Cork gets a lot more DSL than expected

De Rebel

So there i was driving along listening to Dunphy and the Rat came on wittering about ADSL and how its in Cork and I'd swear he said parts of Kerry too and that i'd get information on 1800 512 128 and i said to myself sure why not i'm in the mood for an argument with an ould biddy and.........

a pleseant voice answered the phone
I heard an ad for ADSL and I'd like one of them and I'm in Cork.
Which exchange sir?
Which exchanges have been enabled?
Ballincollig........... there ya go Big E
Mallow !!! ffs
Churchfield
Quaker road
and then the magic words
Douglas
CAN I HAVE ONE PLEASE???
Whats your number
021 1234567
long pause
Well Mr Rebel you are on an enabled exchange but I'd recommend you wait until January as you have ISDN and your line will fail our test as it stands - if you want to proceed now we will have to downgrade your line and if it fails you will have to pay to have IDSN reinstalled
January?
January. Thats what it says on our sheet.
January. 2003? ADSL on/over ISDN?
Thats what it says on our sheet.
Mr Rebel you have all our prices.....
Yes but just refresh me please...

Well what do ya expect, friking Christmas. Prices unchanged.

But a positive development don't you think?
WE ARE GETTING THERE. THE RAT IS ON THE RUN. (to the bank as usual)
That just leaves the price problem to be resolved.
Back to my presentation with renewed vigour

sceptre

Originally posted by De Rebel
Mallow !!! ffs

That's what I thought when I saw Esat's list (and my first 18 years in the town entitles me to go "ffs" in case anyone complains:)). In this case it was enabled as part of the government funding for Esat. Still doesn't make it logical but there you go. It's also an exchange with lots of space.

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

yellum

This was known for a long time, well I knew anyway. It was discussed before.

parasite

is douglas on the list of the 40 exchanges that esat are rolling out ....?
oh, and where is the douglas exchange anyway, so i can figure out how far away i am .. ?

spongebob

1. Proves €ircon are under pressure, they launched in Dublin when they were ready, not 2 months before. They are softlaunching January in November if you see what I mean

2. This is the first proper head to head with ESAT, I hope they are crucified. In Dublin they only get competition in the centre.

3. They are trying to get people to wait for their product, ESAT must be chewing at their hind legs....they know how many customers ESAT have becaue they are all on €ircon copper.

4. ALWAYS remember that €ircon lock you into a 1 year contract ..... ESAT don't.

5. From now on ALWAYS get €ircon to do your line test thinking you are going with them, then go to ESAT.

6. They have given Cork its own ADSL queries freefone number with briefed staff. I must ring them in the AM and hassle fcuk outta them coz I am neither in Cork nor Dublin

7. I think Cork people should ring 1901 to see what happens if they ask for ADSL....entertaining if you have 10 mins.

Finally.

Keep up the pressure on the RAT

M

Moriarty

Originally posted by sceptre
That's what I thought when I saw Esat's list (and my first 18 years in the town entitles me to go "ffs" in case anyone complains:)). In this case it was enabled as part of the government funding for Esat. Still doesn't make it logical but there you go. It's also an exchange with lots of space.

You'll find that esat has fibre layed along the train tracks passing through mallow, so its easy access to their backbone from the exchange. Same logic with Ballina being the second exchange in the country to be unbundled, there are train tracks & a station there.

dahamsta

I talked to an Eircom sales person earlier, she said that my exchange wasn't upgraded but all exchanges will be upgraded by Christmas. Obviously that wasn't enough for me, so I asked specifically whether my exchange was on the rollout plan, and she told me she'd check for me tomorrow. And, like a fool, I forgot to get her name. Anyway, I'll ring again tomorrow if she doesn't ring.

If Douglas really is upgraded and accepting connections, I'm a little heartened. If. I've been let down too many times to get my hopes up though.

adam

BigEejit

Which exchanges have been enabled?
Ballincollig........... there ya go Big E

I am in a state of complete and utter shock ... I'll be ringing them tomorrow morning ... wahoo ...

Only one small thing ... I have to sell the idea to "she who must be obeyed" .. seeings as I am spending a nice bit anyway on just dialup a small bit more would be OK... I'll have to tell a few fibs about the connection charge, otherwise I'll be shot down in flames ..

