UPC MMDS Price Hike

sin0city

I'm not sure if this has been covered already but I thought it was worth pointing out the size of the price increase. I got a letter last week from UPC saying that:

"Due to rising supplier costs, we need to increase your monthly subscription..."

By €6 a month. My bill is currently €30 a month so it will be €36 a month.
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a 20% price increase :eek:

The letter then goes on to say that those who don't register with My UPC will face an additional charge of €3.50 a month.

And they finish off with:

"Our services still remain excellent value" but you've the right to cancel within 30 days.

5%, even 10% but 20%?

Commander Shepard

Why dont you switch to sky

The Cush

sin0city wrote: »

"Due to rising supplier costs, we need to increase your monthly subscription..."

By €6 a month. My bill is currently €30 a month so it will be €36 a month.
Correct me if I'm wrong but that's a 20% price increase :eek:

Probably to cover the cost of maintaining the MMDS network for an ever decreasing MMDS subscriber base, about 40,000 at the end of Sept.

This could accelerate the number of MMDS subscribers cancelling and moving to Sky, e-vision or Saorview/Freesat in advance of the end of the MMDS service in April 2016.

sin0city

The Cush wrote: »

Probably to cover the cost of maintaining the MMDS network for an ever decreasing MMDS subscriber base, about 40,000 at the end of Sept.

This could accelerate the number of MMDS subscribers cancelling and moving to Sky, e-vision or Saorview/Freesat in advance of the end of the MMDS service in April 2016.

Thanks, I wasn't aware the customer base was so small or that it was ending in 2016. Time to go Saorview/Freesat I think.

Am I right in saying the MMDS receiver is no use at all for those services, or for picking up UK Freeview?

The Cush

sin0city wrote: »

I wasn't aware the customer base was so small or that it was ending in 2016. Time to go Saorview/Freesat I think.

Thread here on the auctioning of the MMDS spectrum. UPC have made no public comment since Comreg published the decision earlier this year.

Thread here on UPC subscriber numbers.

sin0city wrote: »

Am I right in saying the MMDS receiver is no use at all for those services, or for picking up UK Freeview?

The MMDS receiver is of no use for those services and in any case it remains the property of UPC unlike the aerial which you keep.

campo

I don't know how UPC still have MMDS customers

*You can't record
*Less channels
*No on demand service
*Cost just as high as Sky

So why are people still using this service

Eamo71

campo wrote: »

I don't know how UPC still have MMDS customers

*You can't record
*Less channels
*No on demand service
*Cost just as high as Sky

So why are people still using this service

This is why I got rid of it back in the day. I seem to remember using a VCR you could only tape the station you were watching. Terrible system.

The Cush

campo wrote: »

*You can't record
*Less channels
*No on demand service
*Cost just as high as Sky

So why are people still using this service

Some of those are probably MMDS fed cable subscribers and the others are happy with the limited channels and services offered via MMDS.

I guess UPC won't make any announcement regarding the future of MMDS until the results of the spectrum auction are known which sould be a year or so before the current licences expire. Liberty Global/UPC might bid for the spectrum.

Blue Crystal

Sorry to hijack the thread but what is mmds?UPC don't mention it at all

campo

Blue Crystal wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but what is mmds?UPC don't mention it at all

They don't mention it cause its ****e, its a big ugly looking aerial on your roof that gives your digital channels, but beware if you have a tree nearby or a gust of wind, say goodbye to the channels

Awful service

campo

The Cush wrote: »

Some of those are probably MMDS fed cable subscribers and the others are happy with the limited channels and services offered via MMDS.
.

This is the part I don't understand, I personally think it more got to do with people be very slow to change as if these people had Sky for 1 day they would never go back to UPC MMDS

Nonoperational

Blue Crystal wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but what is mmds?UPC don't mention it at all

It's basically wireless cable. Used to be quite popular 10 years ago.

sin0city

The Cush wrote: »

Thread here on the auctioning of the MMDS spectrum. UPC have made no public comment since Comreg published the decision earlier this year.

Thread here on UPC subscriber numbers.



The MMDS receiver is of no use for those services and in any case it remains the property of UPC unlike the aerial which you keep.

