Opinions on Voice over IP Services (1 Viewer)

[Kyle McKnight]

5mbps down, 2mbps up for the $40/month

 

[SarahG]

This is just a guess, but if verizon is doing it, other ISPs must be on the verge of following up with some sort of ehanced broadband connection. Verizon doesn't have the "rights" to this technology do they? I don't really have a reliability problem with my SunRocket voip service, but just an increase in speed on my broadband would be cool.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

I don't know where I read the article (please don't kill me) but I remember reading that they were going to make their FTTP available to some other ISPs with deals they work out. I don't think it was going to be widespread, at least not at the start.

BTW, my new fiber is up and running!

2005-03-16 17:17:14 EST: 4741 / 1764
Your download speed : 4855637 bps, or 4741 kbps.
A 592.7 KB/sec transfer rate.
Your upload speed : 1806956 bps, or 1764 kbps.
A 220.5 KB/sec transfer rate.

The download speed I've been use to since I had 4mbps with my cable, but the upload is such a difference! That equates to about 8.5-9MB per minute transfer. Sent 160MB star wars trailer in 18 minutes.

------------

Also the Verizon techs pointed out to me that our phone lines are now being transmitted over the fiber too instead of copper. They include a battery backup that should power the line for about 8 hours during a power outtage. Guess that takes away the benefit of having a landline over VOIP during a power outtage.

 

[Steve F M]

As far as other ISP's being able to piggy back on Verizon's Fiber Network the answer would be NO. Unless these ISP's are running Fiber to your home they will not be able to offer the speeds and apps that Verizon is capable of with there FTTP.

 

[Steve F M]

Kyle those upload speeds are pretty impressive. You must not have a package with Verizon or that $40 price would have been $35. I'm going the next tier up for $45 and getting the 10MB Down and 3MB Up. can't wait.

You can buy a back-up battery from what I'm being told that should get you 24hrs of back-up on a power outage. You'll never have any type of static or echo again with fiber.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

There's a 10/3 option? On the website the next up I saw was 15/2. Yeah, I don't have a package deal with them, though they are our landline carrier. Gonna go VOIP with them shortly, and can't wait to check out their video offerings later.

 

[Steve F M]

Kyle you are correct. They changed the package from 10MB to 15MB annd are staying with the 2MB Upload which is still super fast. $5 with a free month and no installation fees. Heck thats still cheaper then Comcasts $50 a month and only 3MB Download.

Counting the days til its complete in my neighborhood.

 

[Kyle McKnight]

Just went out and snapped a couple pics with my phone of the boxes...Gonna have to put a lock on the ONT just for safe measure (there's a place for a padlock). Also notice sticking out from the bottom of the blue just under the 3 of 4 silver phone lines, video coax.

ONT - Optical Network Terminal
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/splunk/fios/onttn.jpg] [/url]

Battery Backup
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/splunk/fios/batterybkuptn.jpg] [/url]

and an aloe vera plant for good measure...
[url=http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v392/splunk/fios/aloeveratn.jpg] [/url]

 

[SarahG]

Interesting. Well I guess my question still remains, won't other ISPs catch on to this enhancement and follow in the footsteps of Verizon with their own system? According to the article Kyle read, seems that Verizon might offer deals which will allow other providers to use their technology. That might be expensive.

 

[Robert_Gaither]

I could see AOL doing this and adding a few bucks to the price.

 

[Christo Ramo]

I think it is the future for the internet. Being Verizon has the means to lay down the fiber, I think they might lease it out to other providers. So that Verizon doesn't get caught up in the whole monopoly thing. It is kind of what happens with T-1 lines and other circuits. In most cases if you have an AT&T, MCI or Sprint circuit, it is most likely coming to you through lines Verizon owns.

 

[Steve F M]

Lease they might but it won't be at the FCC regulated rates they have to lease there copper network at. That was one of the agreements that verizon wanted from the FCC before they dumped Billions in a Fiber Network. AOL and the likes might lease the fiber network but it won't be cheap.

As far as Verizon being a monopoly now. forget it. Major Competition from Cable, Wireless, VOIP Providers, other Baby Bells. If anyone has a monopoly its the cable companies. Where else can a company get away with raising there consumer rates at about 4-5% a year. Thats highway robbery!!!

Your right about all those companies using our copper network for T1's and alot of other stuff, but do you relize that we make nothing on that lease to them since the FCC set those rates so low that we basically have to give away our network to companies for nothing.

The purpose of the Telecommunications Act was for startup companies to be allowed to lease Verizons copper network at reduced prices, so in return they could build there own networks for themselves. Guess how many of these start-ups actually built there own networks with there profits from a discounted lease from verizon. You guessed it NONE!!

Very bad decision by the FCC to try and start competition. If anything it caused prices to go up.

