Why is there no alternative to BT?

[MarcDerby]

I live near Derby and there is currently no option for cable so it seems we are tied to BT and their idiotic ways, they have caused me nothing but hassle over the last 12 months from taking the bill payments many times on one occasion, to cutting us off saying we had asked to close the account (when we had not). They then seem to keep lowering their direct debits (which we don't ask them to do) causing them to then send us a huge bill for the remainder which they should have originally taken on a monthly basis.

After another 1.5 hours on the phone to them today (passed to 8 people) sorting out a final demand they sent us with threats of a debt collection agency which they sent in error I have had enough of them. I have managed to charge them in the past compensation but its such a hassle I just want to pay for broadband and use it, I should not be having to do this in 2010, anyone would think I was the one in India.


I don't want to signup to another company that offers broadband but uses BT lines I want to having nothing to do with BT at all.

Anyone know of ANY non BT companies?. I see there is an option for a military style broadband satellite which is a bit pricey but it's my only non BT option at present :-)

Cheers
Marc

[gear7.co.uk]

The options are, realistically:

BT infrastructure -based (A/S/VSDSL, leased lines, ISDN)
Virgin.net
Satellite systems
Cellular data systems
Cloud wifi (e.g. openzone )
Radio WAN links to some-one elses internet gateway

[turnkeyit]

Your not the only person..!!

Their are plenty of options available a few of them listed above.

The main thing to remember is that BT generally own the green exchange boxes and other companies have to 'rent' these from BT - so your likely to be using BT's copper wire.

It may be worth speaking to your local IT or telecoms company.

[Dave Scotford]

Originally Posted by turnkeyit

The main thing to remember is that BT generally own the green exchange boxes and other companies have to 'rent' these from BT - so your likely to be using BT's copper wire.

Monopoly of the market here...?

[turnkeyit]

Originally Posted by Dave Scotford

Monopoly of the market here...?

Absolutely Dave!

It's criminal..!!

[Dave Scotford]

Originally Posted by turnkeyit

Absolutely Dave!

It's criminal..!!

Isn't that what the Competition Commission set up to deal with exactly this though?

[natasha]

i know how u feel dave i used to have what is now called virgin i moved one street down the road into a new build only to be told by cable we dont service ur area and i had no choice but to go with BT after a few years of BT line (which i never used for calls, used to switch off the phone) and paying someone else for broadband i gave it up and now i use my phone as a modem, for only a £5 its not ideal but does the job! lol
most people are forced to have bt cus they have no other choice

[gear7.co.uk]

A monopoly it may be, but the people who bought the shares from the government when it was privatised did pay a price for that infrastructure. Perhaps the govt should have hung on to the infrastructure and just sold a management contract, but it's too late to debate that now.

The Virgin network could be used as an analogy - they bought out the infrastructures and associated businesses of Telewest, NTL and H....something. Just because Virgin didn't build doesn't mean that their ownership of it is in anyway unfair.

[Eagle]

The communications infrastructure of a country should not ever be privatised - or worse; fragmented into smaller parts.

BT still need their arses kicked though. They're useless.

[uksbd]

I seem to remember when BT were privatised they were held back from new technology and forced to share with others so as not to have a monopoly.
The monopoly still appears to be there though, so weren't the restrictions strong enough?