Is broadband via landline becoming redundant? (1 Viewer)

[Hagstrom]

Just cancelled a Virgin Phone + Broadband contract, on the point of it going up to £62/month. They weren't interested in improving the deal so I switched to NowTV for broadband + phone for £18/m.

The Virgin connection was fibre optic cable to the house and uSwitch speedmeter measured its performance at 79.9mbs down. I've accepted a slower downspeed from NowTV (uSwitch:-7.0mps down/0.6mbps up) via its ADSL copper network and don't notice any appreciable difference when Googling or watching uTube, for instance. Hmm.

So, this summer I have switched my SIM only mobile account to Vodaphone, 20bg/month for £18 plus £100 gift voucher in return after 3 months and all the data allowance can be used for European roaming. We are quite near a mast so Vodaphone is giving 41.8mps down and 16.8mps up, measured by uSwitch at 4G.

Ros has switched her SIM only account to Virgin's 30gb/month for £18 deal plus £?? return after three months but only 6gb can be used for European roaming. Virgin, on the same mast, is giving 26.8mps down and 6.6 up at 4G.

Both phones allow use as hotspots and it makes me think "Why do we bother with landline broadband?" Especially taking into account Virgin's August 2018 offer of something like £25/m for 100gb data. Interesting.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I'd like to get rid of ours but the new DVR uses the broadband for catch up and some channels. It's expensive though, for what it is

 

[Langtoftlad]

That's very slow these days, possibly just ok for a single connect, standard definition streaming...
But be aware, that speed will be best guess, best conditions estimate.
Upload is glacial.
Read the whole post, Stephen

Is it unlimited data?

For those in a strong signal area, with limited demands, then mobile only might be feasible but not yet for the majority

 

[Stealaway]

W

I'd like to get rid of ours but the new DVR uses the broadband for catch up and some channels. It's expensive though, for what it is

When do we get the reduced £10.50 land line charge that BT were supposed to introduce in June - on instructions from Ofcom

 

[Richard n Ann]

W

When do we get the reduced £10.50 land line charge that BT were supposed to introduce in June - on instructions from Ofcom

Googled it and it looks like it only applies to telephone line only customers

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[gus-lopez]

Why do you need these colossal speeds?

 

[Stealaway]

Googled it and it looks like it only applies to telephone line only customers

Exactly what I've just found. Ofcom told them to reduce land line rental and that's just what they have done - but not any one with broadband or to any resellers. Only for the less than one million customers who don't have broadband. Typical bent bastards, just abiding by the letter of the law. I suspect Ofcoms solicitors are redrafting the instructions to BT

 

[Stealaway]

Why do you need these colossal speeds?

I have around 10gb and its perfect, never lets me down . Who needs 5x perfect?

 

[namwaldog]

We got rid of our BT Broadband & landline about two years ago when it was approaching £55 pm plus calls. Add on to that the costs of two mobiles and it was time for a rethink...
We now have a Huawei mifi with a Three data sim costs £15 for 20 gb/month at home and simply put it in the MH when we go away.
Our two phones are sim only and cost us a combined £20 for unlimited calls and a total of 30 gb/month (which can be tethered). We spread the coverage by having one on EE and the other on Vodafone. so as to increase chances of a signal wherever we are
I suppose we are lucky at home, that we have just had a 4G mast built in a line of sight about a mile away.

 

[Vanman]

When away I watch bike racing tv streamed on mobile data. The speed is fine but it uses in the region of 4gb per hour. 20gb wouldn't last me long enough.

At home I have twin Virgin boxes recording up to x6 programs each, most HD and some now 4k. You can't do that on a small band width. I realise everyone's needs are different and if it's only email, surfing and the odd YouTube video you can get away with much less.

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[Millcourt]

Last Year we terminated our landline telephone and broadband service. As we are usually away from home for 5-6 months each year the annual cost did not seem to be worthwhile. However, the trigger for making this decision was that we now have a good 4G cellular service in our village (Vodafone), which is reliably providing high speed data and with our MiFi "hotspot" we can connect our PCs, iPad, Kindle and TV (even streaming catch-up TV and Netflix) - much faster than the so-called fast broadband locally, which may be connected to the somewhat distant BT telephone exchange by "fibre" to a box at the end of the village, but uses copper wire to connect from there to the house. Also, with the EU changes for mobile roaming coming fully into effect in June last year, when we are in the MoHo or travelling in Europe we can use the same data bundle and mobile telephone account. Remarkably even with a total 75 GByte monthly data allowance (for our MiFi and Smartphones), unlimited voice calls and text messages at home and in the EU, we will be saving at least £360 a year. So - a "no brainer"........is the day of the landline finished?...….. Yes, for us!

