Hi:

I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
Does their broadband match up to their promises?

I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
not to investigate.

Martin S Taylor

Martin S Taylor wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP high-speed
> broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How reliable are they?
> Does their broadband match up to their promises?
>
> I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
> not to investigate.

No personal knowledge.

Reviews look good but are generally from people who don't understand
that the internet connection using FTTP has nothing to do with the
quality of the WiFi in their house. But the general public does expect
the ISP to be responsible for both these issues, and the reviewes
suggest that Box seem to have been OK with that.

With that level of service they can't possibly make money, so expect the
prices to go up soon.

--
Graham J

Martin S Taylor <correspondence@mraermtoivnestthaiyslor.com> wrote:
> Hi:
>
> I just got a flyer from Box Broadband offering a good deal on FTTP
> high-speed broadband. Does anyone have any experience of them? How
> reliable are they? Does their broadband match up to their promises?

These 'altnets' are typically very local to you - they are installing
infrastructure in your street, so most likely the people to ask are those in
your area. In this case Box cover south-Surrey and west Sussex, which is a
medium sized coverage area.

You could ask in uk.telecom.broadband although I've not seen anyone mention
them there - may just be too specific. Otherwise try asking in places local
to you.

> I've been very happy with Zen, but FTTP for £10 a month is too good a deal
> not to investigate.

24 month contract I presume. It does sound slightly desperate at that
price, but maybe they just need enough signups to meet some installation
target - or they get paid in government broadband vouchers and the cost to
the customer is immaterial.

It's down to whether you reckon they are a good outfit in your area, or
whether a different FTTP provider is also rolling out there too. In many
areas there's only a single FTTP provider installing - this gives them a
monopoly which can be potentially risky in terms of them jacking up prices
later. But if there's no prospect of anyone else coming along then it's
either monopoly or nothing.

I think many of these minnows are hoping to be snapped up by a bigger fish -
thus far that hasn't happened, but I imagine once everything is in the
ground the worst case would be they go bankrupt and the assets get bought up
by someone else as a going concern.

But for that price, maybe take the offer and run it in parallel with Zen to
see how it goes? If it works well enough after a few months, decide whether
to cancel the Zen? If not you're on the hook for maximum £240.

Assuming there's nothing lurking in the offer they didn't tell you about.
The 'hurry hurry hurry' thing does smack of sales tactics. Read the small
print carefully.

Theo