Connectivity / Broadband users ‘left in limbo’ as switch problems add to connectivity chaos
However there is progress on the horizon after repair ship Cable Vigilance left Calais this afternoon
SOME people in Shetland have been unable to move away from broadband providers affected by the recent subsea cable damage because of an apparent Openreach switching issue – compounding the digital dismay.
Connectivity woes are continuing for those in Shetland who have now been without broadband for more than two weeks.
To compound matters Openreach, which oversees the network infrastructure, appears to have confirmed there are issues with switching some customers away from affected providers.
A couple of people, for example, told Shetland News they were due to switch providers – to EE and Plusnet respectively – on 9 October but at the time of writing they are still waiting.
They were both told that the issue lay with Openreach.
Sharon Moncrieff said she has been “left in limbo” as result.
She filed a formal complaint to EE and Openreach after a “simple switch of provider turned into an epic saga”, with numerous calls made to customer services.
A survey was completed on the damage section of the SHEFA-2 cable off Orkney earlier this week, and on Friday its owner Faroese Telecom confirmed that the services should be restored on Saturday (25 October).
The repair vessel Cable Vigilance left Calais this afternoon (Monday) to head to the waters off Orkney.
It was back on Friday 3 October when customers of providers such as Vodafone, Sky, TalkTalk and Utility Warehouse lost broadband following the damage to cable in shallow waters.
It echoed similar disruption in July and August when a different part of the cable network was damaged by a fishing vessel.
Some other providers, such as BT, are unaffected as they can access back-up cable.
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The response from affected broadband providers has left some disappointed and disillusioned, with some companies – initially at least – giving out incorrect estimated repair dates, or simply being unaware of the issue.
But there appears to be a wider problem emerging with some people who have organised switches to unaffected providers amid the disruption.
Shetland News contacted Openreach last week about the matter, but the company passed the request onto the BT Group.
A spokesperson said BT Group invested in a back-up cable solution, but this has lower capacity – meaning adding new connections are complex and take longer than they usually would.
They added that the company is processing orders from customers who want to move from other providers to BT, and that it is working hard to get these new customers connected as soon as possible.
But the company said it cannot yet guarantee timescales.
However, Openreach did respond to a concerned broadband user from Shetland saying its network is linked to the “main undersea cable that’s faulty – this is why we can’t progress the orders that have been placed”.
“It will just cause more issues, which we want to avoid,” the Openreach representative said.
They also said the repair to the cable is “extremely complex”.
Openreach also said it is working closely with the repair team, and will provide updates.
It is a varying picture, however, with some reporting that their switch has gone through – but many others still waiting.
But there have also been questions over whether internet providers were made aware of the issues with switching.
Meanwhile there are suggestions that some customers have been left in limbo due to poor communications between the relevent parties involved in switching.
This is something that regulator Ofcom aimed to avoid through its ‘One Touch Switch’ scheme, which sees customers only having to contact their new provider – who would then manage the switch.
The situation has led to some to stump more money to get satellite broadband, such as through Elon Musk’s Starlink.
Vodafone appears to have sent out some free 4G hotspot routers to customers in Shetland, but there are already reports of them not working.
The company said it would put people on a rolling contract for these routers, which were arranged without any notice from Vodafone, with 30 days of free data included.
However terms of the plan seem to show a data limit of just 250MB, and that it will eventually cost £3 a month.
Meanwhile there has been something of a double whammy for those without broadband who are unable to receive 4G data signal on their mobile, or have poor signal.
Vodafone, however, is claiming some improvements on the 4G front.
After reports of super-fast 4G speeds being experienced in Eshaness, Shetland News contacted the company for an update last month.
It claimed it had made “significant progress towards improving residents’ connectivity” in Shetland over the last few months.
It pointed to network sharing on parts of the islands, which enables Vodafone and Three customers to automatically use each other’s networks.
Vodafone also claimed it had “dramatically improved” 4G coverage in Lerwick via the upgrade of its 2G police tower mast site “that now offers both low band and high band 4G service for our customers”.
Shetland News parked near to the police station the day after receiving the response from the mobile company, but received no 4G signal on a Vodafone phone.
However, in correspondence with Northern Isles MP Alistair Carmichael, Vodafone admitted there has been “intermittent issues” near the police station – “but nothing that would dramatically impact the connectivity boost it has delivered”.
The company added: “We recognise there are still challenges on Commercial St but the coverage situation in Lerwick has improved recently.
“We also have investment on the way due to the merger [with Three] which will add much needed capacity to our existing sites.
“VM02, who operate our shared sites in Shetland, are also investigating new sites to boost coverage further.”
Carmichael, along with Shetland MSP Beatrice Wishart, have invited the Scottish Government, regulator Ofcom and internet providers to a summit on communications resilience in Lerwick on 21 November.
In their invitation letter, the two Lib Dem politicians said telecommunications resilience is a “basic requirement” in 2025.
“That is why we are convening a meeting with telecommunications providers and representatives of Ofcom and the UK and Scottish governments, in order to determine how meaningful, long-term telecommunications resilience can be achieved for the Northern Isles,” they wrote.
“All parties must play their role in improving resilience for our communities; delivering on this is vital not just to the isles but to the security and success of the United Kingdom as a whole.
“There has been significant frustration about the recent telecommunications disruption so local interest in this summit will be high – and islanders will no doubt take a keen interest in the relative levels of engagement (or lack thereof) by those who have been invited.”
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