Even Telecom's Customer Resolutions Group get misinformation from their own staff.
If the MPF is being cutover you have no access. You can't have reduced speed without a physical connection.
Metallic Path Facility (MPF)
A circuit comprising a pair of twisted copper conductors between a demarcation point at the end-user's premises and an exchange that conveys signals when connected to an electronic communications network.
Telecom have stated in the below email that not all Roadside Cabinets have Fibre connected.
I agree that Telecom Tech's should be sent to Chch but my problem is why are customers being migrated to the Cabinets before they are qualified. Also could they get their staff to work OT or get some of the laid of Downers engineers in to help out.
Telecom wouldn't try this on their corporate customers
Hi Jason,
Thank you for your email. I would still like to clarify the following.
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The decision to reroute the cable connection through the Roadside Cabinet was deemed the most appropriate by Chorus
From your answer it sounds like I was migrated to the Roadside Cabinet after the fault, is that correct?
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not all cabinets have been upgraded to the fibre optic connections at this stage. As your connection was directly to the exchange prior to the changes, you will still be connected by the copper cable. Therefore any increase in cable length will affect your attainable connect rates. It is important to note that as the cables do not always travel directly from one location to another, physical distance and cable distance can differ.
Are you saying that Telecom knew that customers would have speed issues due to the fact their copper lengths would increase due to the fact no Fibre was installed? I understand that I’m running copper from my house. So you are saying because the Roadside Cabinet is running copper back to the Exchange this has increased my distance to the Exchange? I am 1km from the exchange which is why I was running at 10mb. The Roadside cabinet is 400m from me. Is there no repeater in the Roadside Cabinet to boost the signal?
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With regards to the comments on your splitter, if you are using additional filters on jack points within the house, or the splitter is faulty, this can affect the broadband connect rates. If you believe the splitter to be faulty, I can arrange the broadband helpdesk to contact you to diagnose accordingly.
There have been no modifications at my house. A VisionStream Tech who visited the Exchange told me that I was sharing a connection, am I split off a port with another customer at the Exchange or Roadside Cabinet? This might explain my reduced speed, which is half what I previously had.
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Information regarding the broadband speeds is detailed in the Broadband Terms and Conditions, which can be found online under the Broadband Terms and Conditions, specifically the Service Reliability section, which states:
Service ReliabilityTelecom is unable to provide specific performance guarantees, however we are committed to providing a consistent and reliable service. While we always strive to provide a consistent service, there are a number of factors that influence reliability. For this reason, we do not guarantee connection speed bandwidth, latency (delay) or bit rate through our broadband network at any one point in time.
If Telecom was committed to providing a consistent and reliable service, why are customers being migrated to the Roadside Cabinets before they have been qualified?
Does the ‘number of factors’ include Telecom making changes which affect your service? Because that is exactly what has happened here.
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Telecom reviews each connection on an individual basis and, considering your connect rates are between 4Mbit/s – 5Mbit/s, this is clearly above the national average for connect rate speeds.
They may be above the national average but I was happily working at 10mb before Telecom migrated me to a Roadside Cabinet that was clearly not production ready.
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As explained previously in our conversations, your broadband connection is still fed from the exchange, so you are not currently connected to an inactive device. Once the cabinetisation process is complete and your broadband is connected to the functioning cabinet, your speeds should improve.
If I am not directly connected to the Exchange and the Roadside Cabinet has not been ‘activated’ it must be an ‘inactive device’ as it is just passing the DSL signal back to the exchange. My speeds should improve, are you saying that there is a possibility that my speeds may not increase from 5mb? When the Cabinetisation process is complete, will it have Fibre? Or will it still be on copper back to the Exchange?
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With respect to your Total Home package
That’s ok. I just wanted to keep my options open.
16 March 2011
Dear Richard,
Re: Complaint Reference Number TC00037020
Thank you for your reply dated 15th March regarding the further queries you have raised. I will address each one as you have provided them.
The decision to reroute the cable connection through the Roadside Cabinet was deemed the most appropriate by Chorus, who are responsible for maintaining and upgrading the network throughout New Zealand, on behalf of all providers. While Visionstream are technicians in the area contracted to carry out the work, the roll out of upgrades throughout the country are managed by Chorus. As your area is scheduled for cabinetisation, and the work done is in line with this, there is no option for you to return to the previous network layout.