Thanks for the links. I don't have an aerial on my roof, just the little triangular receiver?

campo wrote: »

I don't know how UPC still have MMDS customers

*You can't record
*Less channels
*No on demand service
*Cost just as high as Sky

So why are people still using this service

That's incorrect. I have MMDS and can record, series record, pause, record 2 things at once when the box is off etc.

I also have about 200 channels.

Cost is less than Sky for what I wanted. I have the record box in the sitting room and a second independent box upstairs (it can't record), I'm not on the basic package and it was all for €30 a month. When I priced the basic package with Sky with a second box it was more expensive.

campo wrote: »

They don't mention it cause its ****e, its a big ugly looking aerial on your roof that gives your digital channels, but beware if you have a tree nearby or a gust of wind, say goodbye to the channels

Awful service

Again, I don't have any big ugly aerial on my roof. I have the little triangular receiver that is smaller and less obtrusive than the Sky satellite dish.

And I have found it a very good service, although if I could get cable I'd have that instead.

The Cush

Blue Crystal wrote: »

Sorry to hijack the thread but what is mmds?UPC don't mention it at all

Multipoint Microwave Distribution System (or Multichannel Multipoint Distribution Service if you didn't want to mention microwaves)

It was planned in the 1980s to bring multichannel TV to rural areas and to replace the illegal UHF Deflectors around the country in the days before Sky TV.

It was launched here in 1990 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cCFBSjuiyUY and carried 11/12 analogue channels but not RTÉ1/2 as there were widely available via the standard aerial. It converted over to digital in the early 2000s.

We were one of a handful of European countries that used the system for TV transmission. The regulator has now decided to sell off the spectrum used for MMDS and bring its use into line with the rest of Europe.

The Cush

sin0city wrote: »

I don't have an aerial on my roof, just the little triangular receiver?

One of these?

sin0city wrote: »

That's incorrect. I have MMDS and can record, series record, pause, record 2 things at once when the box is off etc.

I also have about 200 channels.

There are 2 different standards used for Digital MMDS here, DVB-C and DVB-T.

Only those areas with the DVB-C standard had an MMDS PVR i.e. the old Cablelink/ntl franchise areas of Dublin, Waterford and Galway. The rest use the DVB-T standard and a PVR was never introduced.

GerardKeating

campo wrote: »

I don't know how UPC still have MMDS customers

*You can't record
*Less channels
*No on demand service
*Cost just as high as Sky

So why are people still using this service

Not exactly correct, when I had the MMDS service 5 years ago, I have the PVR box and could certainly record, unless they stopped giving it out to MMDS customers.

steveon

Fitted MMDS for years and can tell you, the aerial is not yours it is UPC's responsibility to come and take them down if you cancel your service with them, just tell them u want it removed, however if you have a terrestrial aerial fitted on their pole they may not remove it and in some rare cases have billed the customer for the pole and brackets etc...

Secondly wind does not harm MMDS signals, trees do if they sway in front of the MMDS signal, they will also cause the same harm if a Satellite Dish is in direct line with the trees as well.

sin0city

The Cush wrote: »

One of these?




There are 2 different standards used for Digital MMDS here, DVB-C and DVB-T.

Only those areas with the DVB-C standard had an MMDS PVR i.e. the old Cablelink/ntl franchise areas of Dublin, Waterford and Galway. The rest use the DVB-T standard and a PVR was never introduced.

Yes, one of those.

I am in the old Cablelink/ntl franchise area of Dublin.

sin0city

steveon wrote: »

Fitted MMDS for years and can tell you, the aerial is not yours it is UPC's responsibility to come and take them down if you cancel your service with them, just tell them u want it removed, however if you have a terrestrial aerial fitted on their pole they may not remove it and in some rare cases have billed the customer for the pole and brackets etc...

Thanks. I was wondering that alright - if they'd be obliged to take it down.
Don't have the aerial so that's not an issue for me.

steveon

sin0city wrote: »

Yes, one of those.

I am in the old Cablelink/ntl franchise area of Dublin.

