RCN: real or hype?
Racer X
Dale Smoak (da...@shore.net) wrote:
: So, is RCN serving anyone's community with anything yet? They've
: turned the hype machine up, but do they have services yet or are they
: just making noise?
I assume you mean the new local telco, and I can confirm that they are
actually selling services. A friend of mine just obtained local phone
service from them and says he is satisfied so far.
shag
--
Judd Bourgeois PGP key ID 0xEDC21CA1
sha...@world.std.com 25DDE4AF C5AFEF51 6905DC77 360F0387
The first duty of a revolutionary is to get away with it.
-- Abbie Hoffman
Dale Smoak
So, is RCN serving anyone's community with anything yet? They've
turned the hype machine up, but do they have services yet or are they
just making noise?
Their web page offers both an 800 number and an email address where
you can ask what's available in your area, but I dunno, I don't think
I know anyone who is using them for anything, and I don't really want
to give them my phone number or email address without knowing
something concrete about them.
So, are they in the services business yet, or just the advertising
business?
--
Dale Smoak | da...@shore.net
| http://www.shore.net/~dales/
joel wright
Dale Smoak (da...@shore.net) wrote:
: So, is RCN serving anyone's community with anything yet? They've
: turned the hype machine up, but do they have services yet or are they
: just making noise?
I called to see if RCN had services available in my area. They
had exaclty the same services as offered by NYNEX (local and
long distance telephone service). They did not offer cable
access and internet access was analog dialup, no ISDN.
They did offer a 5% discount over NYNEX, which did not make
RCN worth changing numbers and such for me....
I'd just like to see ISDN for less than the NYNEX quote of
~$280.00 install and ~$60.00 a month....yikes!
--
-joel wright
-j...@world.std.com
-Sutton, Massachusettes USA
Matthew Roth
Here's my 2 cents...
In most areas RCN just appears to resell NYNEX services at a bulk rate.
In Mass. they will give you 7.5 percent off if you ask, otherwise they
will offer you a 5 percent discount. However, they have wired some
high rise buildings in Boston (and NY?) with fiber (not sure if it is
to the curb or to the actual apartment). In those cases you get true
RCN phone service switch/number. If you fall in the first catagory,
you remain off NYNEX central offices and retain your old phone number.
RCN keeps telling me that in those fiber equiped builds (Usually
nice high priced complexes - 1079 Commonwealth Ave is one) that you
are services off an RCN c/o, yet no one at RCN can tell me what type
of switch it is...Lucent 5E or DMS 100, or anything. Makes me wonder
if they really are running their own c/o?
Any one esle know for sure?
Eric Ding
sha...@world.std.com (Racer X) writes:
> Dale Smoak (da...@shore.net) wrote:
> : So, is RCN serving anyone's community with anything yet? They've
> : turned the hype machine up, but do they have services yet or are they
> : just making noise?
>
> I assume you mean the new local telco, and I can confirm that they are
> actually selling services. A friend of mine just obtained local phone
> service from them and says he is satisfied so far.
I've just switched to RCN for local and ld service, and they've been very
good about setting it up so far. As I understand it, they're currently
simply reselling Nynex services, until they get their own network and such
set up in the Boston area, which they tell me will take a year or so
yet... but hey, it's an automatic 5% off my Nynex bill, with no switches of
phone numbers or anything, I'm not complaining.
Not sure when their Internet stuff will come on-line.
Eric
--
Software Development Engineer / eric...@applix.com <><
Applix, Inc. / 112 Turnpike Road / Westboro MA 01581-2842
TEL: (508) 870-0300 x284 / FAX: (508) 366-4873
Insomniac
What I have to wonder is what RCN has been busy doing for the last year? I
happened to do a little work for them on the cable-modem side of things at
their Boylston Street office probably 10 months ago. Their office was
large and appeared worn-in. It did not have the appearance of an office of
a company that was not open for business.
Maybe I'm just being silly but I rarely notice companies that have a
large number of employees and prestigious office address and management in
place that are literally "not open" for as long as RCN has been.
--
Edward S. Lewis Systems Administrator
edl...@bos.vicorp.com Vicorp Interactive Systems, Inc