While Chorus is undergoing a nationwide upgrade to connect cabinets and exchanges by cable, not all cabinets have been upgraded to the fibre optic connections at this stage. As your connection was directly to the exchange prior to the changes, you will still be connected by the copper cable. Therefore any increase in cable length will affect your attainable connect rates. It is important to note that as the cables do not always travel directly from one location to another, physical distance and cable distance can differ.
With regards to the comments on your splitter, if you are using additional filters on jack points within the house, or the splitter is faulty, this can affect the broadband connect rates. If you believe the splitter to be faulty, I can arrange the broadband helpdesk to contact you to diagnose accordingly.
Information regarding the broadband speeds is detailed in the Broadband Terms and Conditions, which can be found online under the Broadband Terms and Conditions, specifically the Service Reliability section, which states:
While we always strive to provide a consistent service, there are a number of factors that influence reliability. For this reason, we do not guarantee connection speed bandwidth, latency (delay) or bit rate through our broadband network at any one point in time.
In terms of acceptable limits, due to the nature of the technology used, there are no specific limits defined. Telecom reviews each connection on an individual basis and, considering your connect rates are between 4Mbit/s – 5Mbit/s, this is clearly above the national average for connect rate speeds.
With respect to your Total Home package, our records show you connected to the Total Home Starter packaged on August 11th 2010.. At this time, you entered into a 24 month contract term with an advised $176.89 (Excl. GST) Early Termination Fee. This information can be seen on page three of your September 2010 account statement. As broadband speeds are not guaranteed, they can not be considered part of the contract and therefore no breach of your terms has occurred. In January we introduced the option to connect with no contracts, however customers who were within a contract at this time must see them out.
As explained previously in our conversations, your broadband connection is still fed from the exchange, so you are not currently connected to an inactive device. Once the cabinetisation process is complete and your broadband is connected to the functioning cabinet, your speeds should improve.
Regrettably, as there is no current timeframe for this due to the limited resources as a result of the Christchurch earthquake, this is a situation that requires patience.
I trust I have adequately addressed your further queries.
15 March 2011
Dear Richard,
Re: Complaint Reference Number TC00037020
Thank you for allowing us the opportunity to investigate your concerns regarding the change in your broadband connect rate. At your request I have detailed the information below for your benefit.
As you are aware, during February you experienced a fault on your line which resulted in your landline and broadband service being disrupted. A technician was sent out to your area and resolved the matter, restoring your services. After this, you noticed the reduced connect rate on your line.
The area you are in is currently going through the cabinetisation process, designed to improve the broadband for customers throughout New Zealand. As the fault occurred during this period, your connection was repaired to align with the planned improvements. To achieve this, the cable connecting your area to the exchange was rerouted through the cabinet. As the cabinet is not currently ready to act as a mini exchange, this resulted in additional cable distance between your home and the exchange which in turn has affected your connect rates.
The reduced connect rates will be improved once the cabinetisation has completed, regrettably however the events in Christchurch have put a strain on the resources available and this process has been delayed. Therefore, while the work is confirmed to be undertaken, our network team are unable to provide a timeframe for it.
It is very disappointing to hear the varied information that has been provided to you as you attempted to have this matter addressed. Having experienced the same level of differing information during my investigation I can appreciate how frustrated it would have made you. I can assure you this matter will be raised with the appropriate departments for review and improvement.
With regards to the reduced connect rates, as Telecom is unable to guarantee specific speeds with the broadband service and the connect rates are well within the acceptable limits for broadband, we would not be in a position to consider compensation. As discussed over the phone, your broadband contract also does not include a specific speed and therefore we would not consider removing the contract term.
As per our phone discussion, for the two instances where a technician was due but failed to arrive at the time provided, I have applied a credit for one month of your Total Home rental for each instance.. This is a credit of $182.60 (Excl. GST), and will appear on your April account statement.
I trust this addresses the concerns you have raised, if you have any further enquires please do not hesitate to contact me.
Yours sincerely
Retired Mod
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