There was a pvr in use for MMDS it was tested in Killarney approx 2 yrs ago...never got off the ground as far as I know...it was a pace developed box if memory serves me rite.

campo

sin0city wrote: »

Yes, one of those.

I am in the old Cablelink/ntl franchise area of Dublin.

Yes those area cant get a PVR, I was on about more so the areas that used to be Chorus

steveon

campo wrote: »

Yes those area cant get a PVR, I was on about more so the areas that used to be Chorus

Different areas had different boxes used for MMDS, boxes we used for MMDS in Limerick area was used on a cabling system in Clonmel it was so bloddy confusing when installing in areas for the first time, Im amazed MMDS is still out there and should be removed yrs ago as its appaling value for money.

campo

steveon wrote: »

Different areas had different boxes used for MMDS, boxes we used for MMDS in Limerick area was used on a cabling system in Clonmel it was so bloddy confusing when installing in areas for the first time, Im amazed MMDS is still out there and should be removed yrs ago as its appaling value for money.

Totally agree but I would imagine most customers for this service would be elderly and all they know is this system

steveon

campo wrote: »

Totally agree but I would imagine most customers for this service would be elderly and all they know is this system

When I was installing most were forced to take the digital, most didnt want it some couldnt figure it out afterwards and were re-downgraded back to analog when it existed before a lot finally left and got just rte....crazy times.;

SpaceTime

Nonoperational wrote: »

It's basically wireless cable. Used to be quite popular 10 years ago.

It doesn't hold a candle to cable services these days. It's like 1980s/90s cable!

No broadband, no phone, no on demand and a limited channel line up.

The Cush

steveon wrote: »

the aerial is not yours it is UPC's responsibility to come and take them down if you cancel your service with them, just tell them u want it removed, however if you have a terrestrial aerial fitted on their pole they may not remove it and in some rare cases have billed the customer for the pole and brackets etc...

sin0city wrote: »

I was wondering that alright - if they'd be obliged to take it down.

Not the case here it appears
http://www.boards.ie/ttfthread/2056929407
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84196137

steveon

I used to be sent out to take them down....its there property if it falls down and causes damage after you cancel their service you can sue them...I was sent out 5 or 6 yrs after ppl cancel with a waiver sheet for people to sign if they refused to allow me to get equipment back.

The Cush

steveon wrote: »

I used to be sent out to take them down....its there property if it falls down and causes damage after you cancel their service you can sue them...I was sent out 5 or 6 yrs after ppl cancel with a waiver sheet for people to sign if they refused to allow me to get equipment back.

I sent pistolpetes11 a PM to see what response he got from UPC.

The Cush

steveon wrote: »

When I was installing most were forced to take the digital, most didnt want it some couldnt figure it out afterwards and were re-downgraded back to analog when it existed before a lot finally left and got just rte....crazy times.;

Analogue MMDS lost 4 frequencies/channels around 2004 under ITU regulations which would have reduced the number of analogue channels to customers at about that time. When the frequencies weren't reused for their intended purpose UPC sought their reuse for Digital MMDS a few years ago from Comreg but I don't think that happened.

steveon

The Cush wrote: »

I sent pistolpetes11 a PM to see what response he got from UPC.

Its their property so they will have to remove it afterwards should you request it to be, would be interested to hear what he says was the outcome

The Cush

sin0city wrote: »

I have MMDS and can record, series record, pause, record 2 things at once when the box is off etc.

Does your subscription fee include a charge for recording functionality?
What is the sub with a standard non-PVR box?

0ph0rce0

Every UPC customers price will be getting increased in the next month. Dont worry about it. We will all be hit not just MMDS customers

SpaceTime

They've two legacy networks too.
ExCablelink/NTL which uses DVB-C cable boxes and ex chorus MMDS used DVB-T boxes like Saorview only with encrypted MPEG2.

So you can't generalise about features available. Different areas have different boxes.

campo

SpaceTime wrote: »

They've two legacy networks too.
ExCablelink/NTL which uses DVB-C cable boxes and ex chorus MMDS used DVB-T boxes like Saorview only with encrypted MPEG2.

So you can't generalise about features available. Different areas have different boxes.

