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Announcements => News Articles => Topic started by: kitz on May 08, 2013, 02:17:33 PM

Title: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on May 08, 2013, 02:17:33 PM
It looks like Be* customers moving to Sky as a result of the buyout,  may be able to have a static IP and continue to be able to use their own choice of router. 

In a letter to me from Be/Sky this morning.

Quote
Starting this year we'll be bringing your broadband over to the Sky network, where you'll benefit from a totally unlimited broadband service with absolutely no usage caps, no fair usage policy and no traffic management.  In the meantime your broadband service and support will stay exactly the same.

We know your broadband is important to you, so were busy working with BE to make sure your service is transferred smoothly and isn't disrupted in any way.  We will give you plenty of notice ahead of the transfer and let you know all the details of your new service in advance.  We are also aware that some BE customers would like to keep using their own routers and certain features such as static IP, which is why we're working hard to develop support for these important features on Sky's network.

There is also no need for existing Be customers to send back their Be Box routers.

Ive no idea what "certain features" are being developed -  other than static IP and the ability to use your own router. 
I wonder if Annex_m & line bonding are also amongst those features being considered? 
The ability to stay with Be*s DLM would be nice too -  rather than IMHO the horrid Sky DLM, but I would imagine the latter is very unlikely.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: guest on May 08, 2013, 04:18:06 PM
When dealing with Sky the phrase "we're working hard to develop support for xyz" means "we don't have the slightest intention of doing this and we're sure you will all forget we said that soon enough".

No joke.

Edit - If they binned SRA and static IPs when UKO got bought because the Sky CRM systems couldn't deal with it then I think its unlikely Annex M/static IPs are going to happen now. Not for any technical reason but simply because it won't work with the CRM backend s/w (which is a mess by all accounts).

Edit2 - line bonding is a no-no, never going to happen. The Sky CRM s/w can't even handle a customer having two phonelines (not joking), never mind line bonding.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: snadge on May 10, 2013, 09:45:55 PM
this has been confirmed on PC Pro today:

Quote
(https://forum.kitz.co.uk/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FunEe3U8.png&hash=cb27f0ca835b8cad35734af3fa4ca0247108a5ee)

Sky will allow Be Broadband customers to continue using their own routers - even though it doesn't extend that courtesy to its own customers.

Sky bought Be Broadband and O2's landline business from Telefonica earlier this year. That left many Be Broadband customers fearing that they would be forced to use Sky's own-brand router, which Sky effectively forces on its own customer base.

However, in a letter sent to Be Broadband customers, Sky explains that it's planning to support third-party router equipment. "We are also aware that some BE customers would like to keep using their own routers and certain features such as Static IP, which is why we're working hard to develop support for these important features on Sky's network," the company writes.

The letter may be an attempt to stem the tide of defections from the O2/Be customer base since the Sky takeover was announced in March. Figures released earlier this week showed the two ISPs had lost more than 40,000 customers since the end of 2012.

Sky Broadband refuses to issue server login details to customers who want to use their own router equipment. Many customers instead use Windows software to extract the login details from the Sky router, and use them to operate their own equipment, although this isn't supported by Sky and breaches its terms and conditions.

http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/381757/sky-to-let-be-broadband-customers-use-their-own-routers (http://www.pcpro.co.uk/news/broadband/381757/sky-to-let-be-broadband-customers-use-their-own-routers)
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: HPsauce on May 10, 2013, 09:50:39 PM
Sky Broadband refuses to issue server login details to customers who want to use their own router equipment.
I guess PC Pro aren't aware that Be customers don't use a login........ :baby:
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on May 11, 2013, 02:27:05 AM
>> the two ISPs had lost more than 40,000 customers since the end of 2012

I think Sky may also have under-estimated the average BE user in the fact that a vast majority of them know what they are doing and want to be able to take control of what they can for their connection.

