Spark Rural Wireless

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Niscoupe

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#224306 12-Nov-2017 11:01

We are currently on ADSL getting speeds of around 8-10 mbps. Spark website said VDSL was available however when we applied for it we were informed that is isn't actually available. They are trying to get us to go 4g wireless....just wondering how people have been finding the service. How is speed and reliability?

sbiddle

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#1899541 12-Nov-2017 11:09

Why was VDSL2 not available? What does the Chorus website say for your address?

VDSL2 will be a superior option if you can get it.

Linux

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#1899552 12-Nov-2017 11:41

You are on ADSL2+ if you are getting those speeds, What do the ADSL2+ modem line stats show? Wireless offerings have data caps so take this into account compared to fix line plans that have no data cap

Poor house wiring might be pulling the speed down

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Niscoupe

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#1899828 12-Nov-2017 23:33

Spark said line noise was too great (around 22dB) and Chorus shows us as being outside VDSL coverage area despite Spark saying differently. 120GB will do us each month so it really comes down to staying with existing ADSL or going to wireless if speed and reliability are ok. Thats why we were looking for feedback from people using the rural wireless :-)

Zeon

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#1899832 13-Nov-2017 00:32

Check these forums but basically Spark is trying to move away from Chorus as much as possible due to the line rental charges they need to pay - no matter whether it is better or worse for the clients. There are reports of slower speeds from people around various places and the data caps are not comparable. They may be saying you can't get it just because they want to sell you a wireless service. Maybe check with another service provider?

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Wheelbarrow01

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#1899970 13-Nov-2017 08:38

The service availability checker on the Spark website is an estimate only, based on data obtained from Chorus' automated pre-qualification system for that address.

Chorus has three results in Wireline: Available, Not Available, or Inconclusive. The Spark website only has two results: Available or Not Available.

Where a check returns an Inconclusive result in the background, the Spark website will usually say it's Available. This is to encourage the customer to apply for service in marginal areas. In this scenario a more robust manual check would be done if and when a customer tries to order, and the result of this manual check determines if the order can actually proceed to provisioning or not.

Sometimes the address will show as available from the outset, but Chorus then late-reject the order after it has already been issued - this can happen any time right up to when the technician is at the exchange doing the jumpering, where he discovers higher than expected attenuation. This is a fault with the Chorus prequalification data which is an estimate at best - we can't know the real world situation with a particular line/address until an order is placed.

If an order for VDSL has already been placed, Spark would NEVER "say you can't get it just because we want to sell you a wireless service".

I am happy to look into this for the OP if you would like a definitive answer, although I note that you have already been told the attenuation is 22dB so a manual check has clearly already been done. That's fairly definitive right there as the max allowable dB for VDSL is 15.

It's also worth noting that data for a particular address is updated all the time - the Chorus website could very well have also said that VDSL was available prior to you applying for service. The very fact that Spark requested a manual prequalification during your order process could have triggered Chorus to update their data to show that VDSL is now not available, in which case it's likely that the Spark website will also be updated shortly.

As I said above, I am happy to look into this further for you, but I strongly refute the allegation that any Spark employee would deliberately mislead a customer just to get them off Chorus copper and on to our wireless service. Any employee found doing so would face disciplinary action.

The views expressed by me are not necessarily those of my employer Chorus NZ Ltd

Niscoupe

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#1899993 13-Nov-2017 09:18

Thanks for the reply Wheelbarrow, I think you're right about the manual check. I am more than happy to have it looked in to but I'm pretty sure we are too far away from the coverage area according to chorus's map. VDSL would be awesome but it we can't get it then we can't get it!! So I figure next best is wireless.

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coffeebaron

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#1900245 13-Nov-2017 15:19

At 8-10 Mbps ADSL, I wouldn't attempt VDSL. You would want first make sure your house wiring was sorted and see what ADSL speeds you get then.
8-10Mbps ADSL = too far for VDSL or major house wiring issue.

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hio77

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#1900249 13-Nov-2017 15:29

coffeebaron: At 8-10 Mbps ADSL, I wouldn't attempt VDSL. You would want first make sure your house wiring was sorted and see what ADSL speeds you get then.
8-10Mbps ADSL = too far for VDSL or major house wiring issue.

As above, I'm happy to pull your physical connections graphs and draw you a line showing what i'd accurately expect to see with VDSL (That won't change chorus's views but could quantify it not being a great idea)

In terms of wireless, the few customers i have upgraded to WBB have had great experiences.

It can always be the other flip side, slow speeds due to signal etc but 99% of the time, the only issue is Data caps for customers :)

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

cbrpilot

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#1900270 13-Nov-2017 16:28

Wheelbarrow01:

The service availability checker on the Spark website is an estimate only, based on data obtained from Chorus' automated pre-qualification system for that address.

Chorus has three results in Wireline: Available, Not Available, or Inconclusive. The Spark website only has two results: Available or Not Available.

Where a check returns an Inconclusive result in the background, the Spark website will usually say it's Available. This is to encourage the customer to apply for service in marginal areas. In this scenario a more robust manual check would be done if and when a customer tries to order, and the result of this manual check determines if the order can actually proceed to provisioning or not.

Just a quick addition to this statement: "Inconclusive" results from the Chorus pre-qualification is not just returned when it is marginal. It is also returned where the Chorus inventory of that particular address is only partially complete, and for this reason they cannot complete a full pre-qual on that address to provide a definitive result. This is reasonably common unfortunately. In the vast majority of cases where Chorus return this "Inconclusive" result VDSL is actually available. This is why the Spark website converts that result to a positive - i.e. it is more than likely available. In the small number of cases where it is actually not available (such as the OP's case) then we then go back to the customer and advise.

My views are my own, and may not necessarily represent those of my employer.