recommend me a decent business class ISP

[timwilky]

My brother has just moved his company (http://www.garageconversion.com/gcc_offices/20.html?pid=2) into his first real business unit. Previously he simply rented a lock up unit in a warehouse.

So he wants to have internet access from his office. I only had a quick look round whilst I drove one of his vans down to the new unit, it looks as if the office has in the past been connected to a BT circuit. He tells me he pluged in a handset but recieved no tone etc. so we guess it is disconnected.

So how do we go about getting an Internet connection. To be honest he is not really bothered about a phone as he would simply want to plug in the sip phone he currently uses for business from home. That way he has numbers that link to 4 local towns.


So we have been looking round at ISPs. but unable to give them a number at present they are unable to quote. Do we have to get BT to connect the line, what ever happened to local loop unbundling etc.

We need an uncapped service of 8Mb or greater with a static ip

[TSM]

Zen is a good choice, not the cheepest but their support is very good.

If its a BT line then you will need to call them (BT) and get the line reconnected. You cant have ADSL without a connected BT phone service. Once that is done then just go to the ISP and give them the number and they will connect it.

[wyrdness]

You'd need to find out if your exchange has been unbundled and, if so, which companies can provide a LLU service.

This website should be able to tell you:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/index.php

[timwilky]

You'd need to find out if your exchange has been unbundled and, if so, which companies can provide a LLU service.

This website should be able to tell you:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/index.php

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it looks like at present there is no LLU to his local exchange (Leyland) but Carphone Warehouse are scheduled to do something end August.

Does anyone know much about the service they are offering. like no caps, no blocked ports, static ip address etc.? If so might might be worth while holding out for a couple of weeks as at present he is not yet using the office as such.

[SpankyHam]

@timwilky

Carphone warehouse ? Stay clear!!!

They cap, traffic shaping, port blocking, indian call center!


get help here (http://www.adslguide.org)

[TSM]

Most ISPs that do business ADSL stuff dont do port blocking etc...

[M65]

Had Zen here for years without any probs whatsoever. Not the cheapest, but then you gets what you pay for sometimes.

[chazzyb]

FWIW, I'd suggest BT connects the line. Apart from anything else, he can stick a fax on it. There's no arguments about whose copper it is then. Choose your ISP after that. While their customer service can be a bit smelly, the reliability of the service I've had from Demon has been good.

[wyrdness]

You'd need to find out if your exchange has been unbundled and, if so, which companies can provide a LLU service.

This website should be able to tell you:
http://www.samknows.com/broadband/index.php

Thanks for the info. Unfortunately it looks like at present there is no LLU to his local exchange (Leyland) but Carphone Warehouse are scheduled to do something end August.

Does anyone know much about the service they are offering. like no caps, no blocked ports, static ip address etc.? If so might might be worth while holding out for a couple of weeks as at present he is not yet using the office as such.

Their LLU service is called TalkTalk. They have a business web site:
http://www.talktalkbusiness.co.uk/broadband

It says no caps or restrictions, but doesn't seem to mention static IP addresses. However, I can't imagine a business broadband service not providing static IP.

I've no idea how good they are. You might be better off with a BT line and a decent ISP such as Newnet (www.netnet.co.uk)

[timwilky]

Strange you said Newnet, I was heading that way without a prompt. I had used them a few years ago to host a couple of websites for an other brothers companies and they provided me with excellent service at the time.

The cost seams good, speed look ok and most important only a 1 month tie in so if it doesn't work out, bye bye

[CheekyLemon]

Check out www.adslguide.org.uk they should be able to give you a good comparison.

Good luck in your search!

[wyrdness]

Strange you said Newnet, I was heading that way without a prompt. I had used them a few years ago to host a couple of websites for an other brothers companies and they provided me with excellent service at the time.

The cost seams good, speed look ok and most important only a 1 month tie in so if it doesn't work out, bye bye

I started using them because they were cheap. Maybe not quite the cheapest, but still good value. I've continued to use them, and recommend them, because their service and support has always been excellent.