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Fibrus Business

Linuxminter

Member
Apologies for a rather lengthy post.

There has been much activity in my area (Cumbria) with Fibrus / Viberoptix building their Ultrafast network. OR aren't timetabled to be here until 2026 / 2027 (given the experience of FTTC, that'll probably mean 2030...), so Fibrus are going to be the only available service for some years to come - none of the other commercial / alt-nets have this area on their build programmes.

So taking the Fibrus service is a no-brainer? Well..

Attempting to find out information (online) about Fibrus, as an ISP, leaves issues unresolved, so I hope contributors here can assist.

1. Can anyone advise the make(s) and models(s) of router supplied? I believe they use Nokia, but that's as far as it goes. This would allow me to judge the quality of the supplied kit.

2. Given the above, I've been reading that bridge-mode is being locked / 'greyed' for more recent customers (of which I would be one). Is this just a 'keep-it-simple-out-of-the-box' default, which users can reset? Does it require Fibrus to reset it? Or is it fully locked?

3. A significant concern regards what Fibrus would be like, as my ISP. Online reports, with regard to customer service, might best be descibed as 'mixed' (ahem...) .That isn't surprising - the dissatisfied generally shout louder than the majority for whom all is fine. However, I have a specific concern with their business package, which is what I would be interested in (work requirements mean that it would be their top-end symmetrical gigabit service). The Fibrus website shows a range of options, with some telephone sets being shown as 'add-ons' (optional). However, buried towards the bottom of the 'Fibrus Business Fees & Charges' guide is reference to one of these units being a compulsory purchase, as part of the package, thereby adding £140 to the installation cost. Or is it? I've read the entire 'Fibrus Business T&C's', which is supposed to form the legal contract under which their service is provided - you've guessed it; there's no mention of any compulsory purchase. Making something as simple and fundamental as this somewhat opaque (to say the least) doesn't fill me with confidence. What else, in the T&C's might have to be taken with 'a-pinch-of-salt'? For example, is the SLA fault resolution stated time (within 24 hours) worth the paper it's written on?

Any information / comment based on experience of Fibrus, as an ISP, would be welcomed.

Oh - to answer the obvious...I have tried approaching Fibrus re the above, but all I get is 'sorry - we're not live in your area, so we can't discuss...' What was that about customer service?...
 
If it is the same Fibrus as the one who won the "Project Stratum" contract in N Ireland, it was only setup in September 2018.

They announced Fibrus as the winning contractor in September 2020 - See the announcement here:


I don't think any of the initial installs (early 2021) would be out of contract yet, but it will be interesting to see what they do. i can see them hiking the prices because they know the customer has no alternative and if they want a good decent connection they will just have to cough up and pay for it.

Personally, I am VERY skeptical of anything the NI Executive do. They have a track record of making a dogs diner of things, ie cash for ash, field boundary fines, lifts in MOT centres etc
 
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An update...There's been lots of build activity, and the posters have now gone-up - 'Get ready for Ultrafast - Fibrus is coming'. As I never received a reply to my original contact, I thought now might be a good time to try again. This time there was a reply the next day - but only to say 'thanks for your e-mail - we'll be in touch'. That was over four weeks ago...my e-mail was sent to a named contact (not a generic 'contact-us') and I've sent weekly reminders. Still nothing. Given that they're advertising the service, and I'm a potential customer for their most expensive package, then their approach doesn't fill one with confidence. Even saying 'we don't know' or 'we can't tell you that' would be better than just not bothering.

clivejo - your comment in an earlier thread (Fibrus in NI) about 'connect to premise' would appear to be correct. It has been noticeable that all of the works here are terminating at pole base - all of the Viberoptix engineers I've spoken to (always a friendly and informative lot) have said that Fibrus will only run cable up the pole, and install a CBT, if there's a guaranteed sale/connection to an adjacent property. So we can see what's going to happen - with an initial rush of orders, they'll prioritise multi-connection CBT's, and a single connection (like mine) will get pushed down the queue. Not entirely idle speculation - I had a chance encounter with a Fibrus customer from elsewhere, in the county. Very happy with the service, but warned that from being advised that connection was available, to installation, had a delay of four months. When they sounded-out the installation engineers as to why, the reply was 'single connection, mate...' So I won't hold my breath for a rapid connection, even once the network is lit-up...

If I ever get a reply, I'll update...
 
At last - a reply! (only taken six weeks...) Unfortunately, it's a small swing with a large roundabout...

The VOIP handset is now just an option, not a requirement if their VOIP service is used, so that saves £150. However, there is now NO introductory discount on any of their symmetrical services, thereby doubling the previous price during the first 12 months. For gigabit symmetrical with 'phone that's £210 + VAT p.m.

My plan, in the post COVID world, was to migrate towards more home office working. However, I'll now have to do some serious number crunching to see if just staying with the 'in-town' office leased line (and associated SLA) will have to continue.

Surprisingly, given all the 'get ready' ads, they could provide no indication of when connection was likely to be available, I suspect that means it shall be later, rather than sooner...

I appreciate that, as an alt-net, Fibrus need to make a return on building into 'passed-by' locations, where OR wouldn't be in sight for years to come. But they still seem rather pricey, to me, for what you get...
 
However, there is now NO introductory discount on any of their symmetrical services, thereby doubling the previous price during the first 12 months. For gigabit symmetrical with 'phone that's £210 + VAT p.m.
Yeah that’s knocking on a bit for what is a contended broadband service. Sneaking up to DIA / leased line territory, perhaps not at a gig though.
 
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