My dad has one of those sagem routers which has been b@stardised so that port forwarding for VNC was impossible.  There was also another setting that I wanted to change and which I couldnt.   The only reason Im happy for my parents to remain on sky is cause its free with their TV package..  but seriously that connection does my head in.

Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: guest on May 11, 2013, 11:39:38 AM
None of this actually means anything does it?

I'm sure Sky are quite happy to leave Be users with their router (and Annex M) until they are physically moved to a Sky MSAN. They already said that nothing much is happening until Autumn anyway. From now until then I would imagine the priority is to sign up Be/O2 users to SMPF (Sky Talk) and TV services.

What I want to see is what happens to the Be users with multiple IP addresses. I think they will be the first users to see what Sky intends to do.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: HPsauce on May 11, 2013, 11:41:39 AM
And what they do about business users. :(
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: guest on May 11, 2013, 11:57:37 AM
And what they do about business users. :(

I can tell you what they'll do on that score now - they will not offer any sort of business service.

Technically its a breach of T&Cs to use a Sky connection for anything other than personal use. The reality is they don't care what you use the connection for, just as long as you accept there is no SLA* and no consequential losses.

Frankly I would advise you not to consider using Sky if its a business run from home. If something does go wrong then its likely that Sky won't report it to Openreach for 72 hours (can take 72 hours+ to escalate within Sky CS) and then you have potentially another 5 working days on top of that for Openreach to attend.

If Sky had wanted business customers then they'd have made the change when UKO was closed down. They didn't.

I advise you to make plans now if you use the connection to run a business.

*Usual Openreach SLA applies, no enhanced SLA possible.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: tickmike on May 15, 2013, 09:57:02 PM
What's SLA ?.  :hmm:
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: asbokid on May 15, 2013, 10:00:04 PM
service level agreement - contractual terms and conditions from the perspective of the end user - what he can expect for his money, and what are the remedies when he doesn't get it!

cheers, a
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on June 09, 2013, 06:56:25 PM
email from Be/Sky

Quote
As a BE member, we’d like to invite you to take part in a survey about your experience

/snip/

We’d love you to take part in this research, which should take around 15 minutes of your time.


hmmmm it took me 35 mins...  not that I expect them to take much notice of what I put :/
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: snadge on June 11, 2013, 12:01:35 AM
I see BE have been invoking FUP on some of its users, threatening disconnection if you go over 150Gb
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on June 11, 2013, 08:43:27 AM
Was there any mention on which product the were on?
I may be wrong but did the value product have a 'cap' at some point? 

If anything I would it be possibly be a value customer that was targeted rather than someone on their Unlimited or Pro accounts.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on June 11, 2013, 08:58:02 AM
Ok.   Gotcha.   Do you mean the recent ASA ruling against be.

http://www.asa.org.uk/Rulings/Adjudications/2013/6/Be-Un-limited/SHP_ADJ_221786.aspx

Iirc this relates to something last year where a few users on congested exchanges were contacted.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: HPsauce on June 11, 2013, 09:26:18 AM
Iirc this relates to something last year where a few users on congested exchanges were contacted.
That's my understanding too from the "toys out of pram" posts on the forum, though no-one ever mentioned 150GB or indeed any other limit. I don't even think Be can actually measure data volumes that specifically.

And therein I think is a major factor in the problem. They had (have) congestion and have some mechanism (sampling?) to highlight heavy users who were then asked to reduce daytime loads and try to do more overnight. Trouble is they didn't seem to have the means to be specific enough about those users volumes and it all got very messy and contentious for a handful of users.
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: snadge on June 13, 2013, 11:08:59 PM
Quote
The issue was that on exchanges that had congestion on the back haul network Be would contact users who used over 150GB over the course of a month to get them to try and use less data. Over a period of twelve months 224 emails were sent out to people breaching the fair use policy and this is out of a customer base of 68,000 users.

