New Unlimited Fixed Broadband

Forums › Spark New Zealand (including Skinny and BigPipe) › New Unlimited Fixed Broadband

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 9

2350 posts

Uber Geek

#1704163 16-Jan-2017 15:12

Spark has almost turned into CallPlus, having three seperate brands for broadband, stealing each others share.

I do wonder though, if BigPipe will merge into Skinny broadband, maybe in a year.

hio77

12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

#1704170 16-Jan-2017 15:18

eXDee:

If you're still confused, it's all about marketing and target audiences. Callplus sorta does something similar though it's not the same.

Slingshot - Mass Market offering, plan still starts at 30/10, a few more traditional value add services.

Orcon - A bit more enthusiast focused, starts at 100/20, has gigabit, got ipv6 first

Flip - Budget market offering, eg CGNAT limits some capability as a trade off for price.

While Spark, Bigpipe and Skinny aren't quite the same, there is a lot of overlap in the audiences these three are targeting.

It's still interesting nonetheless, but Spark has clearly done their market analysis and reckons there's a segment here they can appeal to.

I too must agree, this is more confusion to the whole spark unbrella.

Certainly do see it from a point of view of brand name's being known however i suppose skinny will be marketing towards those needing a bit more support than the bigpipe platform offer (be it boxed into a single device which will make it easy for their support teams)

@skinnyfolk backend question, so dont mind if this should be taken to PM but, is this single modem all linked into the Sparks HDM system?

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

mentalinc

3243 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1704214 16-Jan-2017 15:39

There is nothing forcing you to use the skinny modem (not actually tested but haven't seen it successfully done yet, you just have to pay for it...

CPU: AMD 5900x | RAM: GSKILL Trident Z Neo RGB F4-3600C16D-32GTZNC-32-GB | MB: Asus X570-E | GFX: EVGA FTW3 Ultra RTX 3080Ti| Monitor: LG 27GL850-B 2560x1440

Quic: https://account.quic.nz/refer/473833 R473833EQKIBX

SkinnyBB

18 posts

Geek

Skinny

#1704221 16-Jan-2017 15:50

mentalinc:

There is nothing forcing you to use the skinny modem (not actually tested but haven't seen it successfully done yet, you just have to pay for it...

This is technically correct - you can plug in a different modem if you want - but we're unable to offer support for any Skinny Unlimited connection that isn't using a Skinny-provided HG659. The idea is to make fixed-line easier support for our customers than it might otherwise be, and that's easiest to do if everyone's bought the same CPE.

SkinnyBB

18 posts

Geek

Skinny

#1704227 16-Jan-2017 16:02

NonprayingMantis:

...

also, on the point of diluting your brand equity, how do you reconcile https://www.skinny.co.nz/about/

where it says "In a nutshell, Skinny’s whole reason for being is to strip everything back, so you only pay for stuff you actually want at super low prices."

with the notion that Skinny fixed BB requires you to take the Skinny modem even if you don't want it?

We hear what you're saying, but that's why there are other ISP options if you want to BYO device. Changing providers and setting up devices is not a big deal for people who know their tech (Geekzoners, generally) but for those that don't (probably 99 percent of the market) changing settings on a modem/router after switching ISPs is one of the deeper Circles of Hell. The experience couldn't be more different from mobile where changing providers can be just a matter of changing SIM cards. We're going for the smoothest possible customer experience for purchasing and support. Skinny Unlimited is targeted at customers who will definitely find it easier, and who will be much happier, to get the modem up front.

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1704234 16-Jan-2017 16:11

How locked down will the modem (HG659) be? Would it be possible for sufficiently advanced users to enable the modem's VoIP ports?

Edit: speling

NonprayingMantis

6434 posts

Uber Geek

#1704261 16-Jan-2017 16:36

SkinnyBB:

NonprayingMantis:

...

also, on the point of diluting your brand equity, how do you reconcile https://www.skinny.co.nz/about/

where it says "In a nutshell, Skinny’s whole reason for being is to strip everything back, so you only pay for stuff you actually want at super low prices."

with the notion that Skinny fixed BB requires you to take the Skinny modem even if you don't want it?

We hear what you're saying, but that's why there are other ISP options if you want to BYO device. Changing providers and setting up devices is not a big deal for people who know their tech (Geekzoners, generally) but for those that don't (probably 99 percent of the market) changing settings on a modem/router after switching ISPs is one of the deeper Circles of Hell. The experience couldn't be more different from mobile where changing providers can be just a matter of changing SIM cards. We're going for the smoothest possible customer experience for purchasing and support. Skinny Unlimited is targeted at customers who will definitely find it easier, and who will be much happier, to get the modem up front.

sure, some (maybe even most) people prefer to have it all done for them - but why not make it optional then? e.g. for no contract, either buy our model @ $99 or, if you are confident enough, BYO.

