NTL Broadband Dublin wide by Christmas

gline

It seems to be a trend with irish ISPs, "it will be available soon", 2 years down the line and u could be still waiting.

BigMoose

Does anyone know what exactly NTL have to do to upgrade an area for broadband?

I've been meaning to ask the same question. There were white vans with blue "something" Network Services written on them in Deans Grange over the weekend putting what look like fat fiber cables into the ground. I am hopefull they might be NTL... (dream on) Although the NTL cables between houses in our road are all strung up over ground between each house.

Emerson

Wasn't for Esat BT by any chance? Notel Networks?
I see so many roadworks on busses so mightn't be.
There's roadworks up where you turn off towards Monkstown from Blackrock too. Half the road is up. Proabably for something mundane like traffic lights. But in my heart I'm hoping it's a big fat ntl pipe!

BigMoose wrote:

I've been meaning to ask the same question. There were white vans with blue "something" Network Services written on them in Deans Grange over the weekend putting what look like fat fiber cables into the ground. I am hopefull they might be NTL... (dream on) Although the NTL cables between houses in our road are all strung up over ground between each house.

gline

Jorinn wrote:

If ntl manage to replace ALL the cable in Ranelagh/Rathmines like they need to before this xams they deserve 100% takeup. But let's face it, as other people said, it's not going to happen.

Ahhhhh if only they would, i would take them up any day, im sick of waiting 6weeks for IBB to get in contact with an install date.:(

carrotcake

caster wrote:

Does anyone know what exactly NTL have to do to upgrade an area for broadband? I presume it doesn't involve actually doing anything with the physical cable running from house to house?

it used to be the case that the cables had to be replaced, which is why only tallaght and surrounding areas had broadband for so long. then some clever fella at ntl discovered a way of delivering broadband over older cables (using a box at the end of the road, or something along those lines) and they trialled it in lucan. i presume they're using the same method now to deliver broadband to all areas upgraded since then. i just hope the guy who discovered the technique is getting well paid!

Adey2002

carrotcake wrote:

it used to be the case that the cables had to be replaced, which is why only tallaght and surrounding areas had broadband for so long. then some clever fella at ntl discovered a way of delivering broadband over older cables (using a box at the end of the road, or something along those lines) and they trialled it in lucan. i presume they're using the same method now to deliver broadband to all areas upgraded since then. i just hope the guy who discovered the technique is getting well paid!

I am due to call some one in NTL tomorrow regarding a different broadband query I have, so I will ask him what exactly is involved in the upgrade of areas, eg if roads need to be dug up or it is just the case as mentioned above that only the box needs to be upgraded. I will let you all know what I find out about it.

gline

Wow never heard that before, thats cool they found a new way to do it

OfflerCrocGod

Give that man a prize!!!

roryodonnell

fatherdougalmag wrote:

It's arrived out in Saggart/Citywest. Installation next Friday. Bye bye Esat/BT. Bye bye Sky.

I wouldn't be soo quick to cancel Sky Digital. If its not Sky digital, then please ignore. The quality of NTL digital is poor compared to Sky Digitals.

gline

what type of problems does ntl digital have?? i was going to go for it just so i could get ntl broadband

roryodonnell

You only need the basic cable service to avail of the broadband.

NTL digital is famous for having blocky graphics, like highly compressed mpegs.
There is also problems with the program guide and incomplete tv listings. These problems were outstanding about a year ago. My friend got NTL digital after I recommended Sky. A year later he's back with Sky. MickFarr is his board name. PM him for more info.

Also, Sky has more channels (not UTV or C4).

gline

roryodonnell wrote:

You only need the basic cable service to avail of the broadband.

NTL digital is famous for having blocky graphics, like highly compressed mpegs.
There is also problems with the program guide and incomplete tv listings. These problems were outstanding about a year ago. My friend got NTL digital after I recommended Sky. A year later he's back with Sky. MickFarr is his board name. PM him for more info.

Also, Sky has more channels (not UTV or C4).

Ah so u only need the basic for ntl broadband, well thats more like it, hehehe, im not botheredd with tv at all, feck all on these days, much rather be on d netn

Jorinn

carrotcake wrote:

it used to be the case that the cables had to be replaced, which is why only tallaght and surrounding areas had broadband for so long. then some clever fella at ntl discovered a way of delivering broadband over older cables (using a box at the end of the road, or something along those lines) and they trialled it in lucan. i presume they're using the same method now to deliver broadband to all areas upgraded since then. i just hope the guy who discovered the technique is getting well paid!

