New Line and Broadband

I have found in helping my local rural garage switch from a dial up service to
Broadband some unexpectied problems so any comment or observations from
newsgroup readers would be most welcomed.

The garage currently has four analogue lines feeding a switch from which the
dialup service 'grabs a line". The switch has come to the end of its lease
period and therefore is being replaced and will have 2 * ISDN2e digital lines
all organised by the voice carrier supplier. The POTS numbers will be
converted to ISDN.

So its a case of getting a new analogue line put in to support Broadband.
Initial thoughts were to get Nildram to have a Broadband enable line installed
asap. However Nildram no longer offers such a service and worse is that they
will comptemplate a manual order to get a few days [or weeks] of the
installation time.

It seems that two choices are available to get a new line, but which is best?

1) Ring 0800 400 400 where an order for a line can be put in for £99 + £41.15
quarterly rental or optionally a free install with a 3 year contract but with
a £42.95 quarterly rental with something called "Feature Line Compact".

2) The carrier preselect company can apparently organise the line and collect
both the rental and the installation fee but would such a line be suitable for
Broadband? Prices are very vague but said to be cheaper than BT.

BT claim that once the engineer leaves the prmises with the new line working
it will be possible to place a Broadband order to any ISP, but is that really
the case?

What are the chances of being up and running with Broadband service by the end
of the month?

Words of wisdom from readers welcomed.

David Bradley

David Bradley <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> I have found in helping my local rural garage switch from a dial up service to
> Broadband some unexpectied problems so any comment or observations from
> newsgroup readers would be most welcomed.
>
> The garage currently has four analogue lines feeding a switch from which the
> dialup service 'grabs a line". The switch has come to the end of its lease
> period and therefore is being replaced and will have 2 * ISDN2e digital lines
> all organised by the voice carrier supplier. The POTS numbers will be
> converted to ISDN.
>
> So its a case of getting a new analogue line put in to support Broadband.

I don't quite follow this, if you already have four POTS lines then
only two of these will be needed for conversion to two ISDN lines.
This then leaves you with two POTS lines, one of which can have ADSL
put on it surely?

--
Chris Green

On 19 Jul 2005 14:07:41 GMT, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>I don't quite follow this, if you already have four POTS lines then
>only two of these will be needed for conversion to two ISDN lines.

Depends, surely, on the switch, and whether it even supports analogue
or is cheaper for just having 2x 2 ISDN connected. Peter M.

On 19 Jul 2005 14:07:41 GMT, (E-Mail Removed) wrote:

>David Bradley <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> I have found in helping my local rural garage switch from a dial up service to
>> Broadband some unexpectied problems so any comment or observations from
>> newsgroup readers would be most welcomed.
>>
>> The garage currently has four analogue lines feeding a switch from which the
>> dialup service 'grabs a line". The switch has come to the end of its lease
>> period and therefore is being replaced and will have 2 * ISDN2e digital lines
>> all organised by the voice carrier supplier. The POTS numbers will be
>> converted to ISDN.
>>
>> So its a case of getting a new analogue line put in to support Broadband.
>
>I don't quite follow this, if you already have four POTS lines then
>only two of these will be needed for conversion to two ISDN lines.
>This then leaves you with two POTS lines, one of which can have ADSL
>put on it surely?

It is all to do with timescales. Upgrading/replacing the switch is over a
longer time scale [3 months] whereas the Broadband connection is required
within days.

Frustratingly the four lines are non sequential numbers feeding the switch.
All need to be retained so that calls can be can be patched through to any
extension phone.

Decoupling one number from the switch is therefire not really any option as it
would:
* take time to organise;
* probably be more costly to run/extend the phone service to the preferred
location for the new master socket;
* robs the switch of an external line [and its well known number] until the
new facility is in place.

So getting a new line put in seems the best route forward. Isn't life
complicated sometimes?

David Bradley

(E-Mail Removed) wrote:
> David Bradley <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>> I have found in helping my local rural garage switch from a dial up
>> service to Broadband some unexpectied problems so any comment or
>> observations from newsgroup readers would be most welcomed.
>>
>> The garage currently has four analogue lines feeding a switch from
>> which the dialup service 'grabs a line". The switch has come to the
>> end of its lease period and therefore is being replaced and will
>> have 2 * ISDN2e digital lines all organised by the voice carrier
>> supplier. The POTS numbers will be converted to ISDN.
>>
>> So its a case of getting a new analogue line put in to support
>> Broadband.
>
> I don't quite follow this, if you already have four POTS lines then
> only two of these will be needed for conversion to two ISDN lines.
> This then leaves you with two POTS lines, one of which can have ADSL
> put on it surely?

