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[kitz]

From todays El reg

Virgin Media will double the number of hours it throttles the bandwidth of customers who hammer its network day and night, changes to its traffic management policy have revealed.

The tightened regime means that between 10am and 3pm subscribers to its "M", "L" and "XL" packages will have their connection throttled for five hours if they download more than their full speed ration.

The decision follows recent regional testing of extended restrictions in London and the North West. Previously the brakes were only slammed on for five hours if limits were exceeded at any point between 4pm and 9pm.

Now, "M" customers who bust 900MB during the day will have their theoretical maximum download halved from 2Mbit/s to 1Mbit/s. "L" and "XL" users' usual headline speeds of 10MBit/s and 20MBit/s will be slowed by three quarters if they break daytime download limits of 2400MB and 6000MB respectively.

The download thresholds for the daytime throttling period are double those of the evening period, which also restricts uploads.

Interestingly

Virgin Media says that at current levels of demand, one per cent of its 3.8 million customers will be affected by the new daytime restrictions. In the evening, when ISP networks are under most strain, traffic limits are aimed at the top five per cent heaviest users.

So if Ive done my sums right thats 38,000 customers that will be affected by the daytime restrictions and 190,000 customers affected by the evening restrictions.

...  and they still proudly display on their VM site

Unlimited downloads YES 

[oldfogy]

You knew I would spot this didn't you! 

So, eventually once the upgrade happens they will still be trying to stop "some" people using it to it's max.

OK, on the figures posted above (which I have to say I would dispute compared to the write-up on Virgin Media's
Traffic Management page) of earlier today. http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/internet/traffic.html

"M" size package is still being quoted as 800MB and not 900MB

>> The tightened regime means that between 10am and 3pm subscribers to its "M", "L" and "XL" packages will have their connection throttled for five hours if they download more than their full speed ration.

>> Virgin Media will double the number of hours it throttles the bandwidth of customers who hammer its network day and night, changes to its traffic management policy have revealed.

So does this mean we will be throttled back now for 10 hours ?


Not a happy bunny ..........

*********************************************

Right, have had a look at "El reg"
So "IF and when" the upgrade from my 4MB to 10MB takes place and I am penalised for 10 hours per day, I "think" I will be exactly as I am at the moment.

Except, sometimes I turn off my PC at night, so if I now leave it on from 21.00 until 10.00 the next day I will be creating more traffic than I actually do now. 

[Pwiggler]

so in theory, when you get your speed upgrade, this just means you can reach your download limit faster 

[oldfogy]

Virgin Media's new DL/UL schedual.

These optimisation policies are being trialed during the following times where the potential for abnormal traffic has been identified as having the greatest adverse impact on our customers' experience.
(They are not being trialed, they are now in effect)

10am - 3pm Download only
4pm - 9pm Download
3pm - 8pm Upload


During these times the following thresholds will be applied for upstream and downstream.

10am - 3pm Download
Size M: 900Mb
Size L: 2400Mb
Size XL: 6000Mb

4pm - 9pm Download
Size M: 450Mb
Size L:1200Mb
Size XL: 3000Mb

3pm - 8pm Upload
Size M: 200Mb
Size L: 700Mb
Size XL: 1400Mb

*************************

I had to phone VM techies earlier yesterday, asking why I was being throttled back to a 1Mb connection when I have only UL 48MB and DL 16MB between 4pm & 6pm ........

The reply was because the throttling is actually being measured over the "TOTAL" of the last 24 hour cumulative period.
And not during the times as stated in the Register article, although those time do come into effect at some stage, "but god only knows where"

Oh, and by the way the new times are now in effect regardless of the advertised times and limits on the VM site and also regardless on whether you have yet had the upgrade or not.

So with the new rules now in effect it looks like I would be Traffic Managed for 10 hours per day to a 1Mb connection, if I go over the limit during daytime hours.

********
These new rules on UP & DL limits are just too unbelievable and unrealistic.
Free upgrade for something that you can't use to it's fullest capabilities.

THANKS FOR NOTHING VIRGIN MEDIA.

*********
Rant over:
So I'm now looking for a new ISP and Telephone provider and I will also be cancelling my TV package.
Since i'm getting a new TV with Freeview (hopefully next week), that will do for the amount of TV that I watch.

[kitz]

Out of curiosity which account type are you on OF?

>> is actually being measured over the "TOTAL" of the last 24 hour cumulative period

Seems a bit contradictory? and bet you were shocked to find yourself hit after just 48MB  between 4pm & 6pm.  The upload times being different I should imagine would also be difficult for many to monitor. 


