Entanet is a popular voice and data Communications Provider that enables wholesale and reseller customers to sell on everything from ADSL and ADSL2+ broadband, dedicated and bespoke connectivity such as Ethernet and bonded xDSL to hosted IP telephony and SIP trunking.
However most readers will know Entanet for being the strong broadband network behind several UK ISPs (vISPs), including Aquiss, UKFSN, ADSL24 and TitanADSL to name but a few of many. They have established a good reputation for service quality, price and were most recently the first to market with BT’s up to 24Mbps (ADSL2+) WBC services.
Last year we Interviewed Entanet’s former Chief Operating Office (COO), James Blessing (here), while this year we’re pleased to be talking with their Head of Marketing, Darren Farnden, about a completely new range of subjects:
1. Six of the country’s largest ISPs recently agreed to a voluntary anti-piracy deal with the music and film industry. Under this agreement any customers identified as having been involved in downloading illegal music or movies would be issued with a warning to stop. Customers that continue the activity could also face further, as yet undecided, penalties (not disconnection) for their actions. What are your thoughts on this; is it the best way to tackle the problem and how will your ISP be affected?
Entanet: In reality this is nothing new to Entanet. Where it has become necessary we have advised customers to kerb an inappropriate download habit, especially where their activity is a direct cost to the business in terms of excessive use of administration resource.
2. BT has finally begun the slow rollout of ‘up to’ 24Mbps broadband ADSL2+ (Wholesale Broadband Connect) services and Entanet, combined with its respected army of vISPs, has been among the first to benefit thanks to your position in early trials. What pro’s and con’s have you faced in adopting the new service?
Entanet: I gave a ‘warts and all’ presentation back in July at the BT Tower on Entanet’s experience of being the only non-BT Communications Provider to take on WBC and roll out its new ADSL2+ services. No new project as enormous as WBC was going to be without its trials and tribulations and we went into the project with our eyes wide open. Every team within Entanet (from programming and systems to customer service and sales/marketing) has worked closely with BT wholesale to ensure the product meets our (and hence industry’s) requirement.
Of course we’ve faced a number of challenges taking on WBC. We had to build out our existing network to the 20 ‘nodes’ that form BT21CN and also develop all of the day-to-day operational systems to receive, process and manage orders and migrations. At the same time of course we’ve needed to ensure service continuity to our existing Partners’ and their customers. As you can imagine, that’s been a massive task and has been an amazing challenge. However we’ve overcome issues systematically and our channel Partners are in an enviable position, as you say, of being the first to offer ADSL2+ on 21CN.
We would like to see a much more aggressive rollout of enabled exchanges from BT. However one of the key facts for any reseller/end user to remember is that BT21CN will bring ADSL2+ to almost all areas, not just the densest areas where LLU providers can make it economically justifiable.
3. What kind of average download speeds are your customers experiencing on the new ‘up to’ 24Mbps (WBC) products in comparison to the previous generation of 8Mbps (MAX) packages?
Entanet: We’re cautiously collating records of customers’ experiences and, as with MAX, speeds remain affected by the usual factors. However so far we have seen customers experience an increase from 6.5Mbps on MAX to 19Mbps on our 2Plus product, while we’ve seen an entirely new customer connect at 22.5Mbps. Of course this doesn’t mean every customer will necessarily see the same improvement and it’s important to remember that there’s more to ADSL2+ than just speed.
