Questions for Blink Broadband

 

 

Introduction

 

The Trinidad and Tobago Computer Society will be speaking with:

Joseph P. Herde, Head of Broadband Marketing and Sales for TSTT

at a TTCS Meeting on:

 

Date: Thursday October 18th, 2007

Time: 6-8pm 

Venue: TSTT offices, #116 Edward Street, Port of Spain

 

regarding TSTT’s broadband ADSL2+ service called: "Blink Broadband"

 

Space is limited for this meeting.

Persons interested in attending this meeting are asked to "register"

for it by sending an email to admin@ttcsweb.org with the subject line:

"want to attend meeting with TSTT"

and your full name and a contact telephone number.

 

Registration for the meeting is now closed.  However, you can still:

 

Login to this wiki and add your questions and/or comments for TSTT to the relevant section of the list:

 

- technical

- IPTV and VoIP

- customer support/billing issues

- general

- comments

 

Suitable questions will be collected and used at the meeting on the 18th October 2007.

 

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Technical

 

Has TSTT fixed its Domain Name Servers as yet?

 

Will existing TSTT ADSL modems work with the new service?

If existing TSTT ADSL modems need to be replaced, will TSTT do the replacement for free? or will customers have to pay for a new modem?

 

What changes/modifications (if any) would have to be made to existing ADSL modems to receive Blink service?

Can existing ADSL customers make these changes/modifications themselves or would they have to return the ADSL modems to TSTT?

 

Does the service require new wiring at the customer premises?

If yes, what sort of new wiring?

If yes, who is responsible for installing the new wiring: the customer or TSTT?

 

What should customers do to prepare their premises for the service?

 

What should customers do to prepare their computers for the service?

 

What sort of ADSL modems (e.g. brand, model, capabilities, etc) will TSTT be providing to blink customers?

 

If a customer chooses to "self-install", apart from the modem, what will they receive from TSTT (e.g documentation/instructions, cables, etc)?

 

How many microfilters/ADSL filters will TSTT supply to customers who choose to "self-install"?

 

Can I use my own/additional microfilters/ADSL filters with blink service?

 

Can I use my own hardware/software firewall with blink service?

 

What are the differences between the current ADSL implementation and ADSL 2+?

 

What are the distance limitations for ADSL 2+?

 

What are the advantages of ADSL 2+?

 

How many subscribers can the "new" blink platform accomadate? 

 

What is the current amount of customers targeted for the capacity of Blink Broadband?

 

Would having more customers online cause less throughput for each Blink customer?

 

What child protection software does blink recommend for use with its service?

 

Will there be any child protection software packaged with the blink install cd? (vaughn)

 

Why are the upload speeds so low? (the only one suited for hosting a game server is the 10mb/768k) Is that a marketing tactic to force customers interested in hosting their own servers to take that package? (vaughn)

 

Low latency is a must for many services and sub 100ms pings are a must for gamers. Is the blink network designed with this in mind ?(vaughn)

 

Currently the best pings attainable on the current adsl service from Trinidad to US servers are between 90ms - 120ms (not that good) for Florida and Atlanta ip address, will Blink improve upon this? (vaughn)

 

 

 

IPTV and VoIP

 

Is TSTT still planning to offer "triple play" service?

If yes, when will the television component be available?

What sort of equipment will the television component require?

Will it work with the existing phone lines or will TSTT be running new cables?

Will customers be able to use voice calls, internet and television at the same time or only one at a time?

 

What is the expected image quality of your iptv service? (vaughn)

 

Would your iptv service support HDMI connections and 1080p resolutions? (vaughn)

 

When would Blink start offering VoIP?

If yes, who would be able to participate in the VoIP?

What additional software/hardware would be needed for VoIP, if any?

Would there be an additional cost for QoS for VoIP?

Would only local calls be applicable to VoIP?

Would VoIP be only to local landlines or local mobiles?

What about calls to the other networks?

What about international calls?

 

 

Customer Support/Billing Issues

 

Will exisiting ADSL customers (those still on contract) in areas without blink get a reduction in rates for their current 256K service?

 

Would existing 256K HSIA customers be able to break their contract without penalties in order to subscribe for Blink?

 

Will exisiting (non-blink) ADSL customers in areas with blink be displaced to make room for blink customers?

 

Will ALL existing (non-blink) ADSL customers be automatically switched to blink (e.g. the slowest/256K package) or will they have to specifically request it?

 

What is the policy for redress/rebate/compensation when Blink customers suffer outages/lack of service that are the fault of TSTT?

 

Can I get a pure data/ADSL service on the phone line with no voice service?

 

The blink "pricing" page (http://www.blinkbroadband.tt/Packages.html) states that "Smartchoice discounts do not apply". Does this mean: Does not apply for installation of blink? Does not apply for (monthly) blink service?  Or both?

 

The blink "pricing" page (http://www.blinkbroadband.tt/Packages.html) states that the "Term Discounts" include "free modem & installation" yet the online sign-up page for both business and residential service states:

An additional $402.00 (Vat inclusive) modem installation charge will be applied if a technician's visit is required to install the DSL modem / router.

Which one is correct?

 

Will customers be able to sign up at a TSTT customer service center and collect their modems on the spot or will sign up be strictly online?

 

The telephone number to get information on Blink Broadband seems not to be a toll free one (62-BLINK). Is this also the tech support line? Will I have to pay a toll to be on hold with tech support, or even get some info on the product?

 

With blink broadband pricing lower than unlimited dialup, will dialup pricing be reduced?

 

With blink broadband pricing lower than GPRS, will GPRS pricing be reduced?

 

With blink broadband pricing lower than 3G, will 3G pricing be reduced?

 

"Blink Broadband" speeds are faster than 3G. Will 3G uses get a discount or upgrade?

 

Would there be discounted packages for special interest groups/communities e.g. gamers (vaughn)

 

If my phone line is down will I still be charged for "Blink Broadband" as with present DSL service?

 

Will TSTT offer a discount for present Dial Up customers, expecially in areas where TSTT told customers that DSL nor 3G was available, thereby forcing them to take Dial Up, particularly in locations where this was not the case?

 

Will TSTT make any offer to persons with GPRS service, expecially in areas where TSTT told customers that DSL nor 3G was available, thereby forcing them to take GPRS, particularly in locations where this was not the case?

 

Will TSTT be training the tech support staff to be more competent with the new "Blink Broadband?"

 

Has TSTT prepared its tech support for this new service? or will customers have to endure continuous busy signals like they do now?

 

When the dsl goes down, what is the support matrix for BUSINESS users? im currently a dsl business user and our company's dsl bill to tstt for multiple sites per month runs to approximately $18,000 ($TT), yet tstt goes through pains to explain that dsl service is unmonitored and essentially unsupported and as such we are at tstt's mercy when it comes to getting problems addressed. Will this be different with BLINK, or is it simply "blink to hoodwink?"

 

 

 

General

 

How long will the "promotional pricing" last?

 

Will the price increase soon after the "introductory offer?"

 

Why does TSTT continue to lock customers into contracts?

 

Where did TSTT get the name "blink"?

 

Will TSTT continue to offer dial-up services?

 

Is this a move to force competition out of the market by price competition?

 

Will TSTT support still not answer my queries about why the new "Blink Broadband" is not performing at the promised speed as what they do with the present DSL and 3G service?

 

Will something finally be done to improve DSL, GPRS and mostly 3G service in St. Augustine, and also the way tech support seems to not know anything of these problems?

 

(rij) Is Blink operational anywhere currently or is this more TSTT vapour like the promise of EVDO Internet made in late 2005?

 

 

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