Vodafone Broadband Slow Data Speeds: Advice re 50Mbps vs 100Mbps?

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#1345759 16-Jul-2015 20:31

frednz: ... We are about to upgrade our cable broadband to either 50Mbps or 100Mbps. We do quite a lot of high definition video streaming and we wonder whether it's worth paying the extra $10 per month to get 100Mbps instead of 50Mbps? ...

The current peak congestion problem effects both 50/2 and 100/10Mbps cable broadband, in terms of downstream speeds:

(click to view)

These problems will hopefully be fixed in August-September.

Upstream speeds have NOT been affected - so if upstream speed is important to you, go for the 100/10Mbps plan.

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frednz

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#1345834 16-Jul-2015 22:50

michaelmurfy:
frednz:
freitasm: I am waiting for October. Fibre will be available here then, via Spark. Tonight's impossible to watch anything on streaming services. If things don't get fixed by September, I am seriously considering moving to Spark. And I have been with cable for more than 15 years. It's got seriously bad in the last eight months.

Thanks for your reply. If you are able to access Fibre via Spark, I was told by a Vodafone Rep that you would also be able to get Fibre via Vodafone. So, is there any reason why Spark Fibre broadband would be better than Vodafone Fibre broadband?

Regards
Fred

Vodafone don't offer UFB in areas where there is cable so if you're in a cable build area and want UFB you need to switch ISP's.

Spark / Snap are 2 of the most constant providers in terms of speed on UFB. I'm personally on Snap, been with Spark on UFB at my previous house and found them both excellent, just went with Snap for their 200/200 plan.

Thanks for pointing out that Vodafone don't offer Fibre in areas where there is cable. This was discussed, for example, here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=40&topicid=151705&page_no=3

On the above page, a reply from Vodafone on 8 September 2014 said this:

"Graemeh is correct - if your address can be serviced with cable, we prefer to go with cable, as we own and operate the network. If it can't get cable, any other access method - ADSL, VDSL, or fibre - is fair game.

Sounds like the sales rep may have been a little confused. If they had submitted a fibre order for a cable address, it would likely have been rejected."

It's interesting that the words "we PREFER to go with cable" were used, perhaps leaving some possibility that fibre could be used in areas where there is cable? Because this post was in September 2014, I wonder if this policy is still currently in force?

Regards
Fred

frednz

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#1345836 16-Jul-2015 22:53

Sideface:
frednz: ... We are about to upgrade our cable broadband to either 50Mbps or 100Mbps. We do quite a lot of high definition video streaming and we wonder whether it's worth paying the extra $10 per month to get 100Mbps instead of 50Mbps? ...

The current peak congestion problem effects both 50/2 and 100/10Mbps cable broadband, in terms of downstream speeds:

(click to view)

These problems will hopefully be fixed in August-September.

Upstream speeds have NOT been affected - so if upstream speed is important to you, go for the 100/10Mbps plan.

Thanks for this information, it's useful to know that upstream speeds have not been affected by congestion problems.

Regards
Fred

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#1345866 17-Jul-2015 00:26

frednz:
michaelmurfy:
frednz:
freitasm: I am waiting for October. Fibre will be available here then, via Spark. Tonight's impossible to watch anything on streaming services. If things don't get fixed by September, I am seriously considering moving to Spark. And I have been with cable for more than 15 years. It's got seriously bad in the last eight months.

Thanks for your reply. If you are able to access Fibre via Spark, I was told by a Vodafone Rep that you would also be able to get Fibre via Vodafone. So, is there any reason why Spark Fibre broadband would be better than Vodafone Fibre broadband?

Regards
Fred

Vodafone don't offer UFB in areas where there is cable so if you're in a cable build area and want UFB you need to switch ISP's.

Spark / Snap are 2 of the most constant providers in terms of speed on UFB. I'm personally on Snap, been with Spark on UFB at my previous house and found them both excellent, just went with Snap for their 200/200 plan.

Thanks for pointing out that Vodafone don't offer Fibre in areas where there is cable. This was discussed, for example, here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=40&topicid=151705&page_no=3

On the above page, a reply from Vodafone on 8 September 2014 said this:

"Graemeh is correct - if your address can be serviced with cable, we prefer to go with cable, as we own and operate the network. If it can't get cable, any other access method - ADSL, VDSL, or fibre - is fair game.

Sounds like the sales rep may have been a little confused. If they had submitted a fibre order for a cable address, it would likely have been rejected."

It's interesting that the words "we PREFER to go with cable" were used, perhaps leaving some possibility that fibre could be used in areas where there is cable? Because this post was in September 2014, I wonder if this policy is still currently in force?

