The real ABCs of DSL
This week, BTC have been running a series of half-page ads in the Royal Gazette, titled "The ABC’s of DSL". "Learn something new every day," they promise. Here’s what I’ve been learning.
Yesterday, at around the same time that the first ad was telling us that "A is for Access" and that "BTC’s DSL service gives you high speed internet access", the speed of my broadband connection dropped from 256k to something worse than dial-up. And stayed there all day. "A is for Apathetic" was more like it.
This morning, "B is for Broadband" boasted that "BTC’s DSL service has just been upgraded to give you faster speeds and greater reliability". However I woke up to find that my broadband connection was still running like a dog. When I got back from work this evening, it wasn’t working at all. Then it was. Then it wasn’t again. Now it’s back to being so slow that I can’t download all my email before Outlook gives up in frustration. "B is for Bollocks," I muttered to myself.
I’m not the only one suffering. Fellow St. George’s resident Gavin Shorto has been unable to post to his blog for the last two days for the same reason. My mother-in-law, who lives out at Ferry Reach, can’t get online either. I've tried connecting using both my Logic and Northrock accounts to verify that the problem isn't with my ISP.
I can’t wait to see what tomorrow’s ad is. "C is for Crap", perhaps?
BTC need to raise their game. C is for CableVision too.
» (Wednesday afternoon): I emailed BTC asking if they could give me any more details about the problem and when it was likely to be fixed. I received the following response from Mrs. Beverley Thomas:
"Firstly, please accept our apologies for the delay in having this issue rectified. We are experiencing problems and are diligently working to have the issue resolved.Unfortunately, at this time we are unable to provide an estimate time of resolution. We were hoping for the matter to be resolve before close of business day. However, the issue has extended beyond St George's.
Please be assured we are working expeditiously, to have the matter rectified, we appreciate you business."
» (Wednesday evening): Service looks like it may finally be back to normal. Fingers crossed...
Archives By Date
Ahhh the sweet sweet joys of TBI!
Never had a problem....
Posted by Combat Banker on 15.03.06 at 00:45
That's great Phil, thought of that myself when I saw that ad' in the local yesterday. What a good thing we're being charged a "reasonable" amount for such "quality" "service".
Posted by Adjustah on 15.03.06 at 06:42
In the last two years I have had only two total outages with DSL. Each one took only 6-10 days to rectify. On occasion it reverts to close to dial up speed also. C certainly is for crap.
Cablevision is sounding really good now, I am in the West End though so I guess I have a long wait till CV get up and runing out this way.
Grrrrrrrrrrrr.
Posted by RedOnion on 15.03.06 at 07:38
Combat Banker, unless you are a small business you could not possibly be using TBI as an ISP. That would have been contrary to their license to sell it to you.
Posted by DSL on 15.03.06 at 08:18
A = Apathetic
B = Bermudian
C = Company.
BTC are no different to many other suppliers here, i.e. they couldn't care less.
The market is guaranteed (well almost) and all they want is your money.
"C" should stand for Competition and the more the merrier frankly. Time to shake some of the complacency and the GFY out of the providers. (You can work GFY out for yourselves).
From shop clerks upwards, nobody appears to give a dam. Nobody apologises and why should they, we have no alternatives to go to.
Without pinching the words from Roger Crombies recent (and excellent) article...."Don't get me started".
Posted by Martin on 15.03.06 at 08:18
I found myself cursing BTC a few weeks ago. I went about 5 or 6 days with my "link light" flashing on my router. Finally I called them and reported it. The next day a repair guy came to my house.
It seems one of my "rug rats" had switched the phone cable connections leading from my wall...the one that was supposed to go to the phone was in the one to the router and the router plugged into the phone.
They charged me $80 for a five minute visit, but I wasn't too biter about that. My fault for not checking everything before calling and basically wasteing the guy's time.
Posted by ace on 15.03.06 at 09:00
I have DSL and my ISP is Logic. I don't have any problems with Logic, however, every couple of months, my telephone ceases to work and when I call BTC, they say it's to do with DSL and that they are working in the area. Why does it seem to always happen in my area, I live in the West End, and my friends never seem to have this so called problem. I agree C is for Crap.
Posted by Fly Girl on 15.03.06 at 09:46
Fly Girl...
Take heart - you are not alone. It happens in the East as well.
Posted by Martin on 15.03.06 at 09:55
The problem is that regardless of ISP (unless using NR wireless) you have to use BTC for local loop.
I personally, do everything in my power to reduce dependency on BTC, both at home and professionaly.
Posted by sandgrownan on 15.03.06 at 10:34
I'm not sure how I can work this, but my dream job is to be the guy at BTC and Northrock that handles my calls.
