Eircom eFibre VDSL/FTTC rollout – plans to reach 1.6m premises by mid 2016

bk

bealtine wrote: »

It's now E37 + 7.88 so 44.88 for the basic 25Mbs package, the basic package has gone up considerably in price in the past few years, it is still competitive with what ever eircom will deliver over fibre but only just.

Yes, Smarts 24mb product for €30 is looking very good now.

BTW Yes I know you won't ever get 24mb from Smart, while you will get 25mb from UPC, it is quiet a difference.

Pity Smart/Digiweb don't advertise it more aggressively and also update/simplify the Smart website.

Liamario

bk wrote: »

I think UPC will continue to work at their own rate. They still have a superior product with higher speeds and a very well developed TV and now video on demand product.

They will probably continue to expand where it makes financial sense. And continue to target already connected areas to get people to switch over to them.

The one effect it will probably have is keep price inflation down. UPC's prices seem to be creeping up recently, some competition should halt that.

I also think UPC are missing out on a low end, cheap product, with a short contract to target all the people using 3g "broadband".

Would you not consider that with Eircom bringing out fibre and all the newly announced competitors doing the same, and with their far greater geographical range; UPC will be forced to broaden their reach?

Sponge Bob

Liamario wrote: »

UPC will be forced to broaden their reach?

Only where ducting exists already ..ie isolated housing estates. They are already looking at Barna and Oranmore near Galway.

Liamario

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Only where ducting exists already ..ie isolated housing estates. They are already looking at Barna and Oranmore near Galway.

In my case, I'm with UPC and the HD services are available, but no broadband or phone. What would be my prognosis.

Sponge Bob

Unless you are in an MMDS fed cable area the prognosis is OK, they will upgrade you.

Some towns/isolated estate with cable are only distributing MMDS and UPC may abandon these rather than upgrade them when MMDS shuts down in early 2014. You would know if you were in one because your channel choice is limited. I am thinking of Tiipperary Nenagh Ballinasloe etc.

Liamario

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Unless you are in an MMDS fed cable area the prognosis is OK, they will upgrade you.

Some towns/isolated estate with cable are only distributing MMDS and UPC may abandon these rather than upgrade them when MMDS shuts down in early 2014. You would know if you were in one because your channel choice is limited. I am thinking of Tiipperary Nenagh Ballinasloe etc.

Well, I know I have all the channels available in the rest of the country.

But all in all folks, this is great news regarding BT and fibre. It's a pity that the government are too incompetent to sort it themselves.
Of course, they will quite happily take the credit for creating and environment that enabled the rollout to happen.

arctan

Sponge Bob wrote: »

BT can get the cabinets a lot cheaper than eircom can!!! I wonder whether BT decided that eircom are going into UPC infested suburbia so they'll go into non UPC infested business districts like central Dun Laoghaire etc.

UPC have been in Dun Laoghaire a few months now, and Eircom almost have the DLA exchange area done for FTTC, should be online and offering services to customers by end of November

edit:

haven't seen any BT work, but it could be a case of the first LLU on FTTC if BT aren't rolling out their own cabs

pistolpetes11

Sponge Bob wrote: »

Unless you are in an MMDS fed cable area the prognosis is OK, they will upgrade you.

Some towns/isolated estate with cable are only distributing MMDS and UPC may abandon these rather than upgrade them when MMDS shuts down in early 2014. You would know if you were in one because your channel choice is limited. I am thinking of Tiipperary Nenagh Ballinasloe etc.

Im in Newbridge ,

In the older half of the town they have UPC cable services and broadband , where all the newer estate's are the only provided MMDS, Which was Chorus when I moved in 4 years ago and it was brutal,

Anyway what do you think there going to do here , its annoying knowing its so close to use but we cant utilise the service, there is loads of houses that would jump on there service .

MMDS is off in 2014 do you think they will upgrade the aera ? There is ducting in the estate I live in and dont envisage it being an issues with them getting access to it and one would presume most other people would be of the same opinion .

I may be wrong on this map , but its generally set up like that , Im not a native of the town so my mapping might be slightly wrong

Sponge Bob

pistolpetes11 wrote: »

Im in Newbridge ,

MMDS is off in 2014 do you think they will upgrade the aera ? There is ducting in the estate I live in and dont envisage it being an issues with them getting access to it and one would presume most other people would be of the same opinion .

They will do that sort of area Pete, yes. Probably within a year. It is fairly sizeable and beside existing fibre.

It is where UPC have an isolated small island of MMDS fed TV only cable (often old and crummy) that I could see them walk away from it. Places like Nenagh Tipp Town and Ballinasloe.

TCP/IP

Sponge Bob wrote: »

They will do that sort of area Pete, yes. Probably within a year. It is fairly sizeable and beside existing fibre.

It is where UPC have an isolated small island of MMDS fed TV only cable (often old and crummy) that I could see them walk away from it. Places like Nenagh Tipp Town and Ballinasloe.

Roseberry Hill was moved from MMDS to full cable services. I have been working on this project since Jan to bring the entire suite of UPC services to Roseberry Hill. Got to say 120mb broadband is something else. Don't give up hope.

PeadarB

Eircom seem to have pulled the line check for fibre. Does anyone know anything as to whats going on with them at the moment? Has BT put the wind up eircom?

pistolpetes11

TCP/IP wrote: »

Roseberry Hill was moved from MMDS to full cable services. I have been working on this project since Jan to bring the entire suite of UPC services to Roseberry Hill. Got to say 120mb broadband is something else. Don't give up hope.