Now we no longer be need to buy local SIM cards when travelling in Europe for extended periods and there is only one number to contact us on whether at home or away. Family and friends can call us on our UK number and we have no cost to receive when in the EU. Calls within the EU and from the EU back to the UK are "free" (i.e. within our unlimited voice call bundle). But, if this route appeals to you, be aware that calls from the UK to Europe are charged at £1.50 by Vodafone!!!! We also have no problem with meeting any roaming period restrictions, as the same MiFi unit and smartphone (both with Vodafone UK SIMs) are used just as much in the UK as elsewhere in the EU. We have found good voice and 4G data with Vodafone everywhere we have travelled in the EU, save for very remote locations where no cellular signal is available. As a bonus, we no longer need to try to access dubious WiFi services, which have always worried me for security, especially when internet banking, and rarely offer effective speeds for video streaming on campsites when too many folk attempting to share the available bandwidth.

So.….. for us a "win-win" for a change.

Just keeping our fingers crossed that Brexit does not scupper these roaming arrangements!

 

[The Wino]

I think if there was a mobile network with 4g broadband first no-one in their right mind would have thought of laying wires and cables

 

[gus-lopez]

I have around 10gb and its perfect, never lets me down . Who needs 5x perfect?

I used to be happy with 3, then 4. By all accounts I have 'up to 10 now' although it is rarely anywhere near that . It works perfectly for what it is meant for, info gathering, emails, , surfing , working, etc. It wasn't ever meant for watching tv .

One of the main problems here with drop outs/freezing as most systems are wifi line of site antennas.Go to Brit areas & listen to the moaning they can't watch the telly.

I think if there was a mobile network with 4g broadband first no-one in their right mind would have thought of laying wires and cables

That's another thing , what iis the difference between 3g & 4g ?

 

[Deleted member 29692]

4G is in no way a replacement for real broadband, whether direct fibre (Virgin) or ADSL, unless you’re a very light user.

The base download speed might be comparable sometimes but it won’t be all the time and the available bandwidth will never come close.

If you have multiple users and multiple devices sharing the same connection 4G simply won’t cope.

 

[jtp890]

Hi Gus
We are down in Huercal, 10m north and have Aplinfo wi-fi at 10gb, tv streams fine via android box. Have a deal with local supplier 180euro for year, max 6 months use. Ring him when we arrive and leave. Cant understand why they cant install similar systems in UK

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[PhilandMena]

We have virgin media broadband 50mbs download speed. Not capped, £22.00 per month, all in.

 

[tonka]

£27 a month. Plusnet unlimited fibre Inc landline..
Last time I checked we used around 600gb a month with the streaming and kids downloading etc

 

[TerryL]

As any visitor to Morocco will know, everything is done via mobile networks, landlines are quite uncommon. Not being a heavy user, of course, I'm not sure of speeds etc.

But my point is, it's already happening in other parts of the world so it's obvious where the industry is now going. Only BT, who have a monopoly of landlines, are not progressing.

 

[Stroppy Bird]

4G is in no way a replacement for real broadband, whether direct fibre (Virgin) or ADSL, unless you’re a very light user.

The base download speed might be comparable sometimes but it won’t be all the time and the available bandwidth will never come close.

If you have multiple users and multiple devices sharing the same connection 4G simply won’t cope.

That will depend on how good your 'real' broadband was. Ours was abysmal. 3 Mbps download speed on a good day and there was no way it would cope with one of us streaming tv and the other browsing the internet. Further down our road the landline speed wouldn't even reach 1 Mbps download.

We and a few others in the village are now on the '3' 100gb data sim and get between 30 and 35 Mbps download speed. Using multiple devices is now possible unlike on the landline broadband.

Admittedly those in the village who are closer to the local cabinet do get much better broadband speeds and there would be no point in them moving over to mobile data, particularly as on that side of the village the line of sight to the mobile mast isn't as good.

 

[Cat53]

Last Year we terminated our landline telephone and broadband service. As we are usually away from home for 5-6 months each year the annual cost did not seem to be worthwhile. However, the trigger for making this decision was that we now have a good 4G cellular service in our village (Vodafone), which is reliably providing high speed data and with our MiFi "hotspot" we can connect our PCs, iPad, Kindle and TV (even streaming catch-up TV and Netflix) - much faster than the so-called fast broadband locally, which may be connected to the somewhat distant BT telephone exchange by "fibre" to a box at the end of the village, but uses copper wire to connect from there to the house. Also, with the EU changes for mobile roaming coming fully into effect in June last year, when we are in the MoHo or travelling in Europe we can use the same data bundle and mobile telephone account. Remarkably even with a total 75 GByte monthly data allowance (for our MiFi and Smartphones), unlimited voice calls and text messages at home and in the EU, we will be saving at least £360 a year. So - a "no brainer"........is the day of the landline finished?...….. Yes, for us!