I have all the qualifications... just watch.
"Yah... there's nothing wrong at our end, it must be BTC, or maybe your computer."
"Yah... everything's fine here, it must be Northrock, or your computer."
and finally,
"I don't know what to tell you, sir. Everything is working here."
See? I'm made for the job.
I've been online for just over a decade and every single phone conversation I've had with an ISP has gone like this. Even when friends that work for the company have told me that service will be crappy that day! I called just to see what they'd say. Sure enough... "Nothing's wrong our end."
And I wouldn't mind if they gave decent service. Hell, lie to me all day long, as long as I don't have to reconnect every twenty minutes.
It makes playing WoW very difficult! (49, now, BTW, Phil! catching you up! I'll have my epic mount afore ye, or die trying!)
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 15.03.06 at 11:25
Atypical
Bermuda
Conopoly
Ace - $80 for 5 minutes? At that rate I hope they supply the condoms...
You can get a better deal in a legit whore house outside Vegas. So I hear anyway....
Posted by SmokingGun on 15.03.06 at 12:45
And this on a day that a UK ISP is upgrading 200,000 subscribers to it's 8meg service for free...
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/03/15/plusnet_broadband/
Personally I use a CellularOne EVDO card at home. I find the service pretty good, and it's very useful whilst sitting in Rock Island :-) I am just worried about the continuance of that service, because if they have to stop operations I would then have to resort to using BTC.
Posted by ParadiseFound on 15.03.06 at 12:57
The high speed internet offered in Bermuda is pathetic for 2006. Back in 1999 when I lived in Canada I had a cable hookup that was incredibly fast, you could download 20 mp3s at the same time in 30-40 seconds. This is 7 years ago and in Nova Scotia, not the most progressive province there is. It's incredible that 7 years latter Bermuda cannot offer a service with decent speeds.
Posted by PorKy on 15.03.06 at 12:59
msdos ping great fun, ibm 1130 fortran 4 anyone?
Posted by Bill Akin on 15.03.06 at 13:07
paradise, how much is that wireless service? I'm looking for alternatives.
I'm completely sick of being stuck into a wall with my spiffy alienware laptop, y'know? I spent all this money to take it anywhere... as long as it's withing 10 feet or so of a modem. Mobile technology.. sort of.
Also, have you tried it out all over the island? I would love to see if it works in the gallery (where my celphone doesn't) or in my home (ditto).
Those are really the factors for me. Price and workability.
Posted by Uncle Elvis on 15.03.06 at 13:09
Does anyone know about the reliability of Northrock's wireless service?
Posted by Phil on 15.03.06 at 13:14
Uncle Elvis - $89 per month if you buy the card ($300-ish), $99 if you just rent it. The service works great in most places - even at home where cell coverage is patchy. The problem is I don't think CellOne are taking new subscribers until they sort out their issues with the government - theu don't have an ISP license...
Posted by ParadiseFound on 15.03.06 at 13:33
Oh, and one more thing - the service does not work overseas - which is a pity. But I can generally pick up wifi in most places or free braodband in my hotel.
Posted by ParadiseFound on 15.03.06 at 13:35
I work for an ISP here in Bermuda, and let me tell you folks, no one has more frustration with BTC than we do.
It's very hard for us as we try and do our best by our customers, but BTC basically stonewalls us anytime we raise a potential issue on their residential network. Instead of working with us to resolve the problem they would rather point the finger straight back us forcing us to prove to them that it is their issue, and even when we have done this they refuse to respond to us with any information at all. It's a complete joke. A residential customer can get more information from the BTC service center than our top technicians emailing BTC's top technicians and managers can get. So to all of you people having DSL troubles that are a fault of BTC, trust me when I say I understand your frustration completely, and we are doing everything we can to ensure that BTC takes the issue seriously so that we can provide you with the service you are paying for.
Posted by JohnDoe on 15.03.06 at 13:49
Ace - $80 for 5 minutes? At that rate I hope they supply the condoms...
You can get a better deal in a legit whore house outside Vegas. So I hear anyway....
lol...so you hear huh?
The guy was in my house for about ten minutes in total, but he had to drive there and drive to his next job. These things take time.
It was called a CRF on our bill (I think)....Customer Related Fault. (something like that anyway). Basically a "It was the dumbassed customer who was the problem, not us" charge. I cannot argue with that.
Posted by ace on 15.03.06 at 14:06
My Mum told me that she’d received an email from BT saying that they’d upgraded her to 2.2 mega-thingys, free of charge. “What can I do with all that?” she asked. I’m not speaking to her.
