Imagine LTE Rural Broadband

ED E · 12-05-2019 7:40pm

Is that right M?

The auction gives them 60Mhz outside all the metro areas. Not a lot really.

Online reference says B42 TDD at 20Mhz x3 only gives 110D & 30U for the whole site. A tad more if you up the QAM. Earlier in the thread I checked the COMREG map before it was killed and it looked like they had 126Mhz non contiguous.

So essentially a three sector site could have had nearly 300Mb before and is now down to 110-150Mb. Or thats my read of things. CAT12 can do massive tput but only if fed with rakes of spectrum which Imagine no longer have.

Marlow · 12-05-2019 10:37pm

ED E wrote: »

Is that right M?

The auction gives them 60Mhz outside all the metro areas. Not a lot really

I looked in whatever auction document i could find on the Comreg site (need to check again, when I'm home) and calculated it to 80 MHz in some regions and 85 MHz in other regions, that they were allocated.

But yes ... It's pretty thin for what they want to provide.

/M

The Cush · 12-05-2019 10:54pm

Marlow wrote: »

I looked in whatever auction document i could find on the Comreg site (need to check again, when I'm home) and calculated it to 80 MHz in some regions and 85 MHz in other regions, that they were allocated

80 MHz and 85 MHz was Meteor. Results of award here

Marlow · 12-05-2019 11:42pm

The Cush wrote: »

80 MHz and 85 MHz was Meteor. Results of award here

I looked in Comreg-1746, but you are correct .. I got the wrong column.

So 60 MHz is all they have. That's super tight, once they loose the legacy spectrum.

/M

Gonzo · 13-05-2019 1:03am

When Imagine lose the spectrum, does that mean their contention problems and speed problems in general is going to get alot worse than it is right now? Sounds like they are losing half their bandwidth soon?

Marlow · 13-05-2019 1:21am

Gonzo wrote: »

When Imagine lose the spectrum, does that mean their contention problems and speed problems in general is going to get alot worse than it is right now? Sounds like they are losing half their bandwidth soon?

Yes. Contention will pretty much double.

/M

The Cush · 13-05-2019 1:42am

Gonzo wrote: »

When Imagine lose the spectrum, does that mean their contention problems and speed problems in general is going to get alot worse than it is right now? Sounds like they are losing half their bandwidth soon?

The still have a lot of transition licences which the regulations allow to continue until mid 2022, not sure how Comreg can reclaim these before that date.

Gonzo · 13-05-2019 2:00am

Marlow wrote: »

Yes. Contention will pretty much double.

/M

that ain't good, many of their customers get single digit speeds in the evenings as it is, once they lose the spectrum contention could be 24/7 with dial up speeds in the evenings for some people.

Imagine know full well how this is going to effect their customers in a few months? Fingers crossed that some of their customers get FTTH by the end of the year with the NBI.

Marlow · 13-05-2019 2:08am

Gonzo wrote: »

Imagine know full well how this is going to effect their customers in a few months?

That is probably, why they upped the contract length to 24 months and removed the buy out option. Clawing to straws. If a business delivers good service, long term contracts are not necessary. Just my 2c.

/M

Ultimanemo · 13-05-2019 11:52am

Marlow wrote: »

Yes. Contention will pretty much double.

/M

No rest for the wicked
The first time ever I have good broadband is during the last month when Imagine increased their speed, Going back to square one

Gonzo · 13-05-2019 1:45pm

Marlow wrote: »

That is probably, why they upped the contract length to 24 months and removed the buy out option. Clawing to straws.

/M

I wouldn't expect anything less from Imagine. If their bandwidth is about to get halfed with service really going to the dogs, their Facebook is going to get swamped.

Once a customer is tied to the 2 year contract and has crap speeds most of the time, there isn't a lot the poor customer can do other than wait out the contract.

Makes me wonder too, why are they now advertising up to 150, knowing that the service is going to be crippled even more, they should just stick to the original up to 70.

Mortelaro · 13-05-2019 2:00pm

Gonzo wrote: »

Makes me wonder too, why are they now advertising up to 150, knowing that the service is going to be crippled even more, they should just stick to the original up to 70.

Because it looks sexier and lots probably will see the 150 if they're home before 5,as long as everyone else stays at work
By the sounds of things,that cliff fall is in 2022,a while away yet
I'll be disappointed if NBP hasn't wired up the remaining 300 metres of my road by then
Getting great reports about whizzy based in Gorey from my neighbour's, so I'll be witnessing from them if Imagine decay that much

ED E · 13-05-2019 2:13pm

If it takes until 2022 there'll be murder. The MNOs need that spectrum.

tsue921i8wljb3 · 13-05-2019 2:20pm

ED E wrote: »

If it takes until 2022 there'll be murder. The MNOs need that spectrum.

It'll be in court before then I'd say.

ED E · 13-05-2019 2:30pm

Imagine? Legal throw downs? Who'd a thunk it.

I haven't read the 50 pages of transitional conditions but if CREG don't have a getout they can use via regulation either they or Vodafone will bring this to court.

Gonzo · 13-05-2019 5:28pm

ED E wrote: »

If it takes until 2022 there'll be murder. The MNOs need that spectrum.

