Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[kitz]

Some of you may have seen the recent notification of the restructure in Pipex since the take-over by Tiscali last year.

Transfer over to the Tiscali Network

Over the past week or so many Pipex users have suddenly found themselves on the Tiscali network and there have been outcries by many users of appauling speeds and service since they have been on the Tiscali network.
There has been a slow decline of the Pipex network service over the past few months... but users who were at least used to a half decent service with Pipex, have now been finding out first hand just what its like to be on the Tiscali Platform


ByeBye 123-reg Pipex Communications.

Last week it was announced that the Pipex name was being removed from 123-reg, and in future rather than being Pipex Communications it is now to be known as GX Networks ltd.


Tiscali DNS Servers

This week a user informed me that the Pipex DNS servers are no longer working for many people and many customers suddenly wondered why webpages werent working.  Pipex users are now being advised to use the Tiscali DNS Servers.


Goodbye Pipex the ISP?

I heard a lil rumour that pipex brand would no longer be selling adsl.  I must stress that havent been able to find any concrete evidence of this.. but after doing a search to see if I could find any info...  I did come across this

As you may be aware, Pipex Broadband is now part of the Tiscali Group, following the sale of the business in July 2007. Tiscali is currently realigning its business and as part of this rationalisation will no longer be actively seeking residential customers under the Pipex brand.

[soms]

Its a shame Pipex has dissapeared. They always seemed a reliable service provider.

I help run websites hosted with 123-reg and also Webfusion, both formerly owned by Pipex and only hope that under GX Networks/Tiscali nothing changes for the worst.

Unfortunately I have no confidence at all in Tiscali so won't be too surprised by any future bad developments either in hosting services or broadband subscriptions.

Whilst Tiscali have a somewhat mirky reputation, something must be going right for them to be buying up companies such as Pipex?

[kitz]

I dont want to scare monger really,
but in view of the fact that thousands of Pipex customers in the past couple of weeks have found themselves on the tiscali platform... with tiscali IPs *, it does indeed seem like they are winding down the Pipex platform.

Past history has shown that Tiscali do seem to "swallow" any takeovers, rather then letting them run as independent brands...  it does look like the end may now be near for pipex


*The best was the pipex customer who pays extra each month for a static IP, and found himself allocated tiscali dynamic IP 

---------------------

>> They always seemed a reliable service provider

Yes for many years they were.. ok like any medium-large ISP theres bound to be complaints but the service and throughput was generally reliable.
People choose pipex for the name/reliability and were prepared to pay that little bit more for it.

I really do pity any Pipex user who is locked in a contract paying pipex prices and now finding themselves on the tiscali platform. 
Many of those customers know what its like to have a half decent connection and are therefore noticing the difference straight away of how poor tiscali can be 
I should imagine the average pipex customer isnt going to be one of those that doesnt just use the internet for a "bit of browsing and mail",  and certainly not those who would have been sucked in by Tiscali's false advertising using the word " UNLIMITED".



--------------------------

As regards 123-reg...  I have a few domains with them..  I got notification on the 5th about this..  it basically says

We're writing to let you know that Pipex Communications Ltd - the parent company of 123-reg - has changed its name. We use the Pipex name on some of the emails and invoices we send you.

Because Pipex Broadband was sold to Tiscali last year, the name of Pipex Communications Ltd has changed. The company is now known as GX Networks Ltd.

The changes you notice will be minor: a different company name will appear on the bottom of our website and on messages we send you. And charges on your bank account or credit card may appear under the new company name.

--------------------

With the rumours running strong again this week that Tiscali is on the market itself.. it looks like to me that they are doing a rapid rebundle of all the brands ready perhaps for a sell off. 
I suppose its easier to say "we have x no of tiscalli users" rather than
"we have x tiscali users, y no of  ABCisp users,  z no of XYZisp users etc".

The difference between profits last year and the profits announced this year show just how much they have been screwing down resources for existing tiscali users.  Theres only one way I can think that a company in the ISP industry can increase profits that much and that is by running down the service to substandard resources.  This sort of thing isnt unusual if a company is fattening itself up for sale.   The shareholders gain.. the customer looses.


/gets off soap box

[guest]

I shudder to think who is going to buy Tiscali UK. Its going to be CPW isn't it? I can't make up my mind whether that would constitute an improvement for EUs or not

[kitz]

Of all those "sniffing round"..  BT would probably be the best for the sake of tiscali users?

