Commerce Commission final UBA Pricing

Forums › New Zealand Broadband › Commerce Commission final UBA Pricing

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6

allio

885 posts

Ultimate Geek

#929323 8-Nov-2013 11:46

crackrdbycracku: We need vision to build the things we need before we need them.

This is what it's all about - fibre is a long-term game. It's really not surprising that there isn't a present crushing need to upgrade from 15/1 ADSL to 30/10 UFB - all our current internet habits are based on what the existing infrastructure allows us to do. Build the infrastructure and the need for higher speeds will follow. In ten years, when everyone has gigabit up/down and every conceivable service is delivered via IP, we'll look back and laugh at the fact that we ever thought the copper network was "good enough". And we'll be glad we started laying the fibre in 2010 instead of 2020.

Some of these arguments remind me of arguing with my parents ten years ago about why ADSL was so much better than dialup. All they did with the internet was check email - why would you pay an extra $20 a month to do that a little bit faster?

Give it time. There are still big barriers to entry now, but they will fade away. As more existing and newly-built houses get connected, the need for scary two-year contracts disappears, and the first genuine IPTV competitor to Sky arrives, UFB will seamlessly and imperceptibly swallow up ADSL. There's no need for wailing and gnashing of teeth that it hasn't happened already.

ubergeeknz

3344 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

Vocus

#929325 8-Nov-2013 11:48

I can guarantee that the minute certain interests lose their hold on content and streaming services come to NZ officially, there will be a shift in the demand for faster internet. Until then though, yeah, it's a luxury for most and doesn't provide much benefit.

pjamieson

441 posts

Ultimate Geek

Trusted

Chorus

#933616 14-Nov-2013 01:41

Thank god the last several posts had some semblance of reality and vision, rather than the selfish just stick your hand out for an extra $10* a month right here right now.

*Won't see it.

linw

2849 posts

Uber Geek

#933639 14-Nov-2013 07:51

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#933680 14-Nov-2013 09:25

If you ask me a key feature should be VOIP, UFB is the end of the phone line and the forced introduction of VOIP. However, some of the ISP's insist on charging significant amounts for phone calls when there should be a clear reduction in the cost of a phone call. If Slingshot with iTalk and 2Talk can change around $10 a month for 250 - 500 mins of calling then what is up with other ISP's charging more? Actually 2Talk offer a free VOIP service which would be great for some in flats.

Data caps should be increased by at least 3 fold, yes there is no need for some, but you offer a UFB package with massive data for a similar price to the current ADSL plans and people will see the advantage and benefit of it.

In my opinion there should be a UFB plan that is 20/5 with 500 mins calling on VOIP, 100GB of data, and all for the same price as a reasonable ADSl plan ($75-$85 a month). Most people are looking to reduce their spend as it is an on going cost, UFB is new and expensive but the key features should be clear to see, more for less - voice calling, data and speed. Without that clear advantage people are not interested.

crackrdbycracku

1168 posts

Uber Geek

#933686 14-Nov-2013 09:39

browned:
UFB package with massive data for a similar price to the current ADSL plans and people will see the advantage and benefit of it.

True but 'we want the new thing for the same price or less than the old thing' isn't way things work. The UFB has to be built that work costs money, unless the running costs are going to be significantly less than the existing running costs the difference has to be made up from what customers pay.

browned:

the key features should be clear to see, more for less - voice calling, data and speed. Without that clear advantage people are not interested.

While voice calling, data and speed are 'features' people don't care. People care about applications or services, talking to people they couldn't before or talking cheaper, watching shows they couldn't before or cheaper.

To be honest I think we have to get away from the 'it will cost less argument', it won't.

The question is: 'What are the services or applications which will make paying more worth the money'?

Voice over IP? Maybe, but I don't think the same service for cheaper will push the UFB. At present copper is cheaper and that is the problem.

Didn't anybody tell you I was a hacker?

sbiddle

30853 posts

Uber Geek

Retired Mod

Trusted

Biddle Corp

Lifetime subscriber

#933722 14-Nov-2013 10:27

browned: If you ask me a key feature should be VOIP, UFB is the end of the phone line and the forced introduction of VOIP. However, some of the ISP's insist on charging significant amounts for phone calls when there should be a clear reduction in the cost of a phone call. If Slingshot with iTalk and 2Talk can change around $10 a month for 250 - 500 mins of calling then what is up with other ISP's charging more? Actually 2Talk offer a free VOIP service which would be great for some in flats.

Why should calling costs be cheaper? There is no physical difference in the way calls are interconnected back to other networks.

The great thing about competition in the marketplace is you're free to choose whoever you want. If you want the Mercedes Benz solution of the VoIP world (Broadworks deployed by carriers such as Vodafone, WxC etc) you can choose that. If you only want a cheaper Toyota Corolla solution you can also have that.

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Free setup code: R587125ERQ6VE. Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#933731 14-Nov-2013 10:48

True but 'we want the new thing for the same price or less than the old thing' isn't way things work. The UFB has to be built that work costs money, unless the running costs are going to be significantly less than the existing running costs the difference has to be made up from what customers pay.

I am not sure I follow this, yes there are build costs, but the government is subsidising some of that so the LFC's will do the work otherwise none of them would do the work and we would have no UFB at all. The LFC's are benefitting from having a new network infrastructure for a lot less than it would have really cost. It is not something that will be used for5 years and be obsolete, like copper it's left expectancy is pretty long and the running costs in this day and age should be a lot less than copper. As with any technology, the more it develops the cheaper it should get.

While voice calling, data and speed are 'features' people don't care. People care about applications or services, talking to people they couldn't before or talking cheaper, watching shows they couldn't before or cheaper.
To be honest I think we have to get away from the 'it will cost less argument', it won't.
The question is: 'What are the services or applications which will make paying more worth the money'?
Voice over IP? Maybe, but I don't think the same service for cheaper will push the UFB. At present copper is cheaper and that is the problem.

No new addon services will make UFB worth more, that is half the problem UFB doesn't come with new services. Add-on's like TV, movie streaming unless only available to UFB users and subsidised by ISP's will not take off as it is just another cost. People with Sky may like it as they already pay for TV but 50% of the population will not want to pay more for it unless it replaces a current cost and it is cheaper and has more features.

UFB on it's own has to have significant benefits to users and currently ISP's are not making it attractive. It is up to the ISP's to fix this. They had it easy with Dialup -> ADSL as you could make calls and be on the internet, faster, always on. ADSL -> ADSL2 was a speed increase that was effectively free for users. ADSL2 -> UFB I see Slingshot and SNAP offer similar priced ADSL-UFB plans, but again apart from speed what is the benefit? cheaper/free phone calls would be good, free IP conversion for alarm systems would be good, second phone line would be good, more data would be good.

It is interesting to see that the 100/50 plan is the most popular plan according to LFC's. This really indicates that current UFB users are tech savvy users wanting the extra speed. Until there are cheaper options things will stagnate for the general public.

browned

636 posts

Ultimate Geek

#933746 14-Nov-2013 11:14

sbiddle: Why should calling costs be cheaper? There is no physical difference in the way calls are interconnected back to other networks.

If slingshot can offer 500 minutes of calling to local, national, and 44 countries around the world for $10 a month then I do wonder why other ISP's are more expensive and why they aren't more competitive with VOIP offerings. The real kicker is that if you have a naked slingshot plan they give you a $10 credit if you use iTalk. So effectively iTalk is free for 500 minutes.

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6