SUPPORT - FAQs

No.  LineBroker does not own any national infrastructure and is not tied to any one provide

No.  Although a Virtual ISP has no infrastructure they are tied into a business relationship with a single real ISP.  In order to offer best advice and best price LineBroker is independent of all ISP’s.

A VNO normally has a business relationship with a single real network provider and can only offer the same limited set of services.  LineBroker sets out to have relationships with ALL UK network providers covering ALL technologies.  Based on your individual business requirements we will select from them the best technology at the best price.

There are many service providers competing on price and/or multiplay services (bundled TV, voice call plans etc.).  These are mostly consumer focussed so even where they claim to offer business services the service bundle is often designed to appeal to micro businesses.  LineBroker ADSL services include single channel and multi channel bonded services designed exclusively to provide business Internet connectivity using the best available technology at any given location.  Price is important but always secondary to service.

In the single channel ADSL market there are many such services but LineBroker is not one of them.  Once you move up from vanilla single channel ADSL then the LineBroker service will add real value.  LineBroker will advise on the most appropriate technology for a given business requirement and location then present a range of choices at different price points, often using different technologies.

This will vary from a few hours for broadband services to several days for fibre Ethernet.  The broadband services usually have a national tariff so it is all about checking who and what is available at your location.  For EFM & fibre services LineBroker has to contact multiple service providers and network aggregators for pricing and availability then chase up the slow responders to ensure we have the complete picture.

LineBroker is the trading name of the circuits business of X.Communications Limited and provides all forms of Internet connectivity and private networks.  X.COMM is a well established systems integrator specialising in remote access, network boundary security and Web/Email filtering.  Internet connectivity has been a growing part of the X.COMM business for many years and has now been focussed under the LineBroker brand.

Like any Broker LineBroker makes a margin on the products it sells.  All of our suppliers quote us with trade prices then LineBroker adds a small margin when quoting the end user.  The margin is uniformly applied so we are not driven to specific partners because they offer bigger discounts or promotional pricing.  Any special pricing offered to LineBroker is passed on directly.

Once you have agreed the LineBroker quotation meets your business requirements you simply need to send a Purchase Order by fax to 01883 730057 or email to sales@LineBroker.co.uk

If you are a new customer please include your company number so that we can be sure we are looking at the correct business with our credit checking agency. LineBroker will acknowledge your PO within 24 hours and confirm the payment terms. We will then provide you with regular progress reports throughout the provisioning cycle.

The most significant factor is your choice of technology followed by the efficiency of the back-end network provider. A simple ADSL order takes few days but a fibre Ethernet order might be a minimum of thee months plus third party delays. Technology specific lead times can be found in the Technology Comparison.

This only applies to fibre Ethernet services and means that all orders are provisional until the survey confirms everything is in order and there are no additional construction charges.

Typically 2-3 weeks after the initial order an engineer (usually BT Openreach) will visit your premises.  He will see if there is already unused fibre coming into your building and how far it is from where you want the Router.  In a multi-tenanted building the fibre probably terminates in the basement and needs to be run to your comms rack.  For many premises there is a fair chance there is no fibre to the building and this may, in the worst case, require some road digging with the attendant issues of wayleave and traffic control.  Any of these scenarios can lead to excess construction charges.  LineBroker will inform you of any such charges at the earliest opportunity at which point you can raise the paperwork to cover the additional cost or cancel the order with nothing to pay.  If the excess construction charges for fibre are unacceptable then LineBroker will advise on alternative technologies such as EFM.

The survey will also check the overall fibre length from your premises to the nearest POP (Point of Presence) of the chosen network provider.  Most fibre services are delivered on a BT EAD bearer circuit.  The provisional order will only be accepted if the radial distance from your premises to the POP is 25Km or less.  The survey will only pass if the actual fibre length is within 40Km.  If the distance is greater than that BT will simply cancel the order.  No fees will be payable but we have to start over again with fresh quotations and recommend an alternative (and possibly more expensive) network provider.

ADSL has national pricing (subject to availability at your exchange) so the main variable is speed and this is primarily determined by distance from exchange. FTTC similarly has national pricing but it is distance to the street cabinet that determines speed.

EFM has a foot in both camps. Easynet offer guaranteed speed (subject to a maximum distance from exchange) with national pricing. TTB offer two national tariffs (2 pair and 4 pair) with speed determined by distance from exchange. BT vary both the speed and cost based on distance from exchange.

Leased lines & fibre Ethernet deliver the speed you order but the cost can be up to 5 times greater at a rural "off net" location compared to an urban "on net" location.

As they say in retail "what matters is Location, Location, Location".

Simply ask LineBroker or call us on 01883 770 352

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