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[UncleUB]

This just looks like nothing more than a re worded marketing ploy to me.

Virgin Media to avoid unachievable speed claims
Tuesday 04 August 2009 14:42:13 by John Hunt

Virgin Media are promising to avoid claims of unachievable speeds for its National Broadband product. This is the service that is available if you live in a non-cable broadband enabled area, and is provided using DSL over the phone line like most other broadband providers.

The new marketing for the national products will set out the speed as being "the fastest broadband we can give you" which is largely limited by the distance to the local telephone exchange. The cable broadband service, which it calls fibre optic broadband, will still be listed as providing an "up to" speed based on the product purchased as these are not affected in the same way as the technology limited ADSL based products.

    "Many consumers are confused by speed claims that are, at best, misleading and, at worst, disingenuous. I hope our National Broadband Speed Promise will help people choose the product that's right for them and set a new standard of transparency for the whole industry."
    Neil Berkett (CEO), Virgin Media

The new national broadband range will also increase speeds by using ADSL2+ technology which will in time allow Virgin to provide more services such as television over the broadband connection to areas where it hasn't been able to before. Virgin signed a deal with Cable & Wireless over 2 years ago for the provision of wholesale broadband services in the areas where it doesn't run its own network. The upgrades to ADSL2+ may well be part of this deal showing its light. In addition, from this month, customers will also be able to pay for their phone line rental, usually payable to BT, direct to Virgin.

With this change to marketing, Virgin's products will sit out of sync with those of other providers who market their services as 'up to 24Meg' or 'up to 8Meg', when with these products, that headline speed is actually unachievable. Providers are of course required by the Ofcom Code of Practice to advise people how fast their service is likely to be before they sign up, but this doesn't place restrictions on speeds quoted in advertising material. It would be refreshing to see other providers take a step in the same direction, but in the short term, this change may make it harder for consumers to actually compare products as they find differing information from different providers so can't easily do a like-for-like comparison on price.

Virgin won't fade away from exuberant advertising claims however as their cable broadband services, which they market as fibre optic broadband, will continue to be listed at its full 50Meg speed, as is their right as this speed is achievable between your home and Virgin's equipment. Whether defining it as 'fibre optic broadband' is right when it's actually a fibre-coax hybrid network is of course an open debate.

The "up to 8mb" being replaced with  "The fastest broadband we can give you"  

[roseway]

The word 'spin' comes to mind

[Oranged]

I don't think they've thought this through properly.

What if a connection gives a sync of 8186kbps for several weeks then (as they do) it suddenly drops to 6600kbps ?

With an "up to 8Mb" connection.......nothing because the description still applies.

With "the fastest broadband we can give you" connection, they'll be bombarded with more complaints than ever because it clearly isn't the fastest.

[waltergmw]

I wonder what you might wash off a hog !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

K R
Walter

[stevie]

Its more marketing Mumbo Jumbo...

With no actual speed given, those who don`t know any better will simply accept.."Its the fastest we can give you!!"......I can think of at least 2 ISPs who I reckon have it as a standard statement on their script sheet (Read...Fob off customer sheet).

I hope our National Broadband Speed Promise will help people choose the product that's right for them and set a new standard of transparency for the whole industry."

So if I read this press release correctly, Virgin will give people the fastest speed they can get, but won`t actually tell them what they should expect....Not quite what I thought they had to do? I thought they, like all ISPs had to give a reasonable indication of the speed a customer could expect?

How the hell will it make it easier for a customer to choose a product thats right for them?

Its sites like this one & TBB that help people pick the correct products, with firsthand knowledge from those who actually know the product/truth & can offer proper advice based on real knowledge!!!


I foresee, a few complaints that this isn`t quite inline with giving customers a clear/reasonable indication of expected speeds & a Press release/complaint from their main Rival to follow?

[UncleUB]

Customer to Virgin......"What is the fatest speed you can give me?"

Virgin to Customer(You will have to imagine the Indian accent)...."We will give you the fatest speed we can sir"

Customer back to Virgin (In well p****d off northern accent)...."I am on a very long line,so what speeds can I expect ? "

Virgin back to customer....." We will give you the fatest speed we can sir"

Customer then puts phone down and proceeds to bang his head on the computer desk............

[jid]

Some users of Virgin ADSL find they get faster speeds connecting their router to a tree. 

WiFi coverage is good too

[UncleUB]

Some users of Virgin ADSL find they get faster speeds connecting their router to a tree. 

I suppose it all depends on what branch you use.............

[jid]

Some users of Virgin ADSL find they get faster speeds connecting their router to a tree. 

I suppose it all depends on what branch you use.............

 

[orainsear]

Some users of Virgin ADSL find they get faster speeds connecting their router to a tree. 

WiFi coverage is good too

That's not so far from the truth! 

Link

[kitz]

Virgin's products will sit out of sync with those of other providers who market their services as 'up to 24Meg' or 'up to 8Meg', when with these products, that headline speed is actually unachievable.

So what exactly is going to make Virgins adsl2+ speed any different from that provided by Be/O2/UKO/Sky or any other adsl2+ provider.  Even many of the IPStream ISPs now offer adsl2+ as long as your exchange is enabled.
They failt to mention that Virgin adsl2+ is not available at many exchanges.. in fact far less than some of the other LLU providers.

Their site now claims "The fastest speed we can give you, up to 20Mb".

They are not doing anything new or anything different to what some damn good adsl2+ providers are already doing... or in the case of Be, have been doing for years.

Whats so different to
Download at speeds of up to 24MEG*
Your actual speed will be affected by factors that are out of our hands, such as your distance from the exchange.


Marketing hype!

[UncleUB]

The marketing Hype seems to have worked......

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/08/28/virgin_media_adsl_broadband_delays/