Midband from BT

BT has now launched a web page with details of Midband.

You may remember the salient points of Pierre Danon’s pronouncements on this, back last November.

“The new service will not be completely always-on, but will provide always-on email”

So far so good. 128k access for those millions that BT has decided aren’t worth having their exchange upgraded.

“It will be priced at or slightly below that of ADSL”

Hmmm, not good, but still not too bad. If you currently are getting by with a 56k modem, the speed increase should be considerable.

“Your connection will drop to 64k if you get an incoming call”

Yes! Result! This would be similar to ADSL, in that you could use the telephone and get incoming calls while surfing the Internet. Sounds really good!

Yeah, I might be interested in this.

How times change. Danon appears to be the equivalent of Iraq’s Comical Ali  !!!!

From all of the above, lets have a look at what BT is really offering for Midband.

Midband will be available from June.

Midband will be based on ISDN.

It will comprise of two digital lines and be capable (when bonded) of connecting at 128k.

It will not have “always on email due to technical difficulties, but this may be provided later.”

It will not drop a line on incoming calls, but will drop a line if you wish to call out.

It will be capped at 150 hours per month (at 64k) or 75 hours (at 128k). You can carry over unused hours at up to 50 hours per month.

The price for what sounds suspiciously like Home Highway?

A stonking £35 per month. Yes, you can surf at 128k for apprx. 2 hours per day for that small price……….hold me back!!!

BT has explained that the cost is lower than ADSL as you are getting two phone lines rental included with the price……….. That’s £9.99 per month for a line.

Oh, did I mention that you could still connect after using up your allocation of hours? Yes, you can, and if you connect at 128k, BT will only charge you the equivalent of two local phone calls………per minute.

Lets assume you use the Internet for 300 hours per month (which isn’t really excessive), and you wish to do it at 128k.

Midband = £35 for 75 hours.

The rest = 2p per minute x 60 x 75 = £90

Woooooooo, only £125 per month!!!!!

Yeah, that sounds competitive with ADSL at £27 plus your line rental plus ISP charge……….NOT!!!!!

Did I also mention that BT will take £74.99 to change your line over to ISDN, or that it is a 12 month contract and if ADSL does miraculously appear on your exchange, they will bill you for the remainder of the 12 month contract you signed if you move over?? Or that they will charge you to change your line back to a normal one before you can get ADSL? I also don’t believe that I mentioned that the conversion charge is based on you taking up one of their other offers as well (BT together).

 Home Highway was a noticeable failure when you consider how few people actually took it. Pricing was largely blamed for this. BT has now built up folk’s hopes with their talk of Midband and how it would be a way for people that couldn’t get broadband to get an affordable alternative while they waited broadband.

What a crock!!!!!!!

This won’t appeal to any, except that are truly desperate for any speed increase.

It should, however, help to alienate the few remaining who don’t detest BT for what they are doing with Broadband rollout!!!

Those poor souls who see that BT isn’t rolling out broadband to any exchanges that are 1000 line or below. Those aren’t within stones throw of a large city ……the list goes on. Their registration scheme is being hailed (by BT) as a major success. It is a major success for BT, in that it guarantees an immediate captive source of income for those that are lucky enough to get upgraded. Lets not forget that when the exchanges are upgraded, folk have to pay money to BT (through their chosen provider).

Midband appears to be a cynical attempt to wring even more money out of those that they have denied a fast connection, for a vastly inferior system Lets face it, ISDN is hardly state of the art. BT has missed an opportunity to impress people with their willingness to give them what they want and instead is going to anger all those that were expecting an interim step to broadband.

As the ADSL guide put it……… “BT has missed an opportunity here, though in competition terms this may prove to be a blessing. If wireless companies are clever they will target the areas of the country that BT are avoiding and they would probably find a truly unmetered 256kbps service would be very popular.”

Lets hope that they are right and we begin to see competition to the monopoly provider. If it ever does happen, I hope to be one of those that tell BT to stick it where the Sun Don’t Shine!!!!!

 

By Ian Urie