BT takes IDNet down

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Read more! No-one else seems to have reported it, so I will. Last night, just before 8pm, IDnet, which serves a considerable number of homes and businesses around the country, went kerflump.

This blog post can be read at 5tth.blogspot.com



Last night, after trying several different routers, I for one was damned glad to have an ISP who answer their phone at 10pm on a Sunday eve. "Yep, we're all down. It's something to do with BT Central, and no time is yet being given for restoration of services." So, early night then as unable to work. (Oh yes, that'll be because the mobile coverage in this rural area isn't sufficient to make mobile broadband an option, and there is no 3G here, whatever the coverage maps say, nor is it possible to have a second broadband line to the office as...yep, you've guessed it, no spare lines in the village!).

This morning, the system is back up and working and the idnet network status messages read as follows:

"2010-10-10 20:21: Both our Primary and Backup Broadband links into BT are currently down. BT are aware of the failure and are investigating. We do not as yet have a time estimate from them for a fix. We will provide an update as soon as we get one."

"2010-10-11 01:46: Service has now been restored. We are demanding a full explanation from BT.
2010-10-10 23:59: BT confirm both circuits tested OK. They are now diagnosing their internal network routing.
2010-10-10 22:18: BT now have engineers onsite in the Exchange diagnosing the problem."

But better is yet to come.

"2010-10-11 08:10: BT have admitted that someone removed the configuration for our circuits yesterday. We and (sic) demanded that they investigate why this happened, what safeguards will now be put in place to ensure that it can't happen again and why it took them so long to resolve the issue."

I don't know exactly how many customers idnet serve, but if it hadn't been a Sunday night, no doubt there would be others reporting the outage, including Govt agencies looking at that link above.

I look forward to the explanation from BT. And it clearly highlights how no country should rely on a private company that could prove to be the single point of failure.
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Old boys' network and UK broadband

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Read more! Very interesting side of the debate succinctly delivered on PC Pro by Barry Collins. Read it for yourself and comment.

Several of us have discussed it here and think that some of the comments recently from various sources indicate one and the same thing - it is time for some honesty in the debate, and for consumers to be properly represented at all levels of the debate. (Which is what we have been trying to do for years, with varying degrees of success).

If it means putting some of the cards on the table about agendas - hidden and otherise - then so be it.

The consumers, the people in the HOMES that need to be connected, are already voicing their opinions in many different forums, on blogs, Twitter, and offline in the media, pubs, in offices, homes, and on street corners. It is time for those voices not just to be heard, but to actually be listened to, and their opinions and ideas to be acted upon for the greater good of UK Plc, not to further careers or satisfy shareholders.

Note: Soz, had a bimbo moment and put the wrong link to the article first time round and accredited it wrongly. Apologies, Barry! Read more!