrent use of the back haul, as somewhat implied by the justification for removing the valuable service / feature.

I can see users on longer lines seeing poorer performance of real time activity all for the sake of p2p and cloud up / down loads taking a bit longer.  There is more to this than the claims made.

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[#14]

@JonoH

Apologies for not being more clear that my comment was somewhat tongue-in-cheek (someone should come up with an emoticon for this!)

My disappointment is that I won't be likely to see any improvement as a result of the change, but I wasn't really expecting this anyway. Nevertheless I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

[#15]

Hi Guys, 

Please bare with me I'm going to try to answer some questions in bulk. 

goldenfibre wrote:

• What if a customer wants to continue with traffic prioritisation?
Any customers who do want to continue to use traffic prioritisation can do so by ringing 0800 432 0200.

We no longer offer traffic management on unlimited products.  In the unlikely event that this change has negatively impacted your experience you require traffic management we will temporary provide free access to the pro add on so that you can see if the enhanced traffic prioritisation it offers is of benefit to you.

goldenfibre wrote:

I rang them up and they say there is no option to enabled traffic prioritisation back on, there isn’t. Told me it only for business only. Yes you are right Oldjhim, it didn't say on plusnet page either!

That's because as stated above we no longer offer the service, it cannot be reactivated. If you require traffic management because this change has adversely impacted you we will apply the Pro add on

MauriceC wrote:

As this removal of Traffic Prioritisation materially changes the both the product and the basis on which ISP selection may have been made, does the user have the option to cancel their contract without penalty?

No, customers will not be able to leave because of this change.

corringham wrote:

I don't know whether it is just because where I live there is only ADSL Max available, but when I check what packages are available they are all "unlimited". Do Plusnet still sell limited packages anywhere?

No we do not. Sorry.

billnotben wrote:

Will this see the return of the defunct pro addon?

And the additional cost.

Yes Pro is available for anyone wanting to add enhanced traffic prioritisation at a cost of £5.00 per month.

ITWorks wrote:

John Lewis broadband ( provided  by PN)  still states traffic prioritisation , is that still the case?
https://www.johnlewisbroadband.com/faq/#whenbusy

We're unable to answer questions about John Lewis Broadband on the Plusnet Community Forums.

ITWorks wrote:

PN On the new network what are the advantages to the customer, in having traffic prioritisation turned off, rather than kept on? 

 We're not being prescriptive about how you use your internet connection, it's your connection to use how you like.