When does Imagine lose the spectrum? Is there anything they can do about it, because when it happens their service really is going to be not fit for purpose and customers will be up in arms about it if they can't use the internet properly.

Mortelaro · 13-05-2019 5:42pm

So 2022 then after a few appeals

ED E · 13-05-2019 5:52pm

Gonzo wrote: »

When does Imagine lose the spectrum? Is there anything they can do about it, because when it happens their service really is going to be not fit for purpose and customers will be up in arms about it if they can't use the internet properly.

2017!

They're meant to be transitioning out of it now but are dragging their heels as its the end of the company when they do.

ComReg admits to paying rebates to 5G auction winners
Irish mobile operators paid €78m for 5G mobile spectrum but can’t fully access it (because Imagine are band squatting)

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/comreg-admits-to-paying-rebates-to-5g-auction-winners-1.3868344

Mortelaro · 13-05-2019 6:39pm

They don't seem to have many installer vans-From what I can see it appears to be a skeleton crew

Gonzo · 13-05-2019 7:49pm

ED E wrote: »

2017!

They're meant to be transitioning out of it now but are dragging their heels as its the end of the company when they do.

https://www.irishtimes.com/business/technology/comreg-admits-to-paying-rebates-to-5g-auction-winners-1.3868344

this will probably end up in court if Imagine aren't playing ball.

Marlow · 13-05-2019 8:12pm

If Comreg had the balls, freeing the spectrum could e dealt with quickly:

- give an ultimatum
- once ultimatum is overstepped charge provider fine 10x the payout to the winning provider
- job done.

/M

The Cush · 14-05-2019 12:46am

Marlow wrote: »

If Comreg had the balls, freeing the spectrum could e dealt with quickly:

- give an ultimatum
- once ultimatum is overstepped charge provider fine 10x the payout to the winning provider
- job done.

and they all end up in court with their lawyers because Comreg isn't following its own regulations.

Marlow · 14-05-2019 1:49am

Sure.

The issue at hand is, that the government and Comreg got greedy and did not define the process sufficiently to enforce it's execution.

Now they're crying, becuase they have to hand money back due to their own shortcomings and somebody elses greed.

/M

ED E · 14-05-2019 1:34pm

Marlow wrote: »

The issue at hand is, that the government and Comreg got greedy and did not define the process sufficiently to enforce it's execution.

They're very well defined. There's pages upon pages of documentation around the transitional license rules and how the TPL should work and how an awardee can apply if theres an issue.

Problem is if an ISP says "fvck the rules, I do what I want" its a multi year high court battle before anything gets resolved.

Marlow · 14-05-2019 9:04pm

ED E wrote: »

Problem is if an ISP says "fvck the rules, I do what I want" its a multi year high court battle before anything gets resolved.

And that is where Comreg actually should be able to enforce this without high court. It is after all, what they do:

- managed the licensed spectrum
- manage, that nobody else apart from the licensee operates in said spectrum .. with fines to back it.

/M

hatchman · 14-05-2019 9:33pm

Marlow wrote:

And that is where Comreg actually should be able to enforce this without high court. It is after all, what they do:

An individual who doesn't pay TV license faces the threat of prison ! It's just a high court battle for big business.

Quin_Dub · 15-05-2019 11:58am

hatchman wrote: »

An individual who doesn't pay TV license faces the threat of prison ! It's just a high court battle for big business.

To be fair , no one has gone to Prison for not paying the TV licence , they've gone to Prison for contempt of court because they have refused to act on a court instruction ( in this case , the instruction to pay their TV licence).

captain_boycott · 16-05-2019 12:15pm

anyone in Castlebar area using Imagine? Id be curious as to performance during peak hours.

I'm just off the phone to an agent and she quotes speeds of up to 70Mb down currently, but soon upgrading and offering up to 150Mb in June/July timeframe, if that can be believed?

Gonzo · 16-05-2019 6:18pm

captain_boycott wrote: »

anyone in Castlebar area using Imagine? Id be curious as to performance during peak hours.

I'm just off the phone to an agent and she quotes speeds of up to 70Mb down currently, but soon upgrading and offering up to 150Mb in June/July timeframe, if that can be believed?

If Imagine upgrade you to 150meg, more than likely you will get those speeds if you are close to the mast and have great line of sight, but these speeds may only be obtainable between 2am and about 3pm, their speeds generally nosedive after 4pm till about midnight for the majority of Imagine customers due to too many customers using the internet at peak times and not enough bandwidth to go around. If the mast your connecting to has low take up you may get lucky and get decent speeds most of the day.

TopTec · 16-05-2019 9:03pm

I'm on the Ballina mast, 11K line of sight. 2 years now and suffered usual contention in the evenings, down to 2-7 meg. Called them about a router fault a month ago. They came and changed router and receiver. Since then daytime speeds up in the high 90's evening 20-60.

Today - 2.26 pm - 110 down, 2.3 up
5.20 pm - 60 down, 2 up
8.52 pm - 55 down, 1.6 up.

So either equipment improvement or sector effected by fibre take up in the town. Upload speeds have dropped off though.

TT

Imagine LTE Rural Broadband

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