O2 replace Business & Ultimate with a Pro product

[NewsreadeR]

O2 have made some changes to their broadband product, further to the VAT reduced prices O2 released a couple of weeks ago.
These changes form part of O2's intention to build on the amazing success they have had with broadband over the past year, growing from zero to becoming an award winning broadband provider renowned for download speeds and excellent customer service.
The full changes are highlighted in the grid below but the key highlights are as follows:

• O2 will no longer be offering a specific Business Broadband Product. The business section on broadband.o2.co.uk/ has been removed to reflect this
• This has been replaced by a consumer facing Pro product that comes with an enhanced wireless router
• This enhanced package also replaces the existing "Ultimate" package
• The Premium product now has a 20MB max download speed

** Existing customers maintain 3 licenses.

These changes are effective as from today.

[Saturday]

That's an interesting move. I hope the "Prioritised Customer Service" that Pro now gets doesn't degrade the excellent service that all customers currently experience.

So, for an extra £88.08 a year over Premium, a Pro customer gets a higher upload speed, some sort of priority service, a static IP if you want it and an N wireless router. BUT, the maximum downstream sync is 20meg not 24 as was. I wonder what they'll do to those lucky few who got over 20meg with the old Ultimate?

Another point of note is that to get the O2 customer discount you now have to have a contract mobile as PAYG won't qualify. Presumably existing PAYG customers will have their BB contract honoured?

Thinking about it, there may be some good news hidden here. If O2 were thinking about putting their prices up then this would be the time to do it. They haven't (just bundled some optional charges into Pro) so I'd guess we won't be seeing a price increase in the near future. Here's hoping

[Undecided adrian]

It looks like that any price increase has been factored into the Premium and Pro packages.

My dad used my o2 PAYG phone today to order his o2 broadband (lucky beggar could get the full 20 meg sec on ultimate and only wants standard) and he got the current discount.

Although he said the o2 people on the phone were saying that free installation deal was showing up as expiring at the end of December so it could be that also o2 is set to end free connections (unless you go for the big package). Or that the 2009 pricing isn't on their system yet.

[Saturday]

Originally Posted by Undecided adrian

It looks like that any price increase has been factored into the Premium and Pro packages.

I don't think so - Premium is unchanged in price but Pro now has the optional fixed IP bundled in (was £15 + £5, now £17.13). If you wanted the fixed IP (and most Ultimate customers do apparently) then it is now £2.87 cheaper, if not then it has gone up by £2.13 - though you get several other extras bundled in too.

[Saturday]

After doing a bit of digging around I found this:

And on those rare occasions we can't get you going again over the phone, with our inclusive Prioritised Customer Service we will send an engineer to your site the next day* at a time that suits to help get you back online. Our engineers will check your PC set-up and broadband equipment and will replace any faulty O2 Home Broadband equipment that day.

So, the prioritized service looks to be more than just marketing hype and has real substance. The new Pro product is looking to be rather good value for money.

Also, the O2 website has been amended to say that PAYG customers are eligible for a discount after all - guess they had a change of mind or made a mistake.

Good news all round I'd say

[Mike8]

I note that the Premium product has now been changed from up to 16Mb to up to 20Mb. Yet O2 don't seem to have uncapped existing customers who could achieve in excess of the 16Mb speed. Should we prod them individually. I mean that those who can sustain higher than 16Mb with DLM prior to tariff capping.

[Saturday]

I've read elsewhere that O2 will uncap existing Premium customers to 20meg when asked. However, I've also read that they ask for a new 12 month contract before doing so. I haven't seen any official confirmation of this though.

If you're lucky enough to be in this position then a quick phone call should be all it takes to find out.

[Undecided adrian]

They'll proably try and sell you the Pro package at the same time, look you get a free static IP and it's not that much extra.....

Although the faster upload on pro is tempting even though I won';t get much more in download speed.

[phillai]

Some more here from top 10 broadband website...

Broadband » Broadband News Special report: New broadband bundles unveiled by O2

New broadband packages have been unveiled by O2 as it reacts to demand for faster connection speeds at reduced prices.

O2 has revamped its home broadband packages with the introduction of a cut price deal offering download speeds of up 20Mb and unlimited usage and a new package aimed at heavy internet users, as it responds to Virgin Media’s launch of its much-hyped 50Mb service.

Under the terms of the Home Broadband Premium, O2 mobile phone customers pay £9.79 per month, which entitles them to an unlimited usage allowance, download speeds of up to 20Mb and 24/7 UK customer service. Non-O2 mobile customers, meanwhile, pay £14.68 per month for the service. Both prices are adjusted to take into account the recent VAT cut and are likely to revert to £10 and £15 once this temporary government measure is waived.

O2’s other new offering the Home Broadband Pro deal is courting a less casual user and according to the provider is aimed at “heavy consumer internet users and small businesses”. The service’s USP is that it includes O2’s enhanced router which employs new wireless 802.11n technology to deliver improved performance, better coverage and is more reliable than standard routers.

Customers who sign up for the deal get download speeds of up to 20Mb, upload speeds of up to 2.5Mb and unlimited usage. They also benefit from prioritised 24/7 UK-based customer service as well as the option to take a free static IP address, for which there is no extra charge. O2 mobile customers who sign up for the Home Broadband Pro package pay £17.13 per month, while non-O2 customers pay £22.02.

The network is also offering its existing broadband subscriber base the chance to upgrade to either package by signing a new 12-month contract.

O2’s new packages have been unveiled just days after Virgin Media launched its 50Mb service. By offering download speeds of up to 20Mb but a price five times cheaper than Virgin Media’s package, O2’s deals will be attractive to those who need a faster connection and unlimited but may baulk at the £51 per month outlay for the 50Mb service.

Peter Rampling, marketing director at O2, said: “And with the new broadband services providing even better value, speed and service we think both new and existing customers are going to love them even more.”

O2 recently scooped the awards for ‘Best for Customer Satisfaction’ and ‘Fastest Broadband‘ from Top 10 Broadband.

[Steeley_96]

I think it's a good move by O2. Those prices across the packages all look good value for money in my opinion.