Now we no longer be need to buy local SIM cards when travelling in Europe for extended periods and there is only one number to contact us on whether at home or away. Family and friends can call us on our UK number and we have no cost to receive when in the EU. Calls within the EU and from the EU back to the UK are "free" (i.e. within our unlimited voice call bundle). But, if this route appeals to you, be aware that calls from the UK to Europe are charged at £1.50 by Vodafone!!!! We also have no problem with meeting any roaming period restrictions, as the same MiFi unit and smartphone (both with Vodafone UK SIMs) are used just as much in the UK as elsewhere in the EU. We have found good voice and 4G data with Vodafone everywhere we have travelled in the EU, save for very remote locations where no cellular signal is available. As a bonus, we no longer need to try to access dubious WiFi services, which have always worried me for security, especially when internet banking, and rarely offer effective speeds for video streaming on campsites when too many folk attempting to share the available bandwidth.

So.….. for us a "win-win" for a change.

Just keeping our fingers crossed that Brexit does not scupper these roaming arrangements!

Vodafone and EE have both said no change on roaming no matter what happens with Brexit. There was one other as well but can’t remember which one.

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[irnbru]

I have a 3 contract dongle and some giffgaff data plus I also have fon but when at home I decided on just a basic talktalk package. Yesterdays storm snapped a tree and guess whose line it fell on Earliest an engineer can come is Tues. Most of the neighbours are on Virginso their landlines should never really be affected. Theres pros and cons everywhere with internet.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

We and a few others in the village are now on the '3' 100gb data sim and get between 30 and 35 Mbps download speed. Using multiple devices is now possible unlike on the landline broadband

Download speed is irrelevant when it comes to how many devices can be connected.

 

[Stroppy Bird]

Download speed is irrelevant when it comes to how many devices can be connected.

Maybe I should not have put the full stop and instead said that "we get between 30 and 35 Mbps download speed AND using multiple devices is now possible". I wasn't implying that the download speed meant that we could use multiple devices, just that it is now also possible since we swapped to mobile data from landline broadband along with faster download speeds.

 

[Deleted member 29692]

Maybe I should not have put the full stop and instead said that "we get between 30 and 35 Mbps download speed AND using multiple devices is now possible". I wasn't implying that the download speed meant that we could use multiple devices, just that it is now also possible since we swapped to mobile data from landline broadband along with faster download speeds.

By multiple devices do you mean a full service TV package such as Sky Q, something like an Xbox, HD video streaming on another device and 3 or 4 other devices doing general internet stuff all at the same time?

Or do you mean a couple of phones checking Facebook?

My definition of multiple devices is the former.

No 4G connection I’ve ever seen could cope with Sky Q never mind the rest of it.

Speed is irrelevant. It’s bandwidth that’s important and that’s a completely different thing.

 

[CazPaul]

As usual rural areas are left behind, are internet is sh1t due to living in the middle of no where, no matter what and which system we try. Can't have that, can't have that, can't have that is the answer we always get. Ours is through Sky but still has to use the BT landline as It's the ONLY option.

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[ymfb]

We live in a small village west of Salisbury, Wilton, which is about 1-1/2 miles away has virgin cable, sadly we do not, but we do enjoy FTTC and 65-75 mbps download and 16-20 upload. Next will be FTTP, which I will probably get as I have a remote backup server from my business in the loft.

What we would like (being greedy) is 5g, but would be very pleased with 4g as the mobile signal is non existent to very poor.

 

[Stroppy Bird]

By multiple devices do you mean a full service TV package such as Sky Q, something like an Xbox, HD video streaming on another device and 3 or 4 other devices doing general internet stuff all at the same time?

Or do you mean a couple of phones checking Facebook?

My definition of multiple devices is the former.

No 4G connection I’ve ever seen could cope with Sky Q never mind the rest of it.

Speed is irrelevant. It’s bandwidth that’s important and that’s a completely different thing.

I mean streaming hd on amazon prime and at the same time a couple of devices general browsing including using YouTube. This was never possible on our landline broadband but works well on our 4g connection.

 

[scotjimland]

Comparing a High Speed Fibre Optic Broadband with 4g phone signal..

like comparing a racing car with a jumbo jet..

both fast but one can carry on person, the other 500

So no.. it will not become redundant anytime in the near future

WE have BT broadband (fibre to the cabinet) ..

At any one time there may be several devices on-line, streaming video.. Xbox, Netflix, etc ..
with four Macs, three iPhones and an iBook .. it gets a lot of use.

but it's academic.. we don't have a decent phone signal . let alone 4G

 

[Deleted member 29692]

I mean streaming hd on amazon prime and at the same time a couple of devices general browsing including using YouTube. This was never possible on our landline broadband but works well on our 4g connection.

Thought so.

 

[scotty1]

F

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