Unlimited Broadband = 12 Minutes

IanFogg | April 02, 2008, 01:25 PM

Below are the data limits listed on VirginMedia's traffic management page. These data limits apply during the peak hours between 4pm and 9pm. When a customer hits the data limit their speed is cut and then the lower speed stays in force for five hours.

Separately, on VirginMedia's own broadband frequently asked questions, Virgin say:

"What does unlimited broadband mean? No download limits. Unlike some of our competitors, you get unlimited° downloads as a basic right so you can load up on music, films...whatever you're into.

VirginMedia traffic management page:

This, remember, is the ISP that has persuaded the ASA to allow it to advertise "super dooper fibre optic broadband", when VirginMedia's network is really a standard hybrid fibre-coax network (ie HFC, and which because of the coax element has tremendous issues if consumers on the same street use the service too much, unlike a true fibre to the home network).

And, the ISP industry wonders why they aren't able to persuade consumers to pay more for quality, unlimited, broadband! If the industry wishes to increase its ARPU then it needs to be genuinely open and honest about how it communicates broadband package details. Consumers need to know which packages offer better features and performance, or more data usage.

The implications of the above table for the content industry are hideous as most consumers will be using either the M or L package tiers:

• A single iPlayer TV programme download is likely to trigger the speed drop on the M tier.
• One Playstation 3 game demo download will trigger it on both M and L package tiers.
• One (paid and legitimate )movie download will likely trigger a user's speed to be cut on both M and L package tiers.
• Most consumers will probably not realise why their download is going slowly, and will likely blame the content provider rather than VirginMedia, or just give up.