What's the point?

So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is that
right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check availability,
the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for broadband.
Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this service.' I
wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate how
many can really receive this service.

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:27:48 +0100, "Graeme"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is that
>right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check availability,
>the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for broadband.
>Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this service.' I
>wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate how
>many can really receive this service.

According to The Register "The extended reach - subject to line test -
means that the proportion of people who can receive broadband in
enabled areas has increased from around 94 per cent to 97 per cent."

So 97% of users connected to enabled exchanges (which cover 80% of UK
homes) should be able to get the service. That isn't bad and if your
friend is too far from the exchange what exactly do you want BT to do?

--
Hiram Hackenbacker

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:27:48 +0100, "Graeme"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is that
>right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check availability,
>the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for broadband.
>Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this service.' I
>wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate how
>many can really receive this service.

Hi Graeme,

The last information from BTWholesale regarding availability stated
that 80% of *homes* were connected to an ADSl enabled exchange.

""More than half a million people have registered their interest in
getting broadband through our registration scheme, 900 exchanges have
hit their demand trigger, more than 500 of these are live for
broadband and the rest are in the process of being upgraded. This has
brought us to 80 per cent coverage two years ahead of earlier
expectation - a great achievement. But we are not letting up with
efforts to widen availability and grow the market in enabled areas.""

A link to a press release is available in a brief story uk-bug carried
a few weeks ago @ http://snurl.com/2ag0

--
Regards
Andy Jenkins

http://www.uk-bug.net : The UK Broadband Usergroup.

"Hiram Hackenbacker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:27:48 +0100, "Graeme"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is
that
> >right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check
availability,
> >the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for broadband.
> >Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this service.'
I
> >wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate
how
> >many can really receive this service.
>
> According to The Register "The extended reach - subject to line test -
> means that the proportion of people who can receive broadband in
> enabled areas has increased from around 94 per cent to 97 per cent."
>
> So 97% of users connected to enabled exchanges (which cover 80% of UK
> homes) should be able to get the service. That isn't bad and if your
> friend is too far from the exchange what exactly do you want BT to do?
>
> --
> Hiram Hackenbacker

Move the exchange of course!
Just joking. Have you a link to that Register article?

"Andy Jenkins" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:27:48 +0100, "Graeme"
> <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
>
> >So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is
that
> >right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check
availability,
> >the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for broadband.
> >Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this service.'
I
> >wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate
how
> >many can really receive this service.
>
> Hi Graeme,
>
> The last information from BTWholesale regarding availability stated
> that 80% of *homes* were connected to an ADSl enabled exchange.
>
> ""More than half a million people have registered their interest in
> getting broadband through our registration scheme, 900 exchanges have
> hit their demand trigger, more than 500 of these are live for
> broadband and the rest are in the process of being upgraded. This has
> brought us to 80 per cent coverage two years ahead of earlier
> expectation - a great achievement. But we are not letting up with
> efforts to widen availability and grow the market in enabled areas.""
>
> A link to a press release is available in a brief story uk-bug carried
> a few weeks ago @ http://snurl.com/2ag0
>
> --
> Regards
> Andy Jenkins
>
> http://www.uk-bug.net : The UK Broadband Usergroup.

It must be true then.
I've been sitting here typing in friends phone numbers (I know, the devil
makes work for idle hands) to see the response. So far, 57% can get
broadband.

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:49:31 +0100, "Graeme"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Move the exchange of course!
>Just joking. Have you a link to that Register article?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/22/32724.html

--
Hiram Hackenbacker

"Graeme" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:3f6e9e85$0$33799$(E-Mail Removed) ...
> "Andy Jenkins" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:(E-Mail Removed)...
> > On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 07:27:48 +0100, "Graeme"
> > <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:
> >
> > >So BT are saying that over 80% of exchanges are broadband enabled, is
> that
> > >right? So when I type in a phone number for a friend to check
> availability,
> > >the response is 'Congratulations, your exchange is enabled for
broadband.
> > >Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to receive this
service.'
> I
> > >wonder would BT like to revise their 80% figure to accurately indicate
> how
> > >many can really receive this service.
> >
> > Hi Graeme,
> >
> > The last information from BTWholesale regarding availability stated
> > that 80% of *homes* were connected to an ADSl enabled exchange.
> >
> > ""More than half a million people have registered their interest in
> > getting broadband through our registration scheme, 900 exchanges have
> > hit their demand trigger, more than 500 of these are live for
> > broadband and the rest are in the process of being upgraded. This has
> > brought us to 80 per cent coverage two years ahead of earlier
> > expectation - a great achievement. But we are not letting up with
> > efforts to widen availability and grow the market in enabled areas.""
> >
> > A link to a press release is available in a brief story uk-bug carried
> > a few weeks ago @ http://snurl.com/2ag0
> >
> > --
> > Regards
> > Andy Jenkins
> >
> > http://www.uk-bug.net : The UK Broadband Usergroup.
>
> It must be true then.
> I've been sitting here typing in friends phone numbers (I know, the devil
> makes work for idle hands) to see the response. So far, 57% can get
> broadband.

Being connected to an enabled exchange is not the same as being able to get
broadband. Before you can even consider getting ADSL, you need your
exchange enabled. Once your exchange is enabled, you then need to meet the
line-tests - and often distance from the exchange (aka. signal loss) means
you can't get ADSL.

The clue was in your original post - "'Congratulations, your exchange is
enabled for broadband. Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to
receive this service" - the exchange is enabled, but you're too far away.

D

On Mon, 22 Sep 2003 10:13:27 +0100, "David Hearn"
<(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>The clue was in your original post - "'Congratulations, your exchange is
>enabled for broadband. Unfortuantely you are too far from the exchange to
>receive this service" - the exchange is enabled, but you're too far away.

Indeed - its all just a play on numbers. Numbers can be interpretated
to mean anything you want them to - if you know how to manipulate
them. Combined with a clever use of vagueness in a text description
- and people assume the best, without realising the worst.

Its like website hits. Too many people think of 'hits' as 'people',
without the understanding that hits means something completely
different. Ivillage.com some time ago released 'hits' of some
20million a month. Does anyone really think that 20 million *people*
logged onto that website in a month ????

One wonders what the *real* figure for ADSL availability is.
Unfortunatley my math is not what it used to be (even then it wasnt up
to much!!) to calculate it accurately enough though.

--
Regards
Andy Jenkins

http://www.uk-bug.net : The UK Broadband Usergroup.

On 22/9/03 7:33 am, in article (E-Mail Removed), "Hiram
Hackenbacker" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

> So 97% of users connected to enabled exchanges (which cover 80% of UK
> homes) should be able to get the service. That isn't bad and if your
> friend is too far from the exchange what exactly do you want BT to do?

I think the point he is trying to make, is that if you are connected to an
upgraded exchange but are actually too far away from it to get DSL, are BT
counting you in the 80% ?

I suspect they are, but shouldn't be.

They should publish what percentage of homes are within the limits of DSL
connectivity of the enabled exchanges .... And the percentage is probably a
lot lower.

Its not a solution, nor can anything be done, but it would reflect the
reality of the rollout, given the technology chosen for deployment.