That's fair enough , I will retract what I said and say DVB-T areas are shockingly bad

SpaceTime

campo wrote: »

That's fair enough , I will retract what I said and say DVB-T areas are shockingly bad

The whole thing is totally obsolete.

sin0city

The Cush wrote: »

Does your subscription fee include a charge for recording functionality?
What is the sub with a standard non-PVR box?

I'm not sure. If I recall correctly there's just a charge for the package.

They called and said they were upgrading to PVR a few years ago. They wanted to send a technician and charge €50 but in the end they agreed to post it out and I did the plugging out and plugging in myself. I can't remember if the subscription increased.

At the moment I pay €25 a month for the service and €5 a month for the second box upstairs. I'm billed every second month so it's €59 odd. I do have some sort of loyalty discount though so when I rang to see if I could downgrade to offset the price increase they said that because of the discount I have on the current package, it would actually work out costing me more on a lower package.

campo

sin0city wrote: »

I'm not sure. If I recall correctly there's just a charge for the package.

They called and said they were upgrading to PVR a few years ago. They wanted to send a technician and charge €50 but in the end they agreed to post it out and I did the plugging out and plugging in myself. I can't remember if the subscription increased.

At the moment I pay €25 a month for the service and €5 a month for the second box upstairs. I'm billed every second month so it's €59 odd. I do have some sort of loyalty discount though so when I rang to see if I could downgrade to offset the price increase they said that because of the discount I have on the current package, it would actually work out costing me more on a lower package.

Ring again and ask to downgrade with a loyalty offer or else you cancel ( You will get discount on value pack )

SpaceTime

They'd be far better off just using the spectrum for something that would make more use of it like broadband services for rural areas.

I don't think MMDS really serves a purpose anymore since viable satellite alternatives came along.

UPC should also get their finger out and connect those few isolated cable networks that are taking their TV feed from MMDS to the proper cable network. If they've got fibre for broadband feeding them, they should really not have that much difficulty getting them connected to a proper head end.

sin0city

campo wrote: »

Ring again and ask to downgrade with a loyalty offer or else you cancel ( You will get discount on value pack )

Thanks, might do but at this stage I think I may just jump ship.
If it's on its way out anyway might as well.

Only thing holding me back is the outlay for a dish and 2 saorview/freesat boxes. Should pay for itself within a year or so though I suppose.

Or is it possible to just get a saorview box and pick up UK Freeview too without a dish because I'm on the east coast?
Sorry, I know very little about how it works.

pistolpetes11

The Cush wrote: »

I sent pistolpetes11 a PM to see what response he got from UPC.

Asked me to send in Pictures which I done,

They came out straight away , took down the aerial , sent one of there surveyors around who had a look at the damage done ,

He had a man on site the next morning to fix up any damage and then some ,

Couldn't fault them at all

SpaceTime

sin0city wrote: »

Thanks, might do but at this stage I think I may just jump ship.
If it's on its way out anyway might as well.

Only thing holding me back is the outlay for a dish and 2 saorview/freesat boxes. Should pay for itself within a year or so though I suppose.

Or is it possible to just get a saorview box and pick up UK Freeview too without a dish because I'm on the east coast?
Sorry, I know very little about how it works.

There are some areas of the country that can pick up Freeview from the UK, but I don't think it travels quite as far as analogue used to. Or, at least the signal's not usable when it gets there. Analogue with a very weak signal wasn't necessarily unwatchable but weak digital signals tend to mean freezing / messed up pictures or no picture at all.

Might be worth posting a question in the terrestrial forum on that one, they've a lot of info on what's available where.

kooga

iN august 2012 after UPC informed me that my MMDs sub was going up. i was paying 33.50 a month for mmds select plus 5 for multiroom. I gave in my notice.

Do you know if you are an mds subscriber and ask you can get digital value for €17 a month. They don't advertise it but its available.

sin0city

kooga wrote: »

iN august 2012 after UPC informed me that my MMDs sub was going up. i was paying 33.50 a month for mmds select plus 5 for multiroom. I gave in my notice.

Do you know if you are an mds subscriber and ask you can get digital value for €17 a month. They don't advertise it but its available.

