Update on Origin Broadband's plans following closure of DRL

[Origin_Pete 10]

Hi all,

 

As promised, I am including an update about Origin Broadband's plans moving forward following the closure of the Digital Region network.

 

Firstly, I would like to reiterate that we as a company have not suffered as a result of the closure of DRL. In fact, things have never been better. We're recruiting more and more employees every few weeks and securing great deals with local businesses that benefit both us and our new customers. We are still giving great pure fibre speeds to new business customers that previously had to depend on regular old broadband. These businesses couldn't be happier!

 

But that's not what concerns most residential customers... what they care about is the quality of Origin's service, the quality of their individual connection and the price they pay for that connection.

 

So it's a bittersweet announcement from us on that point. Firstly, there will inevitably be some customers currently enjoying Origin's fibre service that will be forced to move to a slower alternative such as ADSL. While these customers are in the minority, it is still a significant number and we will be doing everything we can to make this transition as pain free as we can.

 

This is a factor way beyond our control as a company and all I can say to those customers is that we did EVERYTHING we could do ensure continuity of their FTTC service. We will be using any clout we have as a BT partner moving forward to push for better services in affected areas.

 

Onto our new offer... I can now confirm that Origin will be offering line rental at £15.99 and an Anytime call plan for £6.49. On their own, these are not particularly special offers, but when you take both together, you will be eligibile for FREE UNLIMITED ADSL from Origin. This offer will begin in Barnsley very soon, and is planned to roll out across 36 South Yorkshire exchanges by the August 14th deadline. We intend to move beyond South Yorkshire as soon as we can once the dust has settled on this rollout.

 

So line rental, calls and unlimited broadband from Origin will cost just £22.48 in selected areas! a free 'full provide' order will be available where needed, saving customers £110.00 on the installation of a new line.

 

This may be an standard deal for one of the the big 6 companies, but we believe our offer of a good local service really makes us stand out with new customers across the area. We have massive respect for Plusnet, for example, and we really want to follow the path that they took (prior to becoming part of the BT Group).

 

Origin was created by Oliver and Henry to focus on unlimited fibre broadband. This is a product very close to our hearts, and for this reason, we will continue to offer unlimited 40/02, 40/10, and 80/20 products to as many customers as possible. Pricing on these will range from £19.99 to £29.99 accordingly.

 

As we've announced previously, a member of our team will be in touch to discuss your individual migration plan. If you have any questions, please give us a call or e-mail info@origin-broadband.co.uk

 

Finally, here is the advert trialling in Barnsley this week. FREE YORKSHIRE TERRIER BROADBAND

 

https://portal.origin-broadband.co.uk/barnsley_promotion_may.png

 

We know this news isn't perfect, but we're a growing company doing everything we can to give the best service we can. We're working hard to get to a place where we as a company can effect 100% of the change we want for our customers. On this occasion, we probably didn't make everyone happy, but we hope to do just that in years to come.

 

Thanks, Pete

[geared 302]

So whats going on then, are Origin now using the BT infinity network to deliver their products, has the old Digital Region stuff been ripped up or switched off or something??

 

I still feel kind of annoyed that I only heard about Digital Region and Origin after it hit the news the network was being shut down.

[Ghozer 112]

Mod Note: I have stuck this thread until further notice, so that no one misses it..

 

I will un-stick it in a few weeks time.

[Bonjon 10]

As I will be one of the many left without fibre, what will the cost for ADSL be without line rental? And will I have to re-contract.

 

I would not wish to take anymore services due to what has already happened.

[karl101 10]

When will this be on the Sheffield Centre exchange, and when is the last date I would have to downgrade for a tidy transition?

 

K.

[Origin_Pete 10]

As I will be one of the many left without fibre, what will the cost for ADSL be without line rental? And will I have to re-contract.

 

I would not wish to take anymore services due to what has already happened.

 

What happened with DRL has no bearing on Origin's ability to provide services in the future - but if you did just want unlimited ADSL with us, the cost would be £9.99 per month

 

---------- Post added 07-05-2014 at 09:23 ----------

 

When will this be on the Sheffield Centre exchange, and when is the last date I would have to downgrade for a tidy transition?

 

K.

 

The new network will be live in Sheffield soon. We will be letting customers know dates individually.

 

---------- Post added 07-05-2014 at 09:24 ----------

 

So whats going on then, are Origin now using the BT infinity network to deliver their products, has the old Digital Region stuff been ripped up or switched off or something??

 

I still feel kind of annoyed that I only heard about Digital Region and Origin after it hit the news the network was being shut down.

 

We are building our own network and delivering at the end point via Openreach as a BT partner.

[Origin_Pete 10]

hi Pete

 

will the service be as before? non restrictions on torrents etc? also i just noted the infinity package has upload speeds at 20mb i am currently getting a lot more than that with origin.

 

No peak times or fair use is important to us - so we will not throttle any connection or restrict any site unless we are legally required to do so, or there is a factor outside of our direct control/network

[milliardo 10]

We are with you and haven't been contacted about what's happening to our line or anything, is this supposed to have been done or is it in progress?

[Origin_Pete 10]

We are with you and haven't been contacted about what's happening to our line or anything, is this supposed to have been done or is it in progress?

 

Someone will be in touch in the coming weeks

[AlexAtkin 10]

thanks for the confirmation.

 

 

out of curiosity. what is going to happen to the DR Network? i cant believe that cables will be ripped out of the ducts. and am surprised that one of the big players hasnt picked it up for a song.

 

surely it would be cheaper for BT to take it over than for them to upgrade all their own cabs

 

From what I have heard the Digital Region fibre network runs on a different technology to the BT one so they couldn't simply buy it up and connect it to their existing network.

 

As BT lay their fibre in existing ducts anyway, the cost is nowhere near as high as it was for Digital Region themselves to do everything from scratch. Sadly at this point it does mean a perfectly good network will be doing to waste.

 

In other bad news, yes we will be restricted to the BT limit of 80/20 when moved over. This really sucks when I am currently connected at 100/33 but for some reason BT have not unlocked the full speed of their network. I had kinda hoped they would have done before Origin had to do this.

[Dardandec 32]

This really sucks when I am currently connected at 100/33

 

Your getting 100/33 because there's only like 3 people connected to DR, imagine how much faster you would get to work on the motorway if there was only 3 people using it.

 

same here.

 

BT are essentially CRAP. i will lose the same speed as you.

 

Go tell that to the people who are lucky if they can get 2meg down and 100kb up, I'm sure their hearts would bleed for your inconvenience.

[Dardandec 32]

i have no idea why people defend such an infective company as BT. the more competitors the better. force BT to up their game.

 

I use BT because in my experience they have been the best phone and broadband provider I have ever used, I've tried other providers that have provided poor customer service, poor and next to no fault recognition and repair and generally been a nightmare from start to finish.

 

BT have never acted in this way and have also been known to make me aware of faults that I didn't know about, and come an fixed them straight away more or less, my BB never drops off and I always get a quality speed.

 

While ever they provide a service like this they will always get my money.