Regards
Fred

Nope, they won't use fibre if they have cable laid in your area which makes sense given that they have to pay Chorus access to fibre where as their cable network is already a sunken cost that has been paid back many times over so using their cable network makes sense. IIRC even if you could move to fibre there would still be congestion issues - there was a post an ages ago where the problem is actually more complicated than just the cable network, VDSL/ADSL/fibre folks were also having issues - it'll be interesting to see what happens going forward but things have been improving based on the feedback I've gotten from my folks.

"When the people are being beaten with a stick, they are not much happier if it is called 'the People's Stick'"

frednz

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#1346127 17-Jul-2015 11:57

kawaii:
frednz:
michaelmurfy:
frednz:
freitasm: I am waiting for October. Fibre will be available here then, via Spark. Tonight's impossible to watch anything on streaming services. If things don't get fixed by September, I am seriously considering moving to Spark. And I have been with cable for more than 15 years. It's got seriously bad in the last eight months.

Thanks for your reply. If you are able to access Fibre via Spark, I was told by a Vodafone Rep that you would also be able to get Fibre via Vodafone. So, is there any reason why Spark Fibre broadband would be better than Vodafone Fibre broadband?

Regards
Fred

Vodafone don't offer UFB in areas where there is cable so if you're in a cable build area and want UFB you need to switch ISP's.

Spark / Snap are 2 of the most constant providers in terms of speed on UFB. I'm personally on Snap, been with Spark on UFB at my previous house and found them both excellent, just went with Snap for their 200/200 plan.

Thanks for pointing out that Vodafone don't offer Fibre in areas where there is cable. This was discussed, for example, here:

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=40&topicid=151705&page_no=3

On the above page, a reply from Vodafone on 8 September 2014 said this:

"Graemeh is correct - if your address can be serviced with cable, we prefer to go with cable, as we own and operate the network. If it can't get cable, any other access method - ADSL, VDSL, or fibre - is fair game.

Sounds like the sales rep may have been a little confused. If they had submitted a fibre order for a cable address, it would likely have been rejected."

It's interesting that the words "we PREFER to go with cable" were used, perhaps leaving some possibility that fibre could be used in areas where there is cable? Because this post was in September 2014, I wonder if this policy is still currently in force?

Regards
Fred

Nope, they won't use fibre if they have cable laid in your area which makes sense given that they have to pay Chorus access to fibre where as their cable network is already a sunken cost that has been paid back many times over so using their cable network makes sense. IIRC even if you could move to fibre there would still be congestion issues - there was a post an ages ago where the problem is actually more complicated than just the cable network, VDSL/ADSL/fibre folks were also having issues - it'll be interesting to see what happens going forward but things have been improving based on the feedback I've gotten from my folks.

I have just found a post by "Scotty 1986" which says that:

"Just a heads up, I got fibre in a cable area when I asked nicely to a Vodafone rep on here."

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=40&topicid=175749&page_no=2

I guess that Vodafone has to weigh up the "loss of profit" from losing all the business from a customer who wants fibre in a cable area vs making a little less profit by giving a customer access to fibre in a cable area. In other words, if you say to Vodafone "please give me access to fibre broadband (in this cable area) or I will definitely close my Vodafone account", "Scotty 1986" has shown this can work!

If I was a Vodafone executive I would be very careful before letting long-standing Vodafone customers disappear for ever! Better to make some profit out of such customers than none!

It looks like cable broadband must ultimately be dead? The ugly black overhead cables seem to be no long-term match for the underground fibre cables. If I was in charge of Vodafone I'd look very carefully into whether they really want to maintain cable broadband into the future --- why not just pay what it costs to give their customers access to fibre and dismantle the ugly and dated cable network? This might give Vodafone greater profitability in the long term?

Regards
Fred

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#1346162 17-Jul-2015 12:38

frednz: ... It looks like cable broadband must ultimately be dead? The ugly black overhead cables seem to be no long-term match for the underground fibre cables. ...

Be aware that fibre does not always go underground - fibre may be installed above-ground in areas that already have overhead cables (eg Wellington), because in some areas it would be prohibitively expensive or even impossible to install fibre underground.

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NZCrusader

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#1346245 17-Jul-2015 13:50

Cable (HFC) can go considerably faster than it is currently.

It is still able to keep pace with fiber (to an extent - well enough for most homes and small businesses anyway).

Vodafone would make more money from a cable connection, than a fiber or DSL connection, as there is no LFC or line owner to pay.

They get the full cut.

I think upgrading cable to at least DOCSIS 3.1 wouldn't be a bad idea.

Probably after this, it might be worth deprecating in favour of fiber.
But lets just see what DOCSIS standards improvements will come along till then..

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