He's having 4 Pots lines converted to 2 ISDN (4 channels) so 2 POTS lines
will become dead, as for the rest of the OP's questions they all ahave good
points & bad points but the one thing which would put me off having a single
line FeatureLine is that you need to dial 9 before each call, which to me
appears pointless unless you've got a full blown multi Featureline setup..

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 13:31:01 +0100, David Bradley
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Words of wisdom from readers welcomed.

if you need a new analogue pair (which isn't obvious) then
"Simultaneous Provision" is a mechanism whereby an ISP or BT issues a
code that you then give to the other one in order to tie the two
together. Zen might be your best bet, or Andrews & Arnold who are BT
resellers anyway.

Anytihng with "featureline" in it smells of the exchange acting as the
PABX and the lines becoming ADSL incompatible, so I would beware of
that.

With a CPS or other 3rd party added into the mix I can only see it
getting more complex.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 22:35:51 +0100, Phil Thompson <(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>On Tue, 19 Jul 2005 13:31:01 +0100, David Bradley
><(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
>>Words of wisdom from readers welcomed.
>
>if you need a new analogue pair (which isn't obvious) then
>"Simultaneous Provision" is a mechanism whereby an ISP or BT issues a
>code that you then give to the other one in order to tie the two
>together. Zen might be your best bet, or Andrews & Arnold who are BT
>resellers anyway.
>
>Anytihng with "featureline" in it smells of the exchange acting as the
>PABX and the lines becoming ADSL incompatible, so I would beware of
>that.
>
>With a CPS or other 3rd party added into the mix I can only see it
>getting more complex.
>
>Phil

Thanks for your response. Would love to have "Simultaneous Provision" but
Nildram whom I wish to use don't offer such a service.

You would not belive how difficult it is to order a new BT Business line for a
long established business who does not currently use BT for their
telecommunication requirements. Quite apart from the extensive credit
checking facilities that makes you feel like a criminal, every attempt is then
made to sell you voice services that you know you don't need. A simple POTS
was all that was required for the Broadband service, and trying to put that
across immediately enters you into unwanted conversations of "we supply
Broadband etc".

When the line is eventually installed, apparently a couple of weeks away, then
the Broadband service can be ordered, so that's another 10 days to wait before
everything is up and running. And here is me thinking it could all be
achieved in a few days.

The computer will also act as a fax machine but outgoing faxes will be minumal
so now unlikely to have carrier pre-select.

David Bradley

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 08:03:00 +0100, David Bradley
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Would love to have "Simultaneous Provision" but
>Nildram whom I wish to use don't offer such a service.

the advantage of choice :-)

it is relatively new, might be worth pointing them at
http://www.adslguide.org.uk/newsarchive.asp?item=1894

you're not asking them to provide the line, only synchronise the
activities.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.

On 20 Jul 2005 08:39, Phil Thompson <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>the advantage of choice :-)

indeed. It must have been Zen (and Plus.Net) which do seem able and willing
to do this, then... I remember seeing mention of it elsewhere.

>it is relatively new, might be worth pointing them at
>http://www.adslguide.org.uk/newsarchive.asp?item=1894

LOL. Weren't Nildram bought by some other ? I doubt they can now make the
decisions over what they do do, or don't do, or how much, or when...

>you're not asking them to provide the line, only synchronise the activities.

Seems one of the ISPs most disliked by David would be able to do it, but...

On Wed, 20 Jul 2005 10:25:04 +0100, poster <us-(E-Mail Removed)>
wrote:

>Seems one of the ISPs most disliked by David would be able to do it, but...

I'm not sure people manage to differentiate between ordering the line
from an ISP (which some can accommodate) and synchronising the
provision of separately ordered line and ADSL.

Certainly seems to be a minority interest psort, the last item on the
traiing course or something. At least BT made the effort to provide
it, even if ISP-land can't be bothered.

Phil
--
Tiscali - dialup speeds at Broadband prices, see
http://bbs.adslguide.org.uk/postlist...&Board=tiscali

AOL - the unlimited ISP of choice for heavy downloaders.