 

[Christo Ramo]

Steve, I agree with you 100%! But do you think the cable company's are going to run their own fiber? I really don't think they can afford it. I think optimum online has ran some fiber, but I don't think company's like Comcast will. I forget what speed coax maxes out at, but fiber is the future. I don't remeber, what does docsis 2.0 support? Also not many company's are there yet either.

 

[SarahG]

Would it be feasible for some of the smaller VoIP companies to possibly break into the industry of providing digital cable and cable connections? I'm sure the financial investment that some of the companies would have to undertake would be too much, but that might solve the problem of the cable company monopoly. VoIP companies have already come up with a solution to cheap communications, why not remedy the rest of the communications industry. Or is that too much to ask?

 

[Steve F M]

Sarah the answer would be no. Most VOIP own nothing as far as a network goes. They pay fees to the companies that own the Internet Backbone that they send there calls over.

Pretty much they don't own anything as far as the pipes that carry there VOIP Service.

2 Companies will be jumping into the Video game very shortly and that would be Verizon and SBC Communications.

 

[Steve F M]

Christo, I doubt the cable commpanies will follow suit on Fiber to your home. They feel there Broadband speeds that they are capable of is fast enough and they already have Video. I think the limitation on there speeds is 5-7MB download as far as coax is concerned. Someone might be able to give a more accurate number but thats what I remember.

The main point is with Coax there bandwith has a limit, but with Fiber there pretty much is no limit. This will become important especially with HDTV!!

 

[Yahya]

Just my 2cents thrown in here......

I had verizon home service for nearly 10 years. April of last year I had to move to a new apartment and called (actually did it online) verizon to transfer over my services to the new apartment. All went well for about a month or so till I recieved the $400 phone bill from verizon. At the time my wife was on vacation over seas so long distance calls where a regular occurance. We've been married for 6years so none of them were very long . This bill seemed very high to me since with the 7 hour time difference all of my calls were out of the peak time billing rates. I take a look closer at the items on the bill and notice a few 1 minute calls (getting connections were sometimes a bitch , echoes and outright static were common) charged at $3.95. Something was wrong with this no doubt. Turns out my long distance carrier wasn't transfered over in the move and it was "My Responsibility" to have made sure it was. I didn't agree with this point of view so I refused to pay them (my credit rating is allready in shambles) and used my cell phone until time warner offered their digital phone service in my area. I've had this "digitial" phone service for a few months now and absolutly love it. Quality of sound is great, connections have never been dropped or not made correctly within the first attempt and it's one flat fee. If you've got the option go for it. I'm a layman here but I can foresee timewarner or comcast laying some fiber in the near future.

Okay so maybe all that typing was worth more than $.02

 

[Steve F M]

Why would it be Verizon's responsibility to transfer your Long Distance over. They obviously were not your long distance provider.





I'm a layman here but I can foresee timewarner or comcast laying some fiber in the near future.

Actually they have nothing to gain by running Fiber in at this time and would be a waste of money for them to do so.

 

[Yahya]

Like I said I'm not the expert here so please ignore my ignorance but if it's a better option for video transfer speeds why wouldn't the cable companies jump on it?

 

[Steve F M]

If Verizon was you Long Distance Provider then they should have transferred your Long Distance over for you. If they are and didn't make amends with you on your bill i would have called back and asked for a supverisor and if no luck there then there boss.

Verizon's Customer Service has gotten alot better over the years(Since they are no longer a monoploy) and they usually fix problems that they cause plus some.

So your saying Verizon was your Local, Toll, and Long Distance Provider and they only transferred over your local which somehow gave you some really bad long distance plan?

By the way I'm a big supporter of VOIP, but I only feel its a benefit to some people at this time. You would be one of them since you make lots of out of Country calls. The only problem with VOIP and the reason it won't catch on for another 5-10 years is the reliability and a few other factors. Most people are not techies. I can't see my mother or grandmother trying to set up a router to get this to work. She has a hard enough time powering on a PC and getting onto the internet let alone figuring out VOIP.

Heck if I could charge my parents tech support fees for there computer I would be retired by now!!

Yahya I didn't mean to come off rude its just that Verizon's usually gets a bad rap for other companies screw ups. And alot of times people choose a different Long Distance Provider other then Verizon and Verizon usually gets the blame for the Long Distance Providers screw-ups since the bill comes from Verizon. My only advice is that if they were you LD Provider to keep calling back to you get that 1 person that cares and will help you. I would help you if I could but I have nothing to do with Customer service or LD within Verizon.

And again about cables companies running fiber in the near future. Maybe, but the only reason they would be is that they will actually have some competition with the likes of SBC and Verizon. That big ole Cable Company is not going to know what to do when they actually have to compete. You might actually see Cable prices start dropping year over year instead of rising 5%.