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ISP Review takes a look at the diminishing trust in unmetered ISPs |
 Over the last month (October 2001) alone, more so than any month before, these providers and others like them have physically started to erode trust in the industry itself. People have become sick and tired of hearing that 'services will be fine and back up again soon', only to find the ISP closing its doors a day or two later. ISP Review has noticed a massive shift in opinion towards such ISPs because of the way they communicate. People have become so use to distrusting such providers that they don't know when to trust an ISP and when not to, it's a VERY serious situation. One reader described the whole industry as 'being married to somebody you hate, yet have to live with'. The fear is that once people begin to feel a 'lasting' distrust, it'll end up affecting providers who DO offer a good service and also reflect badly on the industry itself. ISPs only have themselves to blame for becoming so viciously competitive, far too many of them are putting services and the industry's image at risk - THIS MUST STOP! No ISP can be perfect, yet far too many are shutting up shop at the same time as covering up the serious nature of a situation by reassuring their customers of a completely different outcome - IT'S WRONG - STOP DOING IT! The Solution(s) Sadly the solution(s) to such a problem could only come in one of several forms, none of which seem likely or near: 1) ISPs could start pricing more realistically, economically speaking a Surf/WebPort24 based ISP should really be charging £20 per month (PM) for a flexible and strongly supported 24/7 unmetered package with lower ratios. 2) Ofcom can be used to regulate ISPs, but only if they understand what they're regulating and how best to do it; either way it'll be too little too late, they're not due to launch for awhile. 3) Oftel could force the cost of BTs Surf/WebPort24 and FRIACO systems down, although truthfully they're not at fault here, the ISPs are. You can only be so greedy before it becomes unrealistic. Typically No.3 isn't likely to happen and No.2 will happen, yet not for awhile, which leaves No.1. Sadly the demand for 'cheap' and economically questionable services is STRONG and this is equal to the greed of many providers, high prices = less customers. Realistically a well managed ISP can sustain a £14.99 PM service, however it's almost impossible to tell a well managed ISP from a poorly managed one until it's too late. An alternative would be to offer packages based on usage; sadly this is difficult in a market where most providers hide such restrictions from view. ISPs offering 24/7 and 'seemingly' flexible services from £10 per month or less are putting long-term service quality at risk, any market analyst could tell you that - SO BE WARNED. It's believed that unmetered requires a contention ratio of roughly 9:1 in order to be stable and operate without any real engage tones. The following is a brief list containing SOME of the unmetered ISPs we've seen topple over the last two years, many of them going in a similar style to those mentioned above. Note: 08002Go and Nutshell aren't included because at the time of writing they're suspended, not officially closed: Screaming.net
Once again the conclusion can only be that until firm regulation and standards are enforced we'll continue to swim in water with invisible currents. [Print Page | Main Page]
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