Not taking new customers

[Shinycarot]

I signed up for broadband today and the site promptly cancelled my order. The website now says that it is experiencing technical issues and is not available. I called the support desk but they just said that Openreach aren’t taking orders.
Does anybody know what the issue is? Have NOW stopped offering broadband to new customers or is there simply an issue with the site?

[gavs82008 · Accepted solution]

@Shinycarot 

So NOW offer FTTC broadband and OpenReach are planning on switching off all FTTC connections in favour of FTTP.

ISP ReviewOpenreach Stops Selling New UK Analogue Copper Phone LinesOpenreach (BT) has this morning ...

Sounds like your area is at what is called a "stop sell". So yes it is very likely NOW cannot take you as a new customer.

[Jayach]

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@gavs82008 wrote:
Sounds like your area is at what is called a "stop sell". So yes it is very likely NOW cannot take you as a new customer.

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Since the 5th of September, the whole country is now stop-sell.

[Shinycarot]

Thanks. That makes sense.

[Jayach]

Since the 5th September, unless your local exchange has Sky LLU MPF (Metallic Path Facility). no new FTTC connections will be allowed if they require a POTS telephone connection. (and Now do. as they have no VoIP offering)

PSTN Switch Off in 2025 | Focus Group

[Harry_]

I'm in the same boat, tried to sign up today and was told that they're not accepting any new customers... Possibly a stupid question, but how do I get internet setup if there aren't full fibre options at my new postcode???

[RoyB]

@Harry_ 

I’ve been reading this:-

https://www.openreach.co.uk/cpportal/products/the-all-ip-programme/stopsell-updates

and I have one question: Dear Openreach, is this document available in English? 😢

[Jayach]

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@Harry_ wrote:
 but how do I get internet setup if there aren't full fibre options at my new postcode???

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There are plenty of ISP's who provide broadband over FTTC, either without a phone option or VoIP phone.

Now just isn't one of them.

At the moment I would look at Vodafone (I'm with them) or Shell (now owned by Octopus)

However, go via a comparison site, as there may be vouchers available.

I like to use MSE. Compare Broadband Deals September 2023 | Broadband Unbundled Tool (moneysavingexpert.com) but obviously there are others.

[RoyB]

@Harry_ 

Where FTTP is available, that’s all you can have.

Where it’s not available, I think you get SOGEA, mainly, internet over the existing copper/fibre but without the option for phone service, though there are some other forms of alphabet soup available.

So phone, if you want it, needs to be VOIP (Voice over IP). Which the Now router apparently can’t do.

Do I recall @Jayach saying that Now only use WLR (Wholesale Line Rental)? In which case, they wouldn’t be able to provide any new services, generally. (There are exceptions, but they aren’t really worth pursuing, for Now or for you).

Or maybe Now can sell SOGEA, but only to people who are prepared not to require a phone service at all?

Stop Sell has been called Copper Stop Sell in the past, but it isn’t any more, as that would be misleading, Stop Sell applying more to the products used over the network than what it’s physically made from.

I am sure @Jayach will be along to correct me if I am wrong, but it would seem that Now Broadband have some decisions to make in short order - and they should have made them long before now, about:-

FTTP - do they start selling it where FTTP is available?

SOGEA - do they start selling it, or one of the other alphabetti spaghetti options, where FTTP isn’t available?

And what do they do about phone lines? Not offer them? Have a VOIP option for which a new router will be needed?

Or just give up, and watch their existing broadband use base shrink? Or transfer customers, assuming they are willing to transition, to Sky Broadband? (Assuming Sky will offer SOGEA to new customers who can’t have FTTP, or their business model will be a bit punctured as well).

Interesting times…

[Jayach]

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@RoyB wrote:
Do I recall @Jayach saying that Now only use WLR (Wholesale Line Rental)? In which case, they wouldn’t be able to provide any new services, generally

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I did say that, but as one of the other regular posters (sorry I've forgotten who) said, where Sky have LLU MPF (Metallic Path Facility) in the exchange, and the phone service isn't PSTN then I'm not so sure.

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@RoyB wrote:
Assuming Sky will offer SOGEA to new customers who can’t have FTTP, or their business model will

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They have already been using it for a while, their phone services have been VoIP for some time.

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@RoyB wrote:
Interesting times…

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You can say that again.