OF where did you get that info from for the new schedule - Ive just gone to their site - and from their broadband theres nothing that I can see that links to that info.. the only thing I can see is unlimited or  no download limits.  Theres not even an asterisk.. nor can I see anything linked in their AUP, where ever it is its very well hidden.
..  and is that Mb with a small b...  because if so then those figures dont look too good when converted into MBs.


Just found on their Faqs page

What does unlimited broadband mean?
No download limits. Unlike some of our competitors, you get unlimited° downloads as a basic right so you can load up on music, films...whatever you're into.

The asterisk leads to the AUP ...  of which there is no mention of anything either.

All in all not good 

[oldfogy]

>> Out of curiosity which account type are you on OF?
My current package is the 4Mb "size L" and as of yet have not been upgraded to the 10Mb package.

>>> is actually being measured over the "TOTAL" of the last 24 hour cumulative period

>> Seems a bit contradictory? and bet you were shocked to find yourself hit after just 48MB  between 4pm & 6pm. 
>> The upload times being different I should imagine would also be difficult for many to monitor. 
Yes it all seems very contradictory, but then it is not "in the true sense" a VM notification, but The Register.
Although even the tech guy said he learnt about those new conditions from the same article.
And even agreed that their own information page has not been updated to reflect the now current new conditions.
I did mention in passing that surely this should be against Trading Standards, but as we both agreed between the T&Cs, Small print and FUP it would not matter what is currently being displayed.

This is the original link:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/05/29/virgin_media_daytime_restrictions/

Then there is a further link in the 3rd paragraph regional testing leading to:
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/showthreaded.php?Cat=&Board=virgin_cable&Number=3330382

The decision follows recent regional testing of extended restrictions in London and the North West. Previously the brakes were only slammed on for five hours if limits were exceeded at any point between 4pm and 9pm.

>> ..  and is that Mb with a small b...  because if so then those figures dont look too good when converted into MBs.
I'm not quite sure which of that part you are referring to.
If it's the chart in my previous post, then I would think it is a typo on the behalf of the article.

>>What does unlimited broadband mean?
Unlimited providing you do not go over their recommended limits, or break the FUP.

>> All in all not good 
Diabolical would be my summation.

At the moment I can't honestly see anyway around this, because if "as stated by their tech guy" it is also based over a 24 hour cumulative period, and like you say, one seems to contradict the other.
If this is so, then in theory in less than 30 minutes time, I should be being throttled back to 1Mb for the next 5 hours.
I will have to wait and see. As since midnight my UL has been fractionally over 2GB.

***************
edit
>> At the moment I can't honestly see anyway around this
Except not to UP or DL during 10am - 9pm

[maxpayne2409]

does anyone know the website to see when areas are being upgraded? coz i can't find it anymore and want to knwo if i've been upgraded..... coz if i have i'm not seeing any of it, frankly i think if an isp wants to up its users to faster speeds they should be able to handle users running it all the time end of story, if they can't handle it don't up it

[oldfogy]

Hi Max.
Welcome to the forum.

The page you want is here:
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/existingcustomers/faster/schedule.html

If you look, just above the list of towns etc, you will see the date it was last updated.
However, don't hold your breath about it being accurate, as I have heard of people who had been updated for weeks and the list still was still showing as not updated.

You might also want to take a look at the "NEW" Traffic Management policy while your at it:
http://www.virginmedia.com/help/traffic-management.php

[oldfogy]

Virgin Media sets throttle on hardcore hogs

Policy change to target 0.1 per cent

Virgin Media's bandwith throttling policy will in future be more targeted towards the minority of customers the firm says "hammer" its network.

It said its 50Mbit/s network upgrade programme, now completed, will allow it to restrict bandwidth during peak times for 2 per cent of customers rather than the current 5 per cent.

?? And yet they say that 50Mbit/s customers are "exempt" from the throttling.
It seems to me that this is another ploy to get people to upgrade to the higher bandwidth option.

Subscibers to the most expensive 50Mbit/s package will remain free of any bandwidth throttling and all packages do not have gigabyte download limits. Full details are here. http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/internet/traffic.html

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/07/16/vm_throttling_change/

Latest "Traffic Management" chart. (But does not seem any different than from the previous one)
http://allyours.virginmedia.com/html/internet/traffic.html

There is also some other interesting reading in the article, with regards even further "possible" upgrades.