Broadband
Posted: Monday, 25 April 2005 |
Comments
Er, well, it is true. I was stuck on a hill behind Tobermory a few weeks ago doing some lead up work which will allow the installation of racks which will provide ADSL for Tobermory and ultimately Coll & Tiree. We had a good view of Coll, never saw Ming though, probably still hiding from those overgrown sparrow hawks. Without getting technical, we've got a pile of work away to hit us next month all related to this project. Realtime live webcam streaming Ming's World could be a reality by Christmas!
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
Personally, I don't believe them. There's probably some very very tiny small print somewhere that adds the rider 'unless you happen to live someone out in the middle of nowhere.'
After all, can you imagine BT providing an ADSL line to a remote community such as Southend on the tip of Kintyre, or some of the small hamlets and odd houses dotted around the countryside.
And what about those few areas where the wires are made of aluminium and not copper? These were laid by BT at a time when the copper price was at a peak and are useless for propogating broadband.
Are BT going to replace hundreds of miles of aluminium wire with shiny new copper ones? I think not.
Cheers
Gary
Gary Sutherland from Carradale
Oh what a coincidence that this report has come out just before an election! I believe that Craignure on Mull hit it's target numbers a long time ago, only to be still stuck on dial-up. I have heard that the Topurist office is struggling with the new computer system now they have been taken over by 'Visit Scotland' as a direct result of not having broadband available.
I suspect though that this will be one of those subjects that gets conveniently 'forgotten' after the politicians have gone back in their boxes on the 6th of May! ;-)
I also suspect that the 3% nmentioned will end up being the Western Isles.....
witchinthewoods from Mull
My cynical side suggests the 2.2% who won't have broadband is just going to include me. Does Tobermory have Broadband yet? I remember Gary blogging about it a long while before he left.
Actually Coll, or at least part of it, may tap into Tiree's broadband although this isn't phone line broadband and has disadvantages apparently. I'm not into techie stuff, I just like to use things.
Nic from Coll
I don't believe a word of it. Guaranteed Coll is in the 2.2% that won't get broadband until hell freezes over.
I'm just waiting until the end of the year to ask Mr Wallace where our broadband is and I fully expect the rider "within the limits of the available technology and budget" to be trotted out ad infinitum.
Doug from Coll
I was told at the begining of the year by someone that knows that our broadband only works up to five kilometers from our local exchange and guess what I am five and a half kilometers away
Alex Fletcher from Bunessan, Isle Of Mull.
You lot are a bunch of cynics, I'm actually doing the lead up work to enable you to access broadband like the rest of us lesser mortals. Get of your high horses and realise it is going to happen!!!!! If "Blog Blog" wants to get in touch I'll explain what I'm about!
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
As an after thought, this time next year you will be down the hotel comparing notes who is on half meg, one meg or possibly on 2meg (royalty!). Believe me it's gonna happen, ya bunch of cynics!
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
I'll gladly take your word for it, Duncan, but I'm going to remain heartily skeptical, if you don't mind.
Coll is not blessed with much help from anywhere not Coll, if you see what I mean. Might sound cynical, but it's pretty much truth.
Doug from Coll
Thi is me getting in touch Duncan, email me at islandblogging@bbc.co.uk
Mike from The Blog Blog PC
Hi Duncan
Sorry, if you are doing the work then it is a lot closer than we knew. I wonder who to get in touch with so when it's ready we can have it. Hope you finish before the midges get bad.
Nic from Coll
Don't be so cynical you lot, I've just moved to Oban from Mossley on the edge of Greater Manchester,where they only got broadband about a year ago. Geography isn't the barrier, it's consumer response.
Jane from Oban
Sorry for calling you all cynics. I was a bit "cheery" when I rolled in from pub that night when I decided to switch on the PC. Two points though, BT have removed 5km cap for the 512k broadband service. Don't have an answer to Gary's point on cable with aluminium conductors need to ask the work around about that one.
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
Greetings Duncan from Craigshill - having heard rumours that it was/wasn鈥檛 going to happen, I have to say it is good of you to take the time to clear things up via the blog. Thanks.
pondhead from Mull
I am presently enjoying a 2Mb link in Lerwick but friends on the outlying islands are still waiting, despite the promises.
Erik from Lerwick, Shetland
Sorry Duncan, Ming will only believe it when it happens. But IU do have alive webcam ready and even a wireless one for viewing my favourite birds' nests (not shedule one I hasten to add) as the chicks get to eating stage.
Ming the ever patient
Ming the Merciless from Broadband free Coll
I have a cunning plan, if you were to open a "Coll centre.....". Then not only would you get your Broadband but jobs as well!
Scottish Soldier from Mull
Broadband? I hate it.Not fast enough, when it rains in L,A. ( HA HA) it's out.
GET SATILITE get more channels and radio and to hook it up to your computer.it's cheeper too.
you need a town hall meeting.
CHEERS ALL
Fiona Douglas( formerly from Oban.) from Los Angels, CAlifornia
The day that broadband superceeds local gossip bushtelegraph systems will never happen stick with the smoke siginals go as the ice floes do
POLAR BEAR from canada
Tried satellite- the lag is too much to make it worth the cost.
It would be great to see broadband, but like I said, I'm not holding my breath.
Doug from Coll
Reading through the AIE site, it would seem that broadband is indeed winding it's way over the sea. I would guess we would be on the minimum 512K, but as the saying goes, eye poke burnt stick.
I'm still not sure I'll believe it until it's sitting on my desktop, though...
Doug from Coll
Yes, I remember blogging about broadband when Tobermory was still working towards it's trigger level.
That was ages ago and they're still waiting for the exchange to be upgraded. Same with Carradale - I've got an appointment for 08/08/05 with an engineer to convert my ISDN2e lines to ADSL.
