Where does this 80% come from.

I live quite a long way from my exchange and appear to be lucky to get about
500 kbps maximum speed.
But what really annoys me is that every time I look at getting special
offers and free broadband and that kind of thing that the companies say
apply to 80% of the country, I am told that I can't get any of these and I
have to pay a higher price. Yet I live in Wokingham, next to Reading in the
Thames Valley only about 45 miles from London. (0118 973 is the number).
If this highly populated area is not in the 80% area, how on earth do they
work this figure out. For 80% of the country to be covered means that it
must surely include some of the remote areas of Scotland, Wales and parts
of England. I can't see how this can be so. Does anyone know how companies
like Plusnet can make this claim.
I accept that I'm lumbered with a slow connection but to not be in this 80%
area really annoys.

"Lawrie" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:4aace6f8@212.67.96.135...
>I live quite a long way from my exchange and appear to be lucky to get
>about 500 kbps maximum speed.
> But what really annoys me is that every time I look at getting special
> offers and free broadband and that kind of thing that the companies say
> apply to 80% of the country, I am told that I can't get any of these and I
> have to pay a higher price. Yet I live in Wokingham, next to Reading in
> the Thames Valley only about 45 miles from London. (0118 973 is the
> number).
> If this highly populated area is not in the 80% area, how on earth do they
> work this figure out. For 80% of the country to be covered means that it
> must surely include some of the remote areas of Scotland, Wales and parts
> of England. I can't see how this can be so. Does anyone know how
> companies like Plusnet can make this claim.
> I accept that I'm lumbered with a slow connection but to not be in this
> 80% area really annoys.

It's probably 80% of the population - which includes most exchange areas in
the largest cities and towns.
For the full info, see:
http://www.ofcom.org.uk/consult/cond.../statement.pdf

Health warning: it's a large document and you'll need to find out your local
exchange code to see into which market segment it's been placed (Markets 1
and 2 are the ones where price reductions may apply, as those areas already
have competition, i.e. LLU operators apart from BT).

George

"Andy Champ" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:xuGdne-(E-Mail Removed)...
> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>>
>> Wokingham is a satellite suburb of a minor provincial town - what sort of
>> service do you expect there or do you suppose that because Microsoft have
>> their UK offices there (handy for LHR) you will get better service?
> Wokingham Pop 30,000. Or if you count the Unitary Authority, 150,000.
>
> Not that small. And that 30,000 is in less than a square mile, which
> _does_ include an exchange...

Well, if the OP is actually served by Wokingham exchange, he certainly
should be able to get lower broadband charges from those ISPs who operate
differential tariffs.
It's a market 3 exchange area with 9 existing LLU operators, see:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/THWM

George

On Mon, 14 Sep 2009 21:13:06 +0100, "Peter Crosland" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>"George Weston" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "Andy Champ" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:xuGdne-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Wokingham is a satellite suburb of a minor provincial town - what sort
>>>> of
>>>> service do you expect there or do you suppose that because Microsoft
>>>> have
>>>> their UK offices there (handy for LHR) you will get better service?
>>> Wokingham Pop 30,000. Or if you count the Unitary Authority, 150,000.
>>>
>>> Not that small. And that 30,000 is in less than a square mile, which
>>> _does_ include an exchange...
>>
>> Well, if the OP is actually served by Wokingham exchange, he certainly
>> should be able to get lower broadband charges from those ISPs who operate
>> differential tariffs.
>> It's a market 3 exchange area with 9 existing LLU operators, see:
>> http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/THWM
>
>
>According to the prefix he gave he is on the Eversley exchange not
>Wokingham. His exchange is only a quarter the size of Wokingham.

0118 973 also covers Finchampstead to the south of Wokingham. Here in 0118 973 in Eversley
I get a pretty solid 6720kbps.



--
Regards, Paul Herber, Sandrila Ltd.
http://www.sandrila.co.uk/

"Peter Crosland" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed) o.uk...
> "George Weston" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
>>
>> "Andy Champ" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
>> news:xuGdne-(E-Mail Removed)...
>>> R. Mark Clayton wrote:
>>>>
>>>> Wokingham is a satellite suburb of a minor provincial town - what sort
>>>> of
>>>> service do you expect there or do you suppose that because Microsoft
>>>> have
>>>> their UK offices there (handy for LHR) you will get better service?
>>> Wokingham Pop 30,000. Or if you count the Unitary Authority, 150,000.
>>>
>>> Not that small. And that 30,000 is in less than a square mile, which
>>> _does_ include an exchange...
>>
>> Well, if the OP is actually served by Wokingham exchange, he certainly
>> should be able to get lower broadband charges from those ISPs who operate
>> differential tariffs.
>> It's a market 3 exchange area with 9 existing LLU operators, see:
>> http://www.samknows.com/broadband/exchange/THWM
>
>
> According to the prefix he gave he is on the Eversley exchange not
> Wokingham. His exchange is only a quarter the size of Wokingham.

Aha - that explains a lot....
Back to the drawing board - or move to the big town...
;-)

George