But if BT did buy I could imagine the outcry in certain quarters about a monopoly.   

So I guess that only leaves the likes of VM TT or Sky.   
However ironically if one of those companies did buy  tiscali, that would likely give the new purchaser the new monopoly anyhow 
.... But that would be OK wouldnt it?



Would be interesting if someone like vodafone decided to invest in a dsl infrasructure..  but like you, I have this feeling who its likely to be.
I do shudder a bit at TT having the monopoly.
hmmm  VM has been penny pinching of late on dsl...  lol  I best stop speculating... cause who knows?

[mr_chris]

Yeah - having the monopoly is fine as long as your name isn't BT or Microsoft.

Imagine if Carephone Warehouse bought Tiscali... it could be Tiscali Talk Talk (TTT)

If they did things properly, I imagine the Tiscali LLU and TalkTalk/AOL LLU platforms could be put to some very good use, as I'd imagine combined coverage would be excellent. But oh look.. was that a flying pig I just saw?

I will always feel some animosity towards TalkTalk because of their 'pioneering' of free broadband, which caused price (and quality) to drop for those still daring to charge!!

[kitz]

>> I will always feel some animosity towards TalkTalk because of their 'pioneering' of free broadband, which caused price (and quality) to drop for those still daring to charge!!

Ditto.   Theres only the likes of TT that could subsidise the adsl with millions of pounds from a different side of the business.
BT is chinese walled and cant do this due to regulation.

This so called cheap and free adsl has been the demise of many decent ISPs.   How can they compete when operating costs are around a min of £10pm before we start talking bandwidth.   
More ISPs go out of business and TT is allowed to continue providing substandard service....  subsidised by say phone sales.
Over the years Ive bought a few phones from CPW..  no way would I do now - knowing that anything I paid to them subsidises their adsl.

Another instance where BTs hands are more tied to do anything than their competition...  This list of which goes on and on.
OFCOM is useless.. and only serves in many cases to restrict what BT can and cant do..  whilst allowing the "competitors" to do so.   

[Floydoid]

Hmmm interesting, I've just heard Pipex advertising their business broadband package on the radio.  Quite what that tells us, I don't know.

[mr_chris]

That they still had some non-refundable radio advert credits remaining? lol

[kitz]

>> I've just heard Pipex advertising their business broadband package on the radio


Hmmm "will no longer be actively seeking residential customers under the Pipex brand".

The Pipex name I should imagine still has a good standing in the business realm.

----


I hadnt seen this on AG till today.
 

Customers with a Pipex broadband connection will still be known as Pipex broadband customers, since Tiscali has the rights to use the name in relation to broadband and phone services. While Tiscali is making the most of cost savings by moving customers from BT Wholesale IPstream products to Datastream or unbundled connections there are no signs that Pipex consumer broadband products will disappear.

So who knows whats really going on 

[soms]

Customers with a Pipex broadband connection will still be known as Pipex broadband customers, since Tiscali has the rights to use the name in relation to broadband and phone services. While Tiscali is making the most of cost savings by moving customers from BT Wholesale IPstream products to Datastream or unbundled connections there are no signs that Pipex consumer broadband products will disappear.

Typical tiscali nonsense. I recall back in the day before DSL max when a friend wanted to join Tesco broadband. They used Datastream as opposed to IPstream and there was no equipment in the exchange so they couldn't provide service.

How does Tiscali plan to move Pipex customers over from  BTw IPstream in exchanges where that is the only providing technology? And all for the sake of "cost savings" - a little more champers at the shareholders meeting or maybe even the company auction I expect.

[/end scathing flaming-tiscali mode]

[guest]

http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/03/15/pipex-goes-wimax

[mr_chris]

Hmm.. interesting times ahead - but as usual - only in the big cities. I've heard so much hype about WiMAX being the great saviour over the last few years but still it's just a big myth to me, where I live!

As for Pipex - I echo the sentiments above - it's such a shame to see such a once highly-regarded ISP go down so rapidly

[kitz]

Tiscali is currently realigning its business and as part of this rationalisation will no longer be actively seeking residential customers under the Pipex brand.

And it has happened..   I noticed this a couple of weeks ago but didnt get chance to post about it at the time.

Go try sign up for a pipex home account - and you now get diverted to Tiscali.
http://www.pipex.co.uk/

[kitz]

I hear they've now closed down (or at least made redundant) their Manchester Customer Support in favour of the Tiscali India one