I truly hope they're as good as their word and will connect as many people as possible, even those in the remotest areas.
You can probably still read my old blogs if you look up Tobermory Tales here.
Don't forget small businesses in the Argyll and Bute area can claim a 拢300 grant towards the cost of installing broadband.
Cheers
Gary
Gary Sutherland from Carradale
Hi Gary
How much does it cost to install broadband! I haven鈥檛 looked that close.I had the impression it was going to cost about 拢15 - 拢20.
拢300 sounds mad to me or can will this allow me to give the spare 拢270 to a needy cause like the Dervaig windfarm publicity fund?
Anne from Mull
Doug from Coll,
I think the agreement is to provide 512K ADSL but technology seems to be moving that fast I wouldn't be surprised by the time your exchange was broadband enabled they could offer you a 1 Meg service. Where broadband is available the take up rate is unbelievable. BT has 5million broadband connections on it's network, that's a year ahead of target. It's certainly keeping me in a job. As it stands at the moment, you've got to live pretty close to the exchange to get the 2meg service, so Erik from Lerwick is doing well. To answer Ann from Mull's question about getting connected she will be in the same boat as the rest of us, there is an absolute multitude of providers and most offer a free connection with free modem as long as you sign up for a year's contract as long as you have a BT line.
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
I meant to say our part of project kicked of today, so it is happening. There are 2 or 3 blokes on the group that normally go out to the islands. I'll go if they are busy so if I do find myself on Coll doing the prep work in the exchange, I'll make a point of going down to the Hotel bar to see what it's all about, by that stage you will probably all be wanting SDSL, so I may be better keeping my mouth shut!
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
Thanks for all that info, Duncan. Mouth-watering stuff.
I live less than half a km from the exchange, so I should be alright.
Doug from Coll
This is far better than being passed around some help desk! Blogging at its best, thanks to Duncan.
Anne from Mull
Hi Duncan
It will be great to see you. Don't try and come in on Tues and leave Wed morning, you won't see the place, come Wed and stay until Fri at least. If you are lucky I'll take you to Ming's new home, which will probably have broadband before it gets skirting boards.
Nic from Coll
I would like re-iterate that Coll won't get broadband until very late in the year or early next year according to the work schedule I've seen. At some point the ADSL activation list (www.bt.com/broadband) will be updated to indicate when your local exchange will be activated. The thing do now is suss out which ISP you want to go (or stay) with. You will have all summer to do this (sorry!), when you find out the activation date, you should be able to place your order about a month before it so it can be processed and get nasty wee things called DACS removed from your line if necesary, these things will prevent you from getting broadband. I personally think for a normal user you should be looking in 拢14-拢20 per month range and whether a download cap will bother you or not.I've had broadband for the last 18 months and would be hard pushed to live without it and I'm a normal user and no, I don't consider myself an anorak! I certainly watch much less TV these days though. I could waffle on all night about other things to do when you get broadband i.e. firewalls, anti-spyware programs, good anti-virus etc but I'm sure most of you are clued up on this stuff, but when you leave your pc online all day you gotta take care!
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
Thanks for the compliment Anne, I don't think I'm doing anything special. I do have to watch what I'm saying as I don't want to breach any work-related confidentiality but if I come across any info that I think is handy and doing no harm, I will post it if there is a suitable thread at the time. This one can't go on for ever! What I will say though is, that there are penalty clauses in the contract agreed with the Scottish Exec. This is already focusing minds on ensuring the work is completed on time!
Nic, thanks for the invite but I rather suspect my colleague from Oban will get the job, pity though, as meeting Ming would be an absolute honour.
Duncan from Craigshill, Livingston
If memory serves me correctly it costs 拢75 to have an existing line converted to provide broadband. More if a new line is required. On top of this you have your monthly or annual subscription to an internet service provider which ranges from about 拢12 to 拢40 depending upon the bandwidth and usage limits you require.
Cheers
Gary
Gary Sutherland from Carradale
Hi everyone, I've been covering this saga for sometime on website and message board and I'd be really grateful if Duncan could clear up a question. Is it true that there is a problem getting the microwave dishes to line up and this is why people in Fionnphort can't get broadband yet? As I understand it the same might apply to people on Tiree and in Tobermory. I'd be really grateful for any help on this and if you could get in touch via email I have one or two technical questions too. The website is here (email link at the top of the page):- http://www.2000friends.co.uk/376000.html Everyone is welcome to email with info or just to say hi.
Richard from Isle of Mull
BT may have removed the 5k cap for 512k but i assure you it does not work over that.It took 4 months and 3 ISP's to prove that to them. There Web Site still shows my post code as able up to 1 mb cockneysteve@hotmail.com
Steve from Outer Inverness
we move to a new house in cleghorn lanark in November 2004 it took us nearly four months debating with BT as to our requirement of a landline connection for voice.When installed we were told that the line hase been split so many times its' a miricle it actually works.6 weeks ago we applied for broad band and was advised by the sales team that the facility was available but again when the engineers checked the line with all the splitting that has been applied to our local cables BT have advised the broadband facility is not available and unless somebody fuds new cables there will never be a facility.If anyone in cleghorn has the same experience please e-mail to Paul with information.
paul ashford from cleghorn - Lanark
we move to a new house in cleghorn lanark in November 2004 it took us nearly four months debating with BT as to our requirement of a landline connection for voice.When installed we were told that the line hase been split so many times its' a miricle it actually works.6 weeks ago we applied for broad band and was advised by the sales team that the facility was available but again when the engineers checked the line with all the splitting that has been applied to our local cables BT have advised the broadband facility is not available and unless somebody fuds new cables there will never be a facility.If anyone in cleghorn has the same experience please e-mail to Paul with information.
paul ashford from cleghorn - Lanark
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