Typical , I was originally buying a house there !!!

Is there anywhere to get a roadmap of upgrades ?

SirLemonhead

Apologies as i'm sure this was probably answered earlier.. but If I was to upgrade from non NGB 7.6mbit eircom to the Fibre, does:

-the connection still run over the existing copper phone line into the house? Will this still be wired to our existing master socket? we have an extension from downstairs to an upstairs room where the ADSL router is (using RJ11 cable), which can't really be moved..so ideally the same connection would be used (but with a different modem of course)

-The voice phone can be gotten rid of and no more line rental will need to be paid?

nialler

To be honest I think this is fibre to cabinet. In the two offices I look after 5mb Fibre is costing approx €8k a year and 50mb €14k a year so it's pretty pricey stuff at the moment. I personally have UPC at home did the deal for phone/internet/tv works out at €90 hasn't dropped below 120mbit since I got it, I'm averaging 60mbit to my mac over wireless from the bog standard modem. Smart's 24mb for €24 was very good but I would max out at 18mb (about 1km from the exchange).

arctan

PeadarB wrote: »

Eircom seem to have pulled the line check for fibre. Does anyone know anything as to whats going on with them at the moment? Has BT put the wind up eircom?

they're updating their systems so it could be something to do with that

SirLemonhead wrote: »

Apologies as i'm sure this was probably answered earlier.. but If I was to upgrade from non NGB 7.6mbit eircom to the Fibre, does:

-the connection still run over the existing copper phone line into the house? Will this still be wired to our existing master socket? we have an extension from downstairs to an upstairs room where the ADSL router is (using RJ11 cable), which can't really be moved..so ideally the same connection would be used (but with a different modem of course)

-The voice phone can be gotten rid of and no more line rental will need to be paid?

if it's FTTC all you'll need is a new modem, everything else should be fine, unless the extension the modem is running off is wired arseways, then a tech visit will be needed.

Re: payment, not sure what offers they have in for FTTC, but yes, line rental will be gone if you get rid of PSTN, I do remember VDSL+VoIP a few months back was 10 eur cheaper than the PSTN+NGB 8MB equivalent, but not sure if that was promo prices or what.

jimmad

Any idea when they're likely to launch, it's getting a bit ridiculous now as the boxes have been in place now for months.

arctan

it's not as simple as throwing in boxes and off you go, an awful lot of stuff in the background had to be done, new extra ODF's had to be ordered and put into place in exchanges so possible future LLU could take place, the NGN has been in place, but the relevant billing and testing systems are only being implemented over the next few weeks, there are also still some exchange areas to be done over the next 1-2 months

last date I heard was mid to late November before there is a big rollout of services

Sponge Bob

I must confess that I have seen nothing in the Mervue exchange area in Galway yet...much less Shantalla.

Neffa2

Just got eircom BB in, connected to Rochestown (ROC) exchange.

Currently it is awful - 1.5 down / 0.2 up.

I am about 6-7km from the exchange, but only 800m from the cabinet.

What kind of uplift will I see when they switch it on?

arctan

that's fairly normal for someone that sort of distance from the exchange,

ROC is meant to be on phase two (no works have started from what I know, but that's not to say they will)

if and when you do get an upgrade, expect about 15-20 megs guaranteed being 800 m from the cab..

from what I've seen so far, 300m in lab conditions give you the full 35-40 megs

it rolls off fairly sharp after that,

real life examples Ive seen were

30 megs 600 m out

25, 800 m

but these were on higher gauge copper

Hogzy

Neffa2 wrote: »

Just got eircom BB in, connected to Rochestown (ROC) exchange.

Currently it is awful - 1.5 down / 0.2 up.

I am about 6-7km from the exchange, but only 800m from the cabinet.

What kind of uplift will I see when they switch it on?

you gotta be within 500m from the exchange to see a good improvement.

Neffa2

arctan wrote: »

that's fairly normal for someone that sort of distance from the exchange,

ROC is meant to be on phase two (no works have started from what I know, but that's not to say they will)

Thanks - do you have any idea when phase II will start/end?

I'm seriously considering putting an external aerial with a 3g router instead

Alun

There are some works being done on the two cabinet locations closest to me here in Bray today. I'll keep an eye open to see if any new cabs appear and take some photos if I remember.

Sponge Bob

arctan wrote: »

real life examples Ive seen were

30 megs 600 m out

25, 800 m

but these were on higher gauge copper

Generally that means overground copper (it is thicker) but some lucky people ever have overground copper installed underground and will do a lot better than those on (thinner) underground spec copper at the same distance.

The eircom distance estimates (IIRC) are for underground grade copper installed underground and those with the other stuff will get a pleasant surprise.

roast

Few more cabs popping up here and there around Limerick. Making good progress around the Dooradoyle and Raheen areas anyway.

Alun

New cabinet 400m from my house ...




There's another about 450m in the other direction too.

Sponge Bob

Hereford. ( England, population around 60k persons) is being mapped in real time as the Cabinets appear.

BT uses 4 types of units ranging from 96 ports to 288 ports . 2 are made by ECI and 2 are made by Huawei.

They are rolling out an average of 1 FTTx cabinet per 600 people for a total of around 100 units or so. Have a look here. > http://tinyurl.com/hereford-fttc

Hereford is like Letterkenny, No Cable Broadband available.

gordonnet

can some mapping of cabinets installed be created for eircom fttc /ftth rollout ?

arctan

that would be too much work

Alun

There was a big white eircom 'tent' over the cab I posted the photo above of today.