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Toenail

Internet

Post by Toenail »

Hi.
We're in St cyprian and have a contract with UK telecom for our internet. Access is limited and fir the price we pay I would suspect a better deal an be had with faster speeds. Can anyone suggest anyone

Many thanks. Andrew
Smiley G
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Post by Smiley G »

We've been with Orange since 2008. In Argeles we don't get breathtaking speeds but we've got an excellent Internet/Fixed Line package, Livebox Zen. Go online and test your line to see what they could do for you.
If you want there's an English-Speaking line where you can start the ball rolling. The best way though, is to call in at the Orange shop in Perpignan.
Good luck
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy.
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

UK telecom do not have their own broadband kit in France: they must buy their capacity wholesale from one of the established operators and resell it to you. If you dig deep in their T and C you might find out who they use, but it may not much matter. Whoever they use (or you might switch to) the service reaches you over the same telephone line from the local exchange, and that is usually the limiting factor. There's generally no reason to think that another provider will do materially better.

You cannot generalise about speeds in a place the size of St Cyprien, it depends on how far you are from the exchange, and on the quality of your line. The first thing is to check the theoretical capacity of your own line on eg degrouptest.net: it draws on a database of line lengths and characteristics, and shows what you could get if the line was in tip-top condition. Even at best, you will generally get less: lines get damaged and patched up over the decades, and every patch reduces your maximum speed. And the longer the line, the more patches.

If you get very much worse than the theoretical maximum, you could ask UK telecom to have your line checked: it might or might not get you anywhere much, but switching to another provider will not help. All the checks will be done by Orange, who own the phone lines.

That said, I would always use a local operator (in my case, Free): they may offer extra services, and you cut out the middleman and a source of added complication.
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Post by montgolfiere »

i have been with Alice for many years until they were taken over by Free... Have had, and now have, a good service with a recent speed increase to nearly 9 mb's after many years of 2mbs....
martyn94
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Post by martyn94 »

montgolfiere wrote:i have been with Alice for many years until they were taken over by Free... Have had, and now have, a good service with a recent speed increase to nearly 9 mb's after many years of 2mbs....
That's great, and I have been happy with Free myself. But unless you can say what Alice were doing badly (for you) and what Free are now doing better, it doesn't much help the OP.

It certainly isn't the case that switching to Free will reliably produce better results than some other operator on a different phone line, on a different exchange, quite a long way away.
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Gus Morris
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Post by Gus Morris »

I too have a Livebox Zen package from Orange with phone via the internet. I bought my Livebox outright for 79 Euros. Just over two years rental. I had to pay 69 Euros connection charge. Worth it as it turned out because my existing connection, which I inherited, had been struck by lightning at some time and needed to be replaced. The quality of phone calls is better than on a fixed line. At the moment there is a promo and you can get a package, if you are a new customer, from just 21 Euros a month for the first year.

The anecdotal evidence strongly suggests that Orange customers get preference if, or maybe when, the line is damaged.

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Post by montgolfiere »

martyn94 wrote:
montgolfiere wrote:i have been with Alice for many years until they were taken over by Free... Have had, and now have, a good service with a recent speed increase to nearly 9 mb's after many years of 2mbs....
That's great, and I have been happy with Free myself. But unless you can say what Alice were doing badly (for you) and what Free are now doing better, it doesn't much help the OP.

It certainly isn't the case that switching to Free will reliably produce better results than some other operator on a different phone line, on a different exchange, quite a long way away.
i was happy with Alice before they were taken over and am happy with Free who took Alice over. The +/- 9mbs i now have is good and the customer service has been ok
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