looks like all the focus over the next few months is likely to be on Tiscali rolling out HC services on its unbundled network to compete with BT, Sky etc...

That means NO HDTV, Interactivity or decent new channels
in the near future.

Time to try and get permission for a dish me thinks

Actually, I think new channels is now something which'll happen sooner rather than later now.

Tiscali have more 'clout' than Homechoice did with 1.2m customers already. Ok, so probably most of those are not yet on their LLU network so they wont be able to get the TV service, but when Tiscali launch it, I can see them wanted to market this as a serious alternative to Cable and Sky - and the only way they can do that if by having all the 'basic' channels expected on offer.

I have to say that I think that we've got much more chance of Sky and Flexitech signing up with Tiscali (that name is going to take some getting used to) but I can't see HD arriving any time soon...

Tiscali have a major, major problem with people 'overusing' their 'unlimited' connections as well, as little as 300MB in a day at the wrong time and people get throttled to death.

Hopefully they won't introduce that concept to the Homechoice service!

Oh man, that sounds really grim... I use my connection a lot and Homechoice don't impose much of a limit.

We may or may not get HDTV sooner or later. Tiscali could roll out the a new STB with all the new features. Then again they may not.

Its all pointless speculation until Tiscali make a solid announcement.

Kind of makes for a dull forum if we don't talk about anything though

Misserable weather wer'e having at the mo.

So who's going to win the premiership then?

i wonder how tiscali will be able to throttle the service without affecting the vod? if they have not thought it through results could be disastrous

Given the HC are deemed as Premium customers, they wouldn't have to.
It would only apply to the riff-raff broadband-only customers..

Extremely easily sir. Think about how Homechoice nail up bandwidth on the line for video, so that internet usage cannot affect it. Then imagine that being left along while the internet usage is throttled further along the chain.


Who says that HC are deemed 'Premium' customers? I'd hazard a guess that Tiscali's broadband only riffraff is more profitable to it per customer than HC's 'Premium' customers are to them.

Tiscali broadband is £15 a month, a couple of quid more buys TV from Homechoice as well as unlimited, properly unlimited (because they can't measure bandwidth usage according to technical support) broadband.

As you rightly said it's all speculation at present so commenting on anything as being fact may not be wise. Tiscali may not even want the current Homechoice user base if they don't see how they can make a profit from the current packages. We just don't know.
Last edited by BBRealist : 14-08-2006 at 23:54

As you rightly said it's all speculation at present so commenting on anything as being fact may not be wise. Tiscali may not even want the current Homechoice user base if they don't see how they can make a profit from the current packages. We just don't know.

i would go along with that in part but still think there are potential issues which may have not been thought through

More rumour...

Tiscali to drop Homechoice brand
Source: mad.co.uk | Author: Jim Butcher | Published: 15 August 2006 09:00

Tiscali, the Italian internet firm, is to axe the Home Choice brand as it embarks on a review of its UK advertising business ahead of a relaunch later this year.

Mary Turner, the chief executive of Tiscali UK, has revealed that a branding and advertising review is underway and that the Home Choice branding would either be downgraded, using a moniker such as "powered by Home Choice", or ditched altogether.

"If you look at Home Choice, it is mainly a London brand,” she said. “Tiscali is national with 12 to 15 per cent of market share.”

Turner added that “no final decision has been made” but that in terms of branding Tiscali was “the higher, more well-known brand name”.

A full review of Tiscali’s advertising and marketing will be conducted later this year. Mortimer Whittaker O’Sullivan developed the firm’s last full-scale national TV and radio advertising campaign in April.

And
Tiscali UK will market these IPTV services. Its strategy will also be to enhance its current wholesale DSL product by adding IPTV to the proposition and syndicating this on a 'white label' basis.
http://www.convergedigest.com/iptv/i...e.asp?ID=19101

Tiscali wants to become a quad player

Richard Wray
Tuesday August 15, 2006
The Guardian

Tiscali, the internet service provider which, over the weekend, bought British broadband TV company Homechoice, is understood to have held talks with four of the five UK mobile phone networks - 3, O2, T-Mobile and Vodafone - to add a mobile phone product to its portfolio.

The move would turn Tiscali into a provider of "quad-play" services to rival the merged NTL/Virgin Mobile, although probably not until next year.

A deal is most likely with 3, as the other networks have their own plans for broadband. Vodafone is locked in talks with BT and Cable & Wireless over a wholesale broadband deal.
http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1844612,00.html

http://business.timesonline.co.uk/ar...313147,00.html

Ha ha. 3 sounds about Tiscali's level.

Barge pole...

Yeah, thats what I thought, a virtulization service like Virgin would be better. After all 3 use o2 for its 2G network. Personally, I want to get a decent 3G phone with a subsidy, soonish. Mobile companies will be chargeing full whack for phones in the near future.

Media Guardian -

Italy is seen as a particularly ripe market, as Ms Turner said, because there are no cable services and Sky does not enjoy the dominance it has any many other markets.

The company also plans to syndicate the internet TV platform and content to other providers as a "white label" service.

Analysts yesterday questioned the logic of a deal under which see a company in Tiscali’s financial position would merge with a business that had been facing funding difficulties.

Tiscali’s position was further undermined yesterday when Vodafone, the world’s biggest mobile player, denied that it was contemplating the mobile joint venture. A spokesman said that it was “news to us”, with sources close to the company dismissing Tiscali’s claims as an attempt to boost its credibility.

Mary Turner, chief executive of Tiscali UK, said: “We are talking to mobile players (including) Vodafone and 3 and we exploring our options.”
Last edited by flashdisk : 15-08-2006 at 12:13

The problem is that HC's broadband has always been very good - my biggest worry is the quality of this going down to Tiscali's level once they've got their claws in...

Up until now I havn't been too bothered about what might become of Homechoice and my service... But if Tiscally joins forces with 3 then I am running as fast as I can!

This is the one company I can honestly say I HATE WITH GREAT PRIDE AND CONVICTION! -

HDTV will not happen until ADSL2 does. HDTV takes up about 8mb of a line, therefore even if you lived in the exchange you'd be unlikely to bew able to get it!

Further: if you assume your son wants to download illegal music while you're watching the HDTV news, you'd be looking at 8+4=12Mbps, say. These figures show that the maximum wire length for that kind of throughput is still much under 3000m, meaning you'll still need to live pretty close to the exchange.

In fact, only when you live practically round the corner from the exchange (<2000m copper distance) will ADSL2+ be fun.

I think the figure is 6-8Mb for HDTV, its very variable. As well as those figures, the average houshold distance-to-exchange should be taken into account. AFAIR about 66% of UK housholds will get 12mbit+

So, let me get this straight, will people that aren't currently in the HomeChoice area be able to recieve it soon because of Tiscali?