MarVeL

Does anyone know if there is anywhere you can track down the list of the 40 exchanges ESATBT are planning to have converted by Christmas? Or even just if Lucan is on the list :-) ?

Failing that is there anywhere yet set up to register interest?

De Rebel

Originally posted by parasite
oh, and where is the douglas exchange anyway, so i can figure out how far away i am ..

i rang 1901 one day and asked that question and after an awful lot of explaining i was told that it is somewhere near one of the churches, which are fairly close by anyway. others may have a better idea

De Rebel

Originally posted by dahamsta
If Douglas really is upgraded and accepting connections, I'm a little heartened.

i was kinda gobsmacked. ballincollig at the top of the list had me wondering, mallow coming second had me shocked. but to hear douglas on the list :eek: and when i gave here the number ( its a 436 no.) she was quite clear when she came back that i was on an enabled exchange.

i'm not getting excited - i'm 2-3 km distant, on the other hand there is a lot of new cable in the area.

other thing is i think i'd suffer a few more months. the current pricing is mad. be interestting to see what emerges in the new year.

oh and welcome back.

De Rebel

Originally posted by Muck
they launched in Dublin when they were ready, not 2 months before. They are softlaunching January in November if you see what I mean

may be a misunderstanding here. it is the dsl over/on/next to isdn (we didn't get technical) that she suggested waiting until january for. i didn't quiz here on immediate availibility; add that to your list in the morning!

daveirl

This post has been deleted.

David C

Rebel.. what did the Eircom line tester say?
http://prequal.eircom.ie/launch.asp?SITE=BUS

BigEejit

Fecking useless feckers and their crappy fecking cables ...:mad: I failed the line test ... I must try again tomorrow..:rolleyes: I stand a good chance of getting a different answer..

spongebob

Don't even think about asking for a line test unless the weather is Dry and has been for at least 2 days. You lot have some of the oldest copper in Ireland.

M

Grand_Izer

Crikes, the Douglas exchange has been upgraded? Eh, that's my one!

Moriarty

Full details on rollout schedules by EsatBT, exchange-by-exchange here

De Rebel

Originally posted by David C
Rebel.. what did the Eircom line tester say?
http://prequal.eircom.ie/launch.asp?SITE=BUS

Sorry for the delay in coming back. It ran that test very very quickly - very efficient of them. And the results:

Thank you for submitting your details for initial testing for eircom business i-stream.

Unfortunately the numbers you have submitted do not currently meet the specifications required to support ADSL. If you have any additional telephone numbers on your account, you may wish to submit them for testing now.

ADSL is a more sensitive technology than other access products (such as PSTN). Every eircom i-stream query has to be individually assessed, and a line tested for suitability. Unfortunately some customers in ADSL enabled exchange areas will not be able to avail of this service.

The fact that your line does not meet the specifications required to carry ADSL, does not indicate a problem with your line. The issue is with the sensitivity of ADSL technology and not your telephone line.

I'm sorry to disappoint you at this stage. We will keep you informed of any changes in the availability of eircom i-stream in your area.

Alternatively, another product that may suit your requirements is eircom hi-speed.

eircom hi-speed is a high speed, dual channel, digital line which means your phone lines are twice as efficient. This enables you to surf the Internet at up to 128kbs*, to send emails or faxes and make or receive calls at the same time. Click here to find out more about eircom hi-speed.

*A subscription account with an Internet Service Provider, with a speed of 128k/bits per second is needed to achieve the 128k/bits speed. Use of both 'B' channels will be charged as two calls.

spongebob

De Rebel

Thought you had an IDSN line already which cannot be accurately tested until January...as in it WILL fail

M

DC

I put my own details into that form and also got the same instant reply. And I have already been approved by Esat from the Churchfield exchange (approx 4 weeks to installation....)!

I think the form is broken and only giving a default message.

Can anyone confirm if the test would happen in an instant like that?

De Rebel

Originally posted by Muck
Thought you had an IDSN line already which cannot be accurately tested until January...as in it WILL fail

Yes exactly. Thats the position. But in a post yesterday further up this thread .......

Originally posted by David C
Rebel.. what did the Eircom line tester say?
http://prequal.eircom.ie/launch.asp?SITE=BUS

so I thought I would get a second opinion. Eircom have obviously spared no expense at using the latest technology to conduct an end to end line test in real-time and provide immediate results online. It must be the latest technology because it conducted the test AMMMMMMAZINGLY fast. Must have taken ages to implement.