Um, actually I think the cables still need to be replaced depending on how old they are. The really old cable like in areas such as Ranelagh and Rathmines AFAIK will have to be replaced still for broadband. The newer cable in other areas was always to way cable. The thing about them not having to replace cables was something to do it with how the data is sent and is split through some device which they now just put in a larger area or something and not entirely to do with the cable itself I think.

carrotcake

i'm just repeating what an ntl engineer told me, which i presume is the truth. at the time he also told me that the cable being layed in new estates wasn't "two-way cable".

if cable did need to be replaced in all the newly-upgraded areas, then people would have noticed. during the upgrades in tallaght in 2000 you couldn't miss them

Chalk

anyone got a definite answer on this?
seems like a few opinions but nothing concrete.

please let me know as i am now officially holding my breath

fatherdougalmag

Don't want to drag this into a TV discussion but the reason I'm ditching Sky Digital is purely finanancial. I'll miss it alright but part of the move to NTL is a money-saving exercise. I'll only have to pay €12 a month for NTL vs €28.50 for Sky. As long as 'they' get to see Corrie, Eastenders and Fair City and we get Cbeebies we're happy campers.

roryodonnell

Lol, "they" that feed you perhaps.

fatherdougalmag wrote:

Don't want to drag this into a TV discussion but the reason I'm ditching Sky Digital is purely finanancial. I'll miss it alright but part of the move to NTL is a money-saving exercise. I'll only have to pay €12 a month for NTL vs €28.50 for Sky. As long as 'they' get to see Corrie, Eastenders and Fair City and we get Cbeebies we're happy campers.

Jorinn

carrotcake wrote:

i'm just repeating what an ntl engineer told me, which i presume is the truth. at the time he also told me that the cable being layed in new estates wasn't "two-way cable".

if cable did need to be replaced in all the newly-upgraded areas, then people would have noticed. during the upgrades in tallaght in 2000 you couldn't miss them

If it's not two way then you have either a: no way of requesting the data or b: of downloading data, so it would be the same as 1 way satalite where you would probably need a telephone line for the upload. If the engineer was telling the truth though then those estates won't be able to get broadband from ntl.

Really would be nice to get clarifcation etc. But I think most are aware how hard it is to get through to ntl, and even then to get someone who will tell you the correct honest info.

STaN

well if a €100m investment in upgrading their existing network that was announced a few months ago wont do it, nothing well. IBB only spent about 5m.

I know that it is now available in dublin west (north and south) and their plan is to progress across the city eastward.

Random

Ran up today and I'm told it's definitly gonna be Dublin-Wide by the end of January. Apparently they are working toward that end now....

koneko

ciaranfo wrote:

Ran up today and I'm told it's definitly gonna be Dublin-Wide by the end of January. Apparently they are working toward that end now....

NTL doesn't know it's arse from it's elbow then. I rang and they said no plans for upgrading any areas by any certain time. Could be a year from now, could be a month from now, they don't know. "They don't tie themselves down to a certain time limit"

gline

it probably works on the basis of whoever u get on the other end of the phone they will tell u different things. Maybe there are some unhonest staff or honest staff, lie about dates, or tell the truth that they dont know when it will be installed

machalla

Every time I've called them before what I've been told is that the people on the phones do not know when an area will be upgraded. Several times I've been told "you will know sooner than we will" as its a case of getting the letter in the door to tell you that it is available.

I'd definitely agree that NTL most certainly cannot tell its posterior from any other appendage as a rule. That may not be the fault of the people on the phones as they seem to know nothing and be told nothing either.

I think it is a case of when the letter comes in the door then you can get it. Believe nothing else till that happens.

Still we can hope. Bye bye Eircom then.

I noticed Eircom are starting to offer free reconnection fees for anyone who has disconnected their phoneline from them (as in the phone no longer makes or recieves any phonecalls). Perhaps those muppets might get a kick up the arse if NTL eats the broadband market in the urban areas. It might even make them consider doing something for people outside of the cities for a change. Of course pigs will probably be doing loop the loops when that happens.

koneko

Someone I know got NTL and was told that "within 6 months we'll have all of Dublin done". Different information again (from an engineer that time, who was installing at the time), but encouraging nonetheless.

Scruff

machalla wrote:

I noticed Eircom are starting to offer free reconnection fees for anyone who has disconnected their phoneline from them (as in the phone no longer makes or recieves any phonecalls).

really? well thats a good development if its true. our phone line was disonnected before we moved in. have no immediate intention of reconnecting it as i'm hoping to get bb off irish bb or now possibly ntl (given it takes ibb so long to actually get the installation done) but its still good to know that competition is having a positive effect so if i at some stage need to have a land line it wont cost to get it reconnected.

machalla

Yep,

Check the image on the top right hand corner of the eircom website. It only applies if you have had a phoneline in there previously it seems.

I only noticed it due to my daily trek to eircoms site to check on the status of my phoneline. With luck if NTL does appear with BB in my area Eircom will lose another €24 (or so) of month of line rental from me.

I wonder what the situation will be with other NTL franchise areas around the country if they do manage to get Dublin wired up for BB? How long before they do them as well?

oceanclub

machalla wrote:

I remember seeing the D8 NTL post but that only seems to cover Christchurch and environs.

I live directly across the road from Christchurch, but when I checked
on NTL's page this morning, I don't seem eligible for broadband yet.

P.

gline

The webpage may not be updated regularly. Its hard to tell who to listen to when dealing with NTL, the webpage, the technicians, the support staff, the post???? who knows????

spongebob

machalla wrote:

I noticed Eircom are starting to offer free reconnection fees for anyone who has disconnected their phoneline from them (as in the phone no longer makes or recieves any phonecalls). .

Free disconnection too. The charge is normally €25 for either.

The offer will last until mid/late January

M

gline

Muck wrote:

Free disconnection too. The charge is normally €25 for either.

The offer will last until mid/late January

M

Now thats a service you would want to avail of - a disconnection
Thats what i call value for money