BTC, you listening to all of this? Nice ads but wouldn’t it be better to improve your service and reduce those fees that have been stuck at $89 since day one? C’mon, be nice for once.
Posted by hotspur on 15.03.06 at 14:14
John Doe's post is interesting. He documents the problems that the company that he works for has with BTC. Since the parent company of BTC, KeyTech, owns Logic, I am wondering if Logic also has that problem when contacting BTc about consumers DSL problems. I can see Northrock having that problem with BTC, in fact they have told me that they do when I have contacted them regarding my DSL issues.
Posted by RedOnion on 15.03.06 at 14:33
Hotspur
The only time they will be "nice" is if Cablevision get their facility of the ground at less than $89.
Posted by Martin on 15.03.06 at 14:39
Hey ace --- it's called PEBKAC
(Problem Existed Between Keyboard And Chair)!!!
Posted by OnDeWata __/)__ on 15.03.06 at 16:47
Earlier today I emailed BTC to ask if they could give me any details about the problem and when it was likely to be fixed. I received the following response from Mrs. Beverley Thomas this afternoon:
Meanwhile, my home internet connection is again completely dead.
Posted by Phil on 15.03.06 at 17:33
I live in St. Geo as well limey and have had slower than dial up DSL service for the past three days! My service only improved as of 5pm today. I was talking to a guy from cablevision and he said the service in St. Geo will be starting May 1st, they are ready to start now but have had issues with the ISP's.
Posted by The Transporter on 15.03.06 at 19:32
DSL
Don't worry I am a small Biz.
But on that note I think the liscencing arrangement is silly. I have had nothing but great service from TBI, their pricing has been low, and I don't remember the link ever going down. I think such a good company should be rewarded for good service by get more customers (ie personal instead of just business), but Bermuda telecommunications law ensures that BTC can continute to suck with out needing to improve.
DEREGULATE DSL! DO IT NOW!
Posted by Combat Banker on 15.03.06 at 19:57
Yes, DSL should be deregulated. What should also be considered here is that ISPs pay a premium to resell service in Bermuda. As an example, TBI has benefited from the virtual monopoly on off-island bandwidth, while other companies have been denied the access to purchase it directly. To open the residential market to them would mean opening the transit network to the service providers on the island.
Posted by IAgree on 15.03.06 at 20:19
BTC = Bullshit The Customer!
And I know for a fact that even Logic has a hard time dealing with BTC. When promoting their initial DSL service a few years back, BTC would swap out a DSlam card (?) in a certain area, rendering certain DSL modems useless,(no warning to their sister company) causing mass complaints. People would spend days going back and forth between ISP, retailer and BTC, only to have the issue miraculously rectify itself.
BTC has made money hand over fist in years past, while not upgrading their infrastructure the way it needs to be, leaving us to work with antiquated equipment, but pay premium prices for that privilege.
Posted by Slowhand on 15.03.06 at 21:37
Service looks like it may finally be back to normal. Fingers crossed...
Posted by Phil on 15.03.06 at 21:52
Does that mean it's not "B" for Bollocks any more?
Posted by hotspur on 16.03.06 at 09:16
By any chance did anyone see the BTC COO on the evening news last night? He was remarking on the tremendous upgrades and many redundancy plans that have been installed across the island together with the installation of fiber everywhere which he said has significantly improved serve and reliability across the island.
I couldn't help but laugh at his bullshit marketing blurbs knowing full well the problems being experienced in the east end right now!
Posted by observor on 16.03.06 at 10:21
It is really a myth that there is (a) a significant tax on Internet bandwidth and (b) wholesale price gouging going on. ISP's really are making enormous profits off the backs of their subscribers. Wholesale bandwidth is double the price here that it is in the US, Canada and the UK. Yet the cost of DSL service is at a minimum 4 times the cost elsewhere. What gives here? The real gouging is going on at the BTC level where you have to pay $89 monthly for rather poor DSL service. BUt the ISP's are not immune from greediness either. Let them publish their profit margins before we hear them complaining any longer about how expensive it is to run their businesses. DSL is much too expensive in Bermuda full stop. Hopefully Cablevision will prompt significant price reductions all around.
