Vodafone Saturn cable TV shut down?

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avond

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#254359 8-Aug-2019 18:06

For over 10 years I have enjoyed Sky TV via the Telstra Vodafone cable network. In April a letter advised that the service would be discontinued in May. This was followed by a phone call suggesting alternatives that I might interest me. It was then stopped mid May.

My assumption was that it had become uneconomic and, like many other products taken over, closed down? However, it seems strange I have seen nothing in the media about this closure, and still hear RNZ advising that their broadcast is available via Vodafone cable.

Does anyone know if this service has in fact been discontinued Nationally or just in selected areas.

Thanks

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#2292470 8-Aug-2019 18:18

Was this the Saturn Cable outside of VF Cable areas? eg the weird spots in auckland etc?

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sbiddle

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#2292495 8-Aug-2019 18:45

Vodafone shut down their ancient MPEG2 DVB-C network that used the silver ADB boxes for TV.

Vodafone TV is still available over the cable network using the T-box (for people who still have them) and the Vodafone TV box which is available over cable and UFB.

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#2292496 8-Aug-2019 18:45

This was only the old silver 'ADB' Set Top Box available on Cable in Wellington and Christchurch.

The 'T-Box' still remains on Cable and nationwide on UFB.

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SATTV

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#2292553 8-Aug-2019 19:26

hio77:

Was this the Saturn Cable outside of VF Cable areas? eg the weird spots in auckland etc?

That was telecom, they only lasted six months or so and then gave up and sold it to another company.

Saturn never came to Auckland, it was blocked by John Banks who was the mayor at the time as the overhead cables "freaked him out".

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sbiddle

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#2292558 8-Aug-2019 20:03

SATTV:

Saturn never came to Auckland, it was blocked by John Banks who was the mayor at the time as the overhead cables "freaked him out".

Helped by the NZ Herald who ran a world class scaremongering campaign.

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#2292565 8-Aug-2019 20:39

sbiddle:

Vodafone shut down their ancient MPEG2 DVB-C network that used the silver ADB boxes for TV.

Vodafone TV is still available over the cable network using the T-box (for people who still have them) and the Vodafone TV box which is available over cable and UFB.

You forget vodafone sell it for VDSL where speeds meet their requirement too ;)

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SirHumphreyAppleby

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#2292606 8-Aug-2019 20:49

SATTV:

Saturn never came to Auckland, it was blocked by John Banks who was the mayor at the time as the overhead cables "freaked him out".

Now the council doesn't care. Eyesores everywhere.

On the other hand, fibre probably wouldn't have happened if we had cable, and we'd be worse off now. So thank you John Banks!

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#2292608 8-Aug-2019 20:57

ZollyMonsta:

This was only the old silver 'ADB' Set Top Box available on Cable in Wellington and Christchurch.

The 'T-Box' still remains on Cable and nationwide on UFB.

This.

I guess if the silver box service was closed and t-box is no longer being supplied to new customer, effectively classic cable tv is sunset with the cable network either being retained to provide IP services only (Internet, voip, IPTV) or Vodafone is just getting as much money as they can before they close cable and then face the cost of taking the cables down (as well as migrating who's left to shiny new chorus fibre connections....)

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#2292611 8-Aug-2019 21:17

SirHumphreyAppleby:

SATTV:

Saturn never came to Auckland, it was blocked by John Banks who was the mayor at the time as the overhead cables "freaked him out".

Now the council doesn't care. Eyesores everywhere.

On the other hand, fibre probably wouldn't have happened if we had cable, and we'd be worse off now. So thank you John Banks!

I could not disagree more people have short memories, Telstra were the only ones offering VDSL for a number of years, long before Chorus pulled the trigger.

If Telstra came to Auckland we would have gotten better speed, VDSL to those who had the option would have come a lot sooner as there would have been major competition.

I live in new Windsor and we dont have UFB, it is coming, I used to have ADSL but that became so unreliable that I have had to go to 4G.

For four years chorus has refused to fix the cable coming to my property because "UFB is coming soon"

If Telstra came to Auckland we would have had a choice but they were put off, so Chorus has been dragging the chain in NZ largest, most populated area because there is no competition.

John

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BioNz

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#2292635 8-Aug-2019 23:02

I feel you pain about no fine in new Windsor. The mother in law is down the road from there and only more able to get done.

If Telstra had made a move in Auckland I feel there would of been a good chance we would of seen more fine options sooner than we are now.

The old cable TV equipment sat in remurea exchange for years and years before it was finally pulled out.

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#2292743 9-Aug-2019 07:48

SirHumphreyAppleby:

SATTV:

Saturn never came to Auckland, it was blocked by John Banks who was the mayor at the time as the overhead cables "freaked him out".

Now the council doesn't care. Eyesores everywhere.

On the other hand, fibre probably wouldn't have happened if we had cable, and we'd be worse off now. So thank you John Banks!

Cable in Auckland in 2001 when it was originally planned would have been (and I hate using the term!) a game changer. Over the 10ish year period from 1998 - 2008 before cabinetisation many of you either forget or are simply unaware how vastly superior cable was to the copper network.

The rollout of cable in Auckland meaning a network in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch would have changed the telco and pay tv landscape significantly in NZ. It probably would have resulted in cabinetisation happening years before it did, and probably seen Sky TV taking a very different course as Telstra Saturn would have continued down their path of building their own TV product rather than simply reselling Sky because their customers numbers didn't make the case stack up.

John Banks and the NZ Herald crippled NZ in ways they still probably don't even realise.

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#2292809 9-Aug-2019 10:40

But if we had had more cable internet players would that have caused issues with preventing unified fibre nation wise as companies with existing infrastructure would have lobbied hard against a fibre system like we have now.

Would we have ended up with a mismatched system like currently in Australia?

I doubt smaller centres would have gotten the service they get under current fibre setup with companies looking at cherry picking certain locations and avoiding other (poorer) areas if cities ?

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#2293190 9-Aug-2019 19:54

I remember being at Telstra Clear at the time and seeing the articles in the Herald etc from John Banks and co terrified of cables (like they were personally going to kill him or something) and thinking how ridiculous. I sincerely hope he's not voted in as mayor again - I sure won't be voting for him.

langi27

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#2293268 9-Aug-2019 21:10

TelstaClear also had a crack at building a 3G network here as well, that could have really changed the landscape. If they had bothered to follow through.

How easily we forgot those that fall by the way side.

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#2293282 9-Aug-2019 22:00

quickymart: the articles in the Herald etc from John Banks and co terrified of cables

I think your and other poster's blaming of them is ridiculous; they were simply reflecting strongly held public opinion.

Overhead wiring is a blight on the landscape, that we're working to remove, not make much worse. But also, overhead wiring is a huge liability because of the trees Aucklanders like to let grow. One day a cyclone will score a direct hit on Auckland and the destruction will be epic, mostly because it's been so long since the last hit (someone told me once it was in the 1930s, but that's a vague memory). Auckland really needs to get all the overhead wiring underground, and it will save money in the long run.

Regards, John Little

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