All broadband services are subject to a BT line provisioning test and may be withdrawn if the line is unsuitable.
All broadband packages are a minimum of 12 months contract and are subject to a £75 early cancellation fee.
On services with bandwidth limits, all over usage will be charged at £1.50 per gigabyte.
All broadband packages are subject to a fair use policy. All prices include VAT at current rate.
Support will only be offered on modem configuration if supplied by eZe-Talk.
Our support extends to getting a broadband connection to a common web site. No other site access will be covered.
No personal computer equipment problem solving will be undertaken.
Broadband - Frequently-Asked Questions
What is Broadband?
Broadband is a relative term used for high speed internet over a phone line, cable, or satellite connection often including TV and telephone services. Broadband derives from "Broad Bandwidth" initially used in radio to describe a wide frequency range, allowing the capability of hosting a large number of radio signals.
Today our "Bandwidth" capabilities and requirements have increased with technologies such as digitisation (digital) and fibre optics. Communication now occurs in both directions at high speed, allowing TV on demand, video conferencing, immersive games and high speed internet.
What are the Benefits?
Speed
Broadband can be up to 160 times faster than a dial up connection. This means no more waiting for ages for your favourite website to download. In fact it allows websites to become more interactive and dynamic. As more people adopt broadband, websites can contain more audio, video and flash content. Sites such as YouTube and mySpace allow everyone to share video and music over the internet.
Recently it's become possible to download TV programs and Films from major media sources such as the BBC, Channel 4 (4OD) and Sky among others.
Connectivity
Broadband is "always on", no longer do you have to wait as your connection dials in and verifies your password. As soon as you start your computer up, aside from the ability to connect to the internet instantly, your computer will receive your email, you can synchronise your pc clock and automatically download the latest news through RSS feeds.
Broadband is big enough to share - you can use your telephone while browsing the internet, with higher broadband speeds it's possible to have a number of PC's connected to the internet with an Ethernet or Wireless router, allowing the whole family to be online.
Flexibility
Instead of pay per minute, broadband uses a pay monthly system and because of the competitive nature of the service, the cost is usually value for money.
As the market for broadband service providers is always changing there are many different packages to choose from and you can generally tailor the broadband package to your needs.
How fast should I go?
Broadband Speed is measured in megabytes per second, but is often abbreviated to MB. If you use the internet for reading news, checking email and sharing photos with family and friends, you'll only need a lower speed connection of 1 or 2MB.
If you want to download music you could survive with a slower connection, but a faster one will allow you to download more. When it comes to watching video online or downloading TV and Films, then 5-8MB or more will be preferable.
Speed limits are present as your area will share a large broadband connection; they divide the connection up amongst each customer, ensuring no one customer uses all the broadband! Usually you can download faster than you can upload and sadly it's common that the speed your connection is supposed to be is a little slower than stated on your broadband package.
What is my download limit?
Many broadband providers now allow unlimited downloads, often though you may be limited to only downloading so much data per month. This allowance is measured in Giga Bytes (GB) - a whole film can be from 1-5GB of data depending on the quality. Usually restrictions can be from 2-16GB per month and are set in place as another method of sharing the connection. Some providers offer an unlimited service where there is no bandwidth limits however, you will pay more for these services.
What's the difference between the Service Providers?
Be aware that different broadband providers offer a different quality of service. Low cost providers may put minimal investment into providing the service.
While big brand names often have superior customer support, they often have their own problems too, and you could end up paying for more than you need.
If a provider is offering a low cost broadband deal or 'free' broadband then it is strongly advised to look at the things they don't want you to see/compare, such as:
- Contention ratio (how many people are sharing the broad band line)
- Maximum speed
- Bandwidth allowance and the cost of going over.
- Other limits, such as not being allowed to go to certain websites or use certain software.
- Being 'forced' to use their modems or routers
Why do some service providers charge me a connection fee and others don't?
This is simple, every service provider will have a connection charge, however, the question is do they tell you there is a connection charge or just add £5 or so per month onto your Broad band charge for 12 months. Those providers that tell you there is a connection charge usually do not have anything that's hidden from you.
How to migrate your broadband service or change your broadband provider
As the Broadband market grows and more customers take up broadband services, customers may wish to change providers to take advantage of innovative services or cheaper prices.
In order to change providers you will need to use the migration method and obtain a MAC.
Broadband migration works by means of a migration authorisation code (MAC), which customers obtain from their existing Internet Service Provider and give to their new provider. Customers will need to follow three simple steps.
- A customer wishing to change their broadband connection to another service provider must first contact their existing ISP and request a MAC. Make sure you do not request your ADSL circuit to be ceased.
- The existing provider will send the MAC to the customer within 5 working days. The MAC is then valid for a period of 30 days from the date that it is issued. If you do not use the MAC within the allotted 30 days you will need to contact the service provider again and ask them to issue a new MAC.
- Once you have received your MAC you must then present it to your new provider. Your new provider will then process the request / order and inform the customer of the specific install date (typically this will be between 5-10 working days depending on your provider).
What does a MAC look like?
A MAC is an alphanumeric code usually starting in either BBIP or BBDS followed by a 13 digit alphanumeric code. BBIP is an IP Stream MAC and BBDS is a Data Stream MAC. More exotic systems may start with LLLU or other prefixes.
My existing service provider has issued a MAC starting in BBDS but my new provider cannot migrate this service, why?
BBDS MAC's are for Data Stream broadband. The majority of UK ISP's use IP Stream to provide broadband in the UK and you cannot migrate between Data Stream and IP stream. If you have a Data Stream broadband service the only thing you can do is either cease your existing service and re-provide with your new ISP (be warned this will lead to at least 10 days downtime) or install a new telephone line to provision broadband on and cease your old connection once the new service has been completed.
How much downtime can I expect when my broadband service migrates?
Typically users should not experience sizeable downtime when migrating. On the day of migration your existing service will drop at some point during the day. At this time you will need to reboot your existing router or plug in your new router with your new connection details provided by your new ISP and away you go.
What happens if my existing provider refuses to give me a MAC?
Your existing service provider cannot unreasonably refuse to issue a MAC, and can only withhold a MAC if:
- The account holder does not make the request or the account holder is deceased.
- The contract has already been terminated and the connection ceased.
- The existing service provider might withhold an authorisation code to enforce debt collection or contractual rights.
What's the difference between business and residential broadband?
First off, it is perfectly feasible for a business to order residential broadband and residential users to order business broadband.
The difference is simply put that business broadband has a higher priority in terms of data throughput.
So, if for example both a business user and a residential user go to view the same website at the same time, the business users request would be prioritised over the residential user.
Why is your broadband more expensive than XYZ provider?
When it comes to broadband we believe that quality is better. Using some cheap broadband from XYZ could leave you with slow connections,
getting thrown off or (in the event of a fault) leave you without broadband for weeks if not months. However, we give you quality and quantity.
We don't overload the exchanges causing you to get a bad connection. We don't use cheap hardware causing drop outs. Above all else, you get the normal support package included. We believe that you our customer should not have the hassle of connection problems.
Can I use my router from XYZ provider?
Yes you can, however, only certain modems and routers are directly supported. Routers such as Safecom/Netgear, Draytek Vigor, Linksys and Speed Touch are main stream routers. If you have another type of modem / router then support may not be able to help if you have a set-up problem.