Posted by Murmur on 16.03.06 at 17:20
Hah.. Don’t get me started on DSL here. I too agree with Porky. I lived in Nova Scotia as well for college. I got DSL pretty much as soon as it came out up there, that was in err 96 or 97 maybeee off the top of my head, either way, it was an un-capped service, the closer you lived to the ISP (who was also the local loop carrier), the faster it got due to cable length at the time, I had friends getting 7 to 8 meg or so, myself I got 4 or so and it was 40$ CDN... This kept up for years and now they have thousands upon thousands of people using the same pipes etc. They now have a 10 meg service there and in the US they have Fiber optic service to homes (FIOS via Verizon) mean whilst, here in Bermuda we get ancient technology, HORRIBLE service from BTC (without fail) and just about *THE* worst price on internet in the ENTIRE world. In Japan, some ISP's offer 100 Meg service to homes for a nominal fee even!!! Yet we get complete MORONS like Renee Webb claiming we are the E-commerce capitol of the world!!!! What planet does this woman live on!!!!!!! Take a trip Renee!!! (Coming back is optional too btw honey)... I tell you Bermuda needs to wake up... prices like this simply are not fare, I agree, de-regulate the industry... let cablevision be a full ISP, even BTC, lets get some REAL competition in here... Some provision should be made to keep non local loop companies of course such as a CLEC agreement with local loop providers, but right now, this setup is straight up ridiculous. Internet is not a privilege. These days it’s a right just about. I wonder if any Wi-Fi Hotspots will ever appear here ;0 hah!
-Tired of Politics
Posted by Tired Of Politics on 16.03.06 at 19:06
A few observations:
1. I completely agree that BTC is overpriced and gives horrible service;
2. There is little to no competition for "off-island" fibre service. As a result the ISPs have (relatively) high operating costs and only two providers (TBI and C&W) to choose from. Accordingly government needs, if at all possible, to open up this area for additional competition; and lastly
3. Bermuda is tiny as far as economies of scale are concerned. As a result prices will always be higher then most other places on earth!
Posted by observor on 16.03.06 at 20:11
"3. Bermuda is tiny as far as economies of scale are concerned. As a result prices will always be higher then most other places on earth!"
Posted by observor on 16.03.06 at 20:11
And there my dear friends lies the crux of the matter.
It's not too too hard to figure out:
Office rent, computers, employees, vehicles, COGS vs size of market + competition.
I'm not saying it can't work - there are a couple of tricks that can save you some moo-la - but it's really not fair to compare pricing to Canada, the US or UK. Now speed and reliability? Well that's a whole different bottle of rum....
Posted by SmokingGun on 16.03.06 at 20:56
Pondblog's Gavin Shorto got a personal apology for the outage from Barry Catmur, the Director of Business Development for KeyTech, BTC's parent.
An extract:
If you ever want to take Mr. Catmur up on his offer, KeyTech's phone number is 295 5009.
Posted by Phil on 17.03.06 at 18:38
Quick update from CellularOne regarding laptop EVDO card service:
=================================
Hello Tom
Thank you for your message. I have looked at your account and see that you
have a laptop card. Your service is not affected by any outstanding
decisions from the Telecommunications Dept. We were also providing data
service using a wireless modem. This is the device that Government took
issue with.
You may continue to enjoy your wireless broadband data service with
CellularONE. We appreciate your loyalty and business.
Thanks
Regards
Elizabeth M. Schaefer
Customer Care Manager
CellularONE
--- Original
Dear CellularOne
what is the current situation as far as the continuation of the
broadband service is concerned. I know the government were talking
about the discontinuation of the service.
Posted by ParadiseFound on 23.03.06 at 12:28
Well, yesterday saw me as a victim of the BTC "upgrades" which took out my DSL service. Apparently this is quite normal to have your service go out without notice when they do the downgrade, er ... I mean upgrade. You need to call BTC, they immediately blame the ISP even thought your phone line is dead, and do their best to convince you that the DSL being out is nothing to do with the phone line being dead. Just a coincidence that they go out at the same time. Persistance is the key to getting it fixed. I guess the threat of Cablevision eating into their customer base is improving the service, I was called by a BTC repairman this morning, after carefully explaining to him that everything was fine until the upgrade he had it up and running from the exchange withing 15 mins of his call, so I only lost about 18 hours of service. This really is an improvement over previous outages, but I still question why the DSL service gets knocked out when they "upgrade". At least I am lucky, I didn't have to buy yet another modem as apparently other customers have had to do.
Posted by RedOnion on 29.03.06 at 11:21
Arrrggggggggg!!!!!! Once again my DSL was down all night.
Went down at 12:30AM and was still down when I left for work this morning. This happens so frequently it’s beyond belief.
And do you ever get an explanation from BTC? er, no.
Do you ever get a credit for the amount of time the service is down? er, no.
Utter rubbish.
Their systems manager should be trained or fired. Their customer support manager should be trained or fired.
Have a nice day.
Posted by hotspur on 22.06.06 at 08:10
hotspur
Don't forget to make use of the BTC escalation list if you don't get a speedy response to your problem through the normal channels.
Posted by Phil on 22.06.06 at 08:22