Connected Cities Voucher Scheme Suspended

Just after 5.00pm today 12th October 2015 we received notification that the Connected Vouchers Scheme had been suspended with immediate effect as funds were nearly used.

This means that if you were eligible and have not already submitted your application you have missed the opportunity. Unlike many subsidies this scheme did not require any match funding from the applicant, just a comittment to pay the service rental for at least six months. 

We encouraged many of our customers to apply for the grant, some were not eligible and some chose not to apply but still upgraded. Over the past six months that the scheme has been open in Manchester, Preston, Leeds/Bradford and the Midlands and other cities around the UK we saw a good uptake in customers upgrading to Superfast Broadband.

Customers may still upgrade to Superfast Broadband but the cash incentive to cover the cost of equipment and installation will no longer be available. Upgrading however still makes sense as monthy costs of Fibre to The Cabinet (a frequent technology used by customers upgrading) is not much more than standard ADSL (depending on package and service level chosen).

If you require further information on Superfast Broadband, how to upgrade and what to do with it when you have it please do not hesitate to contact us.

I will leave the final word to one of our customers who upgraded to Fibre to the Cabinet last month: "Please also accept our gratitude for this investment which has massively improved our connectivity and has already provided tangible benefits."


For more information on Superfast Broadband please call:
Plum Communications   Tel: 0161 622 3500 or email:  info@plumcom.co.uk.

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Ofcom reveals that UK broadband rates are 'not up to speed'

Ofcom has today published the results of their research into fixed-line broadband speeds in the UK. Speed has become more significant as people increasingly use the internet for bandwidth-hungry applications such as downloading video and audio. The research involved over 60 million separate service performance tests being carried out in over 1600 homes between November 2008 and April 2009.

The research found that nearly 20% of UK broadband customers who have an 8Mbps connection receive less than 2Mbps on average. Similarly, less than 9% received more than 6Mbps. The report did show though that the average internet connection speed across the UK had increased from 3.6Mbps in January to 4.1Mbps. This news will interest Lord Carter and the government’s plans for “All British Homes to Have Broadband by 2012”, with the government wanting British households on at least 2Mbs speed broadband by 2012. Below you can listen to Ofcom chief executive Ed Richards talking about the report:

You can view the full report here. In summary the report found that:

• The average broadband speed in the UK in April 2009 was 4.1 megabits per second (Mbit/s). This compares to an average 'up to' headline speed of 7.1 Mbit/s.
• The actual speeds received varied widely. Fewer than one in ten (9 per cent) of the sample on 8Mbit/s headline packages received actual average speeds of over 6Mbit/s and around one in five (19 per cent) received, on average, less than 2Mbit/s.
• Those living in urban areas received significantly faster speeds than those living in rural areas. The average speed delivered to urban consumers was 4.6Mbit/s, compared to an average of 3.3Mbit/s delivered to rural consumers.
• Consumers with all ISPs experienced a slowdown in actual speeds during peak evening hours (8-10pm), with speeds in this period around 20 per cent slower than over a 24-hour period.

It's not just which provider you're with - or what deal you've signed up to - which can affect the speed of your connection. If you get your broadband via a phone line, then something as simple as how far you live from your local telephone exchange or a missing filter can affect the speed of your connection.

Ofcom have released the following video guide on how to improve your broadband speed:

Plum Communications provide a range of Broadband Internet Services, most popular are the ADSL services which have a different higher download speed to the upload speed. These start with standard ADSL (up to 2Mb), rate adaptive ADSL (up to 8Mb) and fast rate adaptive ADSL 2+ (up to 24Mb). Distance from the exchange, line quality, interference or a missing filter will reduce the speed available. A line check can be carried out for any proposed connection to determine the potential speed of the line.

The ADSL type of connection meets most needs as in general customers will download more than they upload, however some customers will have special requirements, for instance remote hosting of services and files, back up routines, camera access, gaming, streaming and in these cases a higher upload speed is required. This can be provided economically by bonding multiple ADSL circuits together.

Alternatively SDSL connections are available with higher upload speeds and where guaranteed bandwidth with Service Level Agreement is required we provide direct internet connections and leased lines. For advice on the most appropriate method of connection for your business contact Plum Communications on 0161 622 3500.

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Plum launches low cost capped internet service

Plum announces details of their low cost capped internet service providing speeds up to 8Mb (depending upon distance from exchange) at prices from £19 per month (SOHO and home user) and £25 per month (office user)

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Plum starts upgrade of ADSL Broadband Circuits

Throughout summer all Plum ADSL broadband circuits will be upgraded to higher speed where line condition and distance from exchange allows

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Improved ADSL Service

Plum Communications announce their new improved ADSL service which will offer greater choice of speeds and ability to bond channels, allowing users to gain upload speeds higher than 256k. All Plum customers will be migrated to the new servcice during January and February 2005 and support will be available during this migration period.

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