ADSL2+ services from Optus slowing?

I’ve been monitoring the ADSL2+ coverage from Optus on the Let’s Go website (here: http://www.letsgo.com.au/adsl2.php) and have discovered that the roll out has slowed considerably.

I wrote a post some months back about Gosford’s upgrade to ADSL2+ due soon, and the possibility that while they were coming this way, they’d drop by and install ADSL2+ here.

Unfortunately, this doesn’t seem to be the case.

Looking at my post at that point, I estimated ADSL2+ services to arrive somewhere in the area of May 2007. It’s now July, so my estimate is a bit off.

I’m hitting a critical point in my service with Netspace, Nutspace, or Nutshape, however you like to refer to them. I’ve noticed outages increase a little in recent times, and that’s a big annoyance. It’s not unstable or anything, just I’ve noticed more outages than I did in the first 6 months or so of service with only 1 BIG outage during that time that lasted nearly the whole day, and I was rather annoyed at that, but accepted the fact they have been rock solid and good value.

Things have changed, I moved and had to move with them, and basically they screwed the move up beyond belief (see posts on here, search Netspace), and caused me to be more annoyed.

At that point, the annoyed radar went very high, and I was really annoyed, however, due to Telstra’s charging methods, we were forced to stay with a 6 month extended contract with them to ensure we wouldn’t disconnect the line (like I would anyway, considering a lot know I am online – every day – so, it isn’t in a flash that I decide.. Yep. I’m sick of ADSL, I’m gonna arrange a disconnection) – Trust me, NextG’s network is far too expensive to even consider using, even on a temporary measure, I’d go dial up.

I’m still rather sticking to my words at this point, the very day the contract is up, the churn application is going to go ahead and Netspace can go and get royally screwed.

The critical point for me is. Who do I go to? If I move, I could be sticking to a new contract, are we getting ADSL this side of November? This side of March? If not, then a new ISP is all the go, I can use the better upload right now too (despite being expensive Telstra’s 8Mb/384k up, the 256k is not really doing us nicely right now with the extent of data management I am doing, and the amount of data flying out of here on the artificially shaped Telstra Wholesale port).

So come the day where my contract is finally up (for the second time) with Nutshape, do I go elsewhere or wait it out?

The 3 month rolling forecast on the Let’s Go chart has really slowed. It seems a lot of exchanges have come active in recent times (even Woy Woy, NSW), but one disappointment is the lack of exchanges being added to expand to.

With the OPEL announcement coming soon too, it’s more and more curious as to what the go is. I had a look at the maps, and there’s no ADSL2+ exchange list. There is no additions to the ADSL2+ Optus exchange list (and not likely, as they aren’t Optus DSLAMs, but OPEL DSLAMs).

So what we need from them is some idea of timing. My next ISP is a little shy on support, but.. well, support? Do I really need it considering that if the connection is stable, they won’t even have to speak to me? If it doesn’t work, I’ll tear them to pieces til they fix it? I think they’ll be fine. But, If I can tell Telstra where to stick this overpriced ADSL1 port, by going with a much better valued ADSL2+ port, then I am all ears. I need to know sooner though, as if time comes by and I can’t see anything changing my way, I’m more likely to stop giving Netshape my dollars and go elsewhere for the mean time, which could have a hidden disadvantage, a contract perhaps after ADSL2+ is installed, and the contract being too expensive to leave from.

Interesting point, they like to get you into contracts, after you’ve done your 6 months minimum connection time with Telstra Wholesale, they insist that if you churn, it’s also a 6 month contract, but I suppose that still puts 24 months from Bigpond right back at sea where it belongs.

I like flexibility, if an ISP annoys me, I wanna be able to tell them where to stick it (with a new ISP :)).

I do hope Optus aren’t slowing down too much with the roll out as they seem to be, I think they have the good theory going, get out there, get customers on hardware, if FTTN does go ahead, so what, we still have customers on more hardware that we can sue Telstra for if they choose to strand the investments.

On the other hand, if they build FTTN themselves, they’ll protect investments from competitors (including the Telstra outdated and artificially shaped hardware) by using Remote Switching technology which will leave all exchange services intact, and allow customers to “switch” the service to the node instead of the exchange at the customers choice. Makes great sense.

Enjoy!

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