Cheers. I'll check that out too.

watty

Ex NTL areas was the far smaller customer base and DVB-C, so the same PVR as Cable sort of works (no Broadband).

Ex Chorus areas much poorer engineering and DVB-T, no PVR.

Freesat + Saorview is better value unless less you want Sky Sport. If you really want Pay TV, then Sky is FAR better than MMDS. Also when you cancel MMDS you have nothing. You actually own the Sky supplied system so if you cancel there are limited amount of really free channels and a Freesat HD box or PVR can simply be plugged in for all the free Channels (except the Irish ones), even before you cancel.

There has been no point to MMDS since about 2001 as unlike UPC cable there is no Broadband. Around 2005 to 2008 the idea of true Fixed Wireless Broadband in parallel was looked at (real broadband, not the rubbish that Mobile delivers), but a combination of Regulatory issues with Comreg and Cost made that impossible. The clock has been ticking for an MMDS closedown since Dec 2008.

Unless UPC is going to be an LTE 4G Mobile operator in their own right and get other spectrum too, I think it's unlikely they will bid for the spectrum. Even if they did bid for it it would make no sense to use it for MMDS.

MMDS is past the sell by date. The 12GHz MMDS system folded too, couldn't compete with Sky. Licence is available for ANYONE Nationwide or per region for 12GHz MMDS. MMDS is less than 1/3 of customer base that UPC took over from NTL & Chorus.

sin0city

Thanks everyone.

Between what kooga and campo recommended, I rang them again and in the end they agreed to give me the loyalty discount on the digital value.

So €55 every two months after the price rise including PVR and the second point.

Lost a few channels that I never really watched so overall happy with that for the next couple of years anyway.

kooga

sin0city wrote: »

Thanks everyone.

Between what kooga and campo recommended, I rang them again and in the end they agreed to give me the loyalty discount on the digital value.

So €55 every two months after the price rise including PVR and the second point.

Lost a few channels that I never really watched so overall happy with that for the next couple of years anyway.

thats great news.BTW how does the monthly bill equate/break down to €55 every two months?

sin0city

kooga wrote: »

thats great news.BTW how does the monthly bill equate/break down to €55 every two months?

Set up My UPC there so I could get a look at my bill.
It was actually €57, not €59 every 2 months and the extra point was €6 a month, not €5.

Description / Quantity / Dates / Amount
MMDS Additional Digital Max / 1 / 7 Dec - 6 Feb 2014 / 12.00
MMDS Digital Max / 1 / 7 Dec - 6 Feb 2014 / 44.99

Total for Television service charges 57.00

So it appears there is no extra charge for PVR.
My new bill including the extra point and impending price rise of €6 a month will be €55 every 2 months.

kooga

sin0city wrote: »

Set up My UPC there so I could get a look at my bill.
It was actually €57, not €59 every 2 months and the extra point was €6 a month, not €5.

Description / Quantity / Dates / Amount
MMDS Additional Digital Max / 1 / 7 Dec - 6 Feb 2014 / 12.00
MMDS Digital Max / 1 / 7 Dec - 6 Feb 2014 / 44.99

Total for Television service charges 57.00

So it appears there is no extra charge for PVR.
My new bill including the extra point and impending price rise of €6 a month will be €55 every 2 months.

Sin City if you are on digital max you should of lost no channels! and if you are getting digital max for 22.50 a month thats a great price! well done

sin0city

kooga wrote: »

Sin City if you are on digital max you should of lost no channels! and if you are getting digital max for 22.50 a month thats a great price! well done

No, that's my old bill. My new bill will be for digital value but it's the price after the increase so not too bad.

7upfree

The Cush wrote: »

One of these?

This is the "big ugly aerial"??? It looks tiny.

The Cush

7upfree wrote: »

This is the "big ugly aerial"??? It looks tiny.

The OP didn't say he had a "big ugly aerial". That small aerial is used in strong signal areas.

sin0city wrote: »

Again, I don't have any big ugly aerial on my roof. I have the little triangular receiver that is smaller and less obtrusive than the Sky satellite dish.