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[skyeci]

That is interesting, as Zen does seem to top-out around 915Mbit which is lower than a lot of FTTP ISPs.  It does make you wonder why this is.

Perhaps I'm lucky. I generally get 934 (zen/btw).

[Alex Atkin UK]

Perhaps I'm lucky. I generally get 934 (zen/btw).

Speed test or real world?

[bogof]

I see there are claims being made via ISPreview that some performance issue experienced with Zen's network has been resolved.  Don't know if this is the issue they had with my Zen GEA connection, and obviously I'm not in a position to test it any more.  I'm hesitant to suggest it definitely is the same thing, given their claims it had only been ongoing for a couple of weeks... And my issue dated back to June!  Could just be an attempt to spin, though.
https://www.ispreview.co.uk/index.php/2022/11/uk-isp-zen-internet-resolves-network-performance-issue.html

[j0hn]

It's a separate issue.
The issue affecting Zen customers on the 900Mb/s service on their GEA network is still unresolved.

Zen acknowledged the GEA issue long before 2 weeks ago, but they claim it is affecting a tiny proportion of users.

[Weaver]

Apologies for being stupid, but what exactly does GEA mean? (I’ve googled it and come up with various hits that don’t seem appropriate, talking about a business users’ service that is ethernet over FTTx, ie it presents ethernet to the user, and by the way not ethernet hidden inside PPPoE.)

[dee.jay]

https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/products/exchange-based-products/gea-cablelink

That is the GEA product that is in context here. It's a OR product that allows an ISP to get access to connecting backhaul on OR's links to their network - for example an AltNet can sell FTTP over OR's network.

[j0hn]

GEA means generic ethernet access.
It's an Openreach term.

We buy GEA-FTTC and GEA-FTTP.

A provider buys a GEA Cablelink to connect each Openreach OLT/L2S to their backhaul.
GEA Cablelinks come in 1Gb and 10Gb options. A single cablelink can serve both FTTC* and FTTP customers but there's also now FTTP only L2S and cablelinks.
Openreach often offer discounts on FTTP only GEA Cablelinks so that the likes of Talktalk, Sky and Vodafone pay up and can actually serve the millions of new homes being passed with FTTP. It's a considerable outlay for providers to get national coverage which is why smaller providers like A&A use other providers backhaul.
When I refer to FTTC above that includes both VDSL2 and G.Fast.

Zen offer 3 choices of backhaul on many exchanges. BT Wholesale, Talktalk business, or their own "GEA" network, which they call Plexus.
On their control panel on Openreach they refer to their own network as GEA.

I often refer to GEA backhauls as BTw, TTB or Zen GEA, Sky GEA, etc, though they are all GEA.

[bogof]

It's a separate issue.
The issue affecting Zen customers on the 900Mb/s service on their GEA network is still unresolved.

Zen acknowledged the GEA issue long before 2 weeks ago, but they claim it is affecting a tiny proportion of users.

Ah, Ok, that's a shame (not that it matters to me anymore)

[Weaver]

Thanks all for explaining.