That, to me, is the spirit of "only pay for stuff you actually want". Give people the choice to pay for a modem, or not. If you force a component of a bundle onto people, and make them pay extra for it, then you aren't living up to your reason for existing in the first place.

Skinny doesn't force me to buy a skiny phone in order to use the network, so why do they now force me to buy a skinny modem to use skinny fixed broadband?

Since you are likely to get most of your customers from Spark (they have ~50% market share), they will almost all have a modem that already works without changing any settings at all (might even be the exact same model!), so the $99 charge for those customers really is totally pointless.

This is quite different from your fixed wireless offer where virtually nobody who signs up will already have a compatible modem.

Sharesies

Trade NZ and US shares and funds with Sharesies (affiliate link).

noroad

956 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

#1704263 16-Jan-2017 16:37

SkinnyBB:

We hear what you're saying, but that's why there are other ISP options if you want to BYO device. Changing providers and setting up devices is not a big deal for people who know their tech (Geekzoners, generally) but for those that don't (probably 99 percent of the market) changing settings on a modem/router after switching ISPs is one of the deeper Circles of Hell. The experience couldn't be more different from mobile where changing providers can be just a matter of changing SIM cards. We're going for the smoothest possible customer experience for purchasing and support. Skinny Unlimited is targeted at customers who will definitely find it easier, and who will be much happier, to get the modem up front.

A little advice for you from someone who has spent a lot of time on this subject - If you enable port based authentication of your users, then users curning on to your service and keeping their existing router is completely painless. Port based auth works a lot smoother and with less hassle than forcing users to swap to your supplied router and all the associated wireless reconnecting etc.

SkinnyBB

18 posts

Geek

Skinny

#1704271 16-Jan-2017 16:47

deadlyllama:

How locked down will the modem (HG659) be? Would it be possible for sufficiently advanced users to enable the modem's VoIP ports?

Edit: speling

There haven't been any changes made to the modem's firmware to prevent the VoIP ports from working. You can access the settings and change them if you like, but we can't guarantee they'll work, nor will we be able to provide support for getting them to work - and we won't be able to support a modem that's had the settings fiddled with in a way we haven't suggested or authorised.

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1704285 16-Jan-2017 16:52

Is it possible to request VDSL when Fibre is available? E.g. when in a massive block of flats and not wanting to go through the hassle of being the first one to get fibre.

SATTV

1649 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#1704301 16-Jan-2017 17:16

deadlyllama:

How locked down will the modem (HG659) be? Would it be possible for sufficiently advanced users to enable the modem's VoIP ports?

Edit: speling

They use CG-NAT so VoIP will be tricky as you have already experienced before.

John

I know enough to be dangerous

deadlyllama

1264 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#1704304 16-Jan-2017 17:21

SATTV:

deadlyllama:

How locked down will the modem (HG659) be? Would it be possible for sufficiently advanced users to enable the modem's VoIP ports?

Edit: speling

They use CG-NAT so VoIP will be tricky as you have already experienced before.

John

Potentially -- but if you use the SIP support in the router, then it's only going through NAT the once (CGNAT), not the double NAT of router NAT + provider CGNAT. And no jittery 4G to contend with - so it might work better. I'll let someone else be the guinea pig on that one, though.

Not for me, but it's good to know when friends with no money ask who they should buy broadband from.

johny99

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1704361 16-Jan-2017 20:33

Hey SkinnyBB, is it safe to say that Whanganui will not get skinny fibre for a long time if ever?

johny99

495 posts

Ultimate Geek
Inactive user

#1704372 16-Jan-2017 20:55

I know it is very elementary for most people here, but in terms of skinny stating that if fibre is available at the address that's what they will provide, this is not true if you are not in a city or town already served by big pipe.

hio77

12999 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

Trusted

Lizard Networks

#1704413 16-Jan-2017 21:50

noroad:

SkinnyBB:

We hear what you're saying, but that's why there are other ISP options if you want to BYO device. Changing providers and setting up devices is not a big deal for people who know their tech (Geekzoners, generally) but for those that don't (probably 99 percent of the market) changing settings on a modem/router after switching ISPs is one of the deeper Circles of Hell. The experience couldn't be more different from mobile where changing providers can be just a matter of changing SIM cards. We're going for the smoothest possible customer experience for purchasing and support. Skinny Unlimited is targeted at customers who will definitely find it easier, and who will be much happier, to get the modem up front.

A little advice for you from someone who has spent a lot of time on this subject - If you enable port based authentication of your users, then users curning on to your service and keeping their existing router is completely painless. Port based auth works a lot smoother and with less hassle than forcing users to swap to your supplied router and all the associated wireless reconnecting etc.

port based auth is in use here

#include <std_disclaimer>

Any comments made are personal opinion and do not reflect directly on the position my current or past employers may have.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... | 9