Look at DC's position. Physical line tested and approved by BT and failed by rodent code. Dear Commission...........

What I would love to see is someone who has I-stream installed run the stupid test. Or better still someone who has just been approved by the physical test but not yet installed.

Fricking Rat.

Oh and interestingly if you look at the code behind the initial pop-up, it gives away the checksum algorithm for validating an Eircom account number. Not sure what you'd use it for, but an easier way to get it than phoning the biddies and asking i'd imagine.

David C

Judging by the speed, I'm pretty sure this "line checker" is just a simple reference check against a data base of upgraded exchanges.. An out of date one at that..
I've tried a few numbers on upgraded exhanges and all have failed including my own..
(once I put in my acc number, it allowed any number)

Either that, or there isn't actually a "You've passed" page at all, and this is a ploy to try and get more people to pay for installation of ISDN ("Hi-Speed") and then sting them for ADSL installation a few months later...

De Rebel

Originally posted by David C
Judging by the speed, I'm pretty sure this "line checker" is just a simple reference check against a data base of upgraded exchanges.. An out of date one at that..
I've tried a few numbers on upgraded exhanges and all have failed including my own..
(once I put in my acc number, it allowed any number)

Either that, or there isn't actually a "You've passed" page at all, and this is a ploy to try and get more people to pay for installation of ISDN ("Hi-Speed") and then sting them for ADSL installation a few months later...

By unscrupulously hacking one of the main Eircom data centers I can bring you in summary form a model of the logic embedded in the code used in that test…….


attached to an enabled exchange --- No?

---

> P1ss Off
got isdn installed --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
owes us money --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
living in a remote out of the way place where there is no trace of civilization as we know it (i.e. more than 500m from an exchange, allowing for a margin of error) --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
living in a place where its hard to park a van and set up the tea making equipment in comfort on the side of the road --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
ever downloaded anything ending .mp3 .cab .rm …. or anything larger than 20k --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
involved in online gaming --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
ever gave up trying to connect on a dial in line after 5 or failures having established a billable call each time --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
bothered our phone biddies more than twice in the last 5 years --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
member of ioffl --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off
ever spoke to a member of ioffl --- Yes?

---

> P1ss Off

catch.all ----> tell the clown to phone the biddies at 10.15am during their first tea break of the day and ask for a full physical - that will sort him out

Synkronite

Alright so I rang eircom and she did a test on my line and told me I qualify and that if I order it now I will have it up and running before the end of the month. So I told them to hold the thought, rang Esat BT- said the same except advised I wait until mid December when they announce their residential pricings. Said it would be €50 per month but that she had no other information, though she will ring me when its announced.

ADSL for Christmas!

Lockup

According to the list of exchanges that were given for Cork-Quaker Rd and Chruchfield. I decided to give Eircom a call to see if my exchange was upgraded and was suprised to be told that it was. The Dennehys Cross exchange that services Bishopstown and a couple of other suburbs was upgraded and after my line was tested i was told that i could arrange for an engineer to come out. Bit of a false hope as the price is ridiculous but its nice to know its actually available.

Dangger

Can anyone confirm if the test would happen in an instant like that?

Apparently yes. All the lines are tested after the exchange has its dslams fitted (and other equipment required to provde DSL) and enabled and the results are entered into a database. When your line is tested the result is just being pulled from a database.

This actually means that Eircom and possibly the ODTR know right now what the line pass percentage accurately is. It's quite obvious that its low, unacceptably low. How much longer do we have to wait until they act on it?

spongebob

Firstly it is feasible the test can fail if you have ..say.. 2 extension phones with LCD displays plugged in or a line powered CLI display device,. As nobody told you of the test being carried out you may not have been warned to unplug them....in effect.

then the data on the 'false negative' is stored on a database, and may be incorrect which then raises an intruiging issue.

Is the database duly registered under the data protection act ?

Have Eircom a system in place where the data stored on the database may be released to the affected customer and how does one go about acquiring the information or amending the potentially 'false negative' data as is one's legal right.

M

yellum

So, from this I gather someone can just with any account number do an almost war dial type scan of phone numbers in an exchange to test if people can get DSL ?

Anyone wanna hobble a script together to do this ?

rymus

anyone know how many people on the same exchange have to express an interest in the service before eircom will upgrade the exchange?