This ruling is interesting as moderate restrictions were allowed on services sold as unlimited and this was only carved into a stone tablet back in 2012. This set of rules has led to the two tier system where unlimited products often have a FUP, but totally unlimited products are more in line with the public perception of unlimited. Maybe the ASA is leaning towards helping the consumer in 2013.

The Be products are still listed as unlimited, so we presume with the purchase by BSkyB and other changes that the product has changed so that they can continue to use unlimited as a key sales point on the product pages.

http://www.thinkbroadband.com/news/5870-be-un-limited-held-to-task-over-unlimited-claims.html

BE have always had a FUP but were proud to be the only ISP to never have invoked it
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on June 21, 2013, 01:28:50 AM
email from Be/Sky

Quote
As a BE member, we’d like to invite you to take part in a survey about your experience

/snip/

We’d love you to take part in this research, which should take around 15 minutes of your time.


hmmmm it took me 35 mins...  not that I expect them to take much notice of what I put :/


Persistent g*ts arent they.   
Im pretty damn sure I ticked the no contact marketing box....  but my mobile was receiving several calls today from 02920445100. 

Take the hint if I dont answer then Im busy because Ive been in meetings/class/various other places all day and couldnt take the call.   I ended up turning my phone completely off.  :mad:

All they really wanted me to do was sign up with Sky now and move from o2. (wth!)   When I was able to take the call later this evening then I guess I told them nothing new and they wont take much notice.   

What is interesting to note is when I did explain I was with Be - not O2 - She said that those "Bee Eee" customers she had spoken to all said similar to me.     Be users most likely went with Be for a reason - I dont think Sky get it.  :(
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: BritBrat on June 21, 2013, 08:22:02 AM
Why do you not like Sky broarband?

i  have now been using it for a few years and never a problem.

"finds piece of wood"
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: HPsauce on June 21, 2013, 10:12:32 AM
but my mobile was receiving several calls today from 02920445100.
Me too, I'm getting very fed up with it. Don't bother answering as any message re Sky "not getting it" will be wasted on these callers.  :lol:
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on June 21, 2013, 11:44:36 AM
You know what has just dawned on me.  They were calling my mobile not my landline.   I never gave sky my mobile number when filling in that form.

Therefore they must have got the details from my Be account details.   

I've just gone and checked my prefs in my Be setting and sure enough there under the "We know you are busy people and therefore we won't contact you blub"....   I have everything unchecked for my mobile no ... except for SMS alerts regarding support messages.

-----

And WTH... I was half way through typing this I had a very important phone call on my landline and as I was speaking to them my mobile rang from the above 0800 number.  I couldn't take it obviously but if they do ring again they are damn well going to get a kitz roar  :angry:
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: kitz on August 16, 2013, 07:49:18 PM
Latest news on this

Quote
Sky are looking to recreate BE on their own network as a premium service based on their top notch Fibre Unlimited Pro service (80/20 FTTC to the likes of you and me). Their vision includes continuing to support you with “the Bulgarians”, building Single Static IP capability into their network (sorry you multiple-types, but you can’t have everything I’m afraid) and providing you with the sort of customisation you currently enjoy on the BE network. They plan to make this new service exclusively available to Members first.

Nothing much new other than saying they will do it as a premium service, hinting to perhaps get your wallet out :/

More info
http://blog.bethere.co.uk/2013/08/news-from-sky.html
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: ColinS on August 16, 2013, 10:44:03 PM
Nothing much new

Nothing to see here ... please move along ....
Title: Re: Be -> Sky customers to retain static IPs and use own routers
Post by: HPsauce on August 16, 2013, 10:48:39 PM
Lets see what they say on Tuesday 20th Aug in the Be Forums.  ;)
Quote
Kate Hobbs and a few people from Sky will be back on the forum to answer your questions, including about this week’s update. We’ll use the same ‘Talk to Sky’ room and format as last time, and start with some of the questions that you’ve already posted – so we might do a bit of thread clean-up ahead of that.