UK big five carriers bin wired broadband download quotas for as long as we're all stuck indoors
- Reference: 1585549746
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/30/uk_telecoms_companies_to_lift/
- Source link:
BT, Virgin Media, Sky, TalkTalk and O2 agreed to remove all data allowances on current landline broadband after talks with the government and regulator Ofcom. The changes will come into effect immediately.
The telcos also agreed to offer new mobile and landline packages to help vulnerable people stay connected during the pandemic. The new plans include data boosts for lower prices and free calls from mobiles and landlines.
As part of the deal, the telecoms companies also pledged fair treatment for anyone struggling to pay their bills as a result of the virus outbreak. And for those whose broadband needs fixing while they're locked down, there's a pledge to offer alternative methods of communication.
This announcement comes not long after most mobile networks collectively promised to [1]zero-rate official websites relating to the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing customers to get reliable information and support without having to worry about eating up their data allowance.
The initiatives won government and regulatory approval.
Digital Secretary Oliver Dowden said: "It's fantastic to see mobile and broadband providers pulling together to do their bit for the national effort by helping customers, particularly the most vulnerable, who may be struggling with bills at this difficult time."
Melanie Downes, chief exec of Ofcom, said: "It is essential that people stay at home to protect the NHS and save lives. This package helps people to stay connected whilst they stay home."
The deal comes in an apparent U-turn to an [2]leaked internal memo at BT last week , which said the company would halt all but the most essential home visits and refuse new connection requests until June as it dealt with the fallout from the virus. BT did not respond to The Register's requests for clarification.
But BT remains confident that its networks can handle the added workload. Earlier this month, it said that although weekday daytime traffic has [3]increased between 35 and 60 per cent , it is still half the average peak evening usage, and "nowhere near" the network's full capacity. Vodafone and TalkTalk, which have seen similar increases, [4]also stand by their networks . ®
[1] https://www.gov.uk/government/news/mobile-networks-remove-data-charges-for-online-nhs-coronavirus-advice
[2] https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/03/25/bt_openreach_halts_new_installs_coronavirus_mborc/
[3] https://newsroom.bt.com/the-facts-about-our-network-and-coronavirus/
[4] https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-51947447
They dished quotas years ago, this is all PR.
No, the packages for people on low incomes - BT Basic (15GB) and similar from other operators - all have data limits.
No, no, they're not quotas
They're just fair use consideration for other customers.
/me looks around for sarcasm icon, fails to find one.
Keep Calm
[1]'Keep Calm' Windows TrueType font - Free for personal use.
[1] https://www.k-type.com/fonts/keep-calm/
Re: Keep Calm
Can't see a free option on that font.
Re: Keep Calm
Helpful Hint: Click on where it says "Download".
So when Labour called broadband an essential, the Tories scoffed at it. Now that the shit hits the fan, it turns out it is essential?
Who knew.
It's digital Soma.
It's a Brave New World.
That certainly explains..
Why I haven't been sober for a week.
There's huge difference between 'essential' and give it away for free.
The Labour proposal (free broadband for everyone) was a waste of public money and was rightly scoffed at.
"So when Labour called broadband an essential, the Tories scoffed at it. Now that the shit hits the fan, it turns out it is essential?"
It still doesn't appear to be free, which is what Labour were calling for.
U-turn?
I don't quite see how removing quotas and adding new packages is a u-turn on plans not to make home visits for installation & repair.
Re: U-turn?
Yeah, that certainly came out of left field.
Re: U-turn?
This is to avoid the need to have someone come visit you to open the access panel and flip the enable unlimited data switch.
Stupidest Idea EVER!!
So now all the selfish heavy downloaders will have nothing to stop them from swamping the networks. Anyone who agrees with this policy must also agree that the supermarkets remove the limit on bulk buying I guess?
I have personally known the hoarding downloader type who grab anything and everything "because it's there". I remember when one particular colleague ran out of disk space so just deleted gigabytes of zipfiles which he never even bothered to unpack or do anything with.
Already I have seen people moaning that they are struggling to work from home while at the same time all their kids are watching different things on Netflix at full HD quality. Not everyone lives in the city centre with gigabit fibre connections yet they all assume they can do what they want and some kind of black magic makes it ok :-D
Re: Stupidest Idea EVER!!
Few packages are actually have download limits, and it's unlikely the tiny fraction of users who have these packages (We're talking tight budgets here) are the sort of users who will suddenly download tonnes. Hell, we're probably talking about people with just a bit of DAS.
Probably not a problem...
Interestingly, A&A (one of the few premium ISPs who have download quotas) beat ofcom to the punch by about 3 weeks. They're keeping quotas, but topping people up as needed. Seems to strike a decent balance between helping people with unusual traffic patterns due to Covid and keeping people accountable for their usage.
One of the few providers who beat themselves up if they have any packet loss due to congestion... But of course it needs subscribers who are invested in that idea as well.
I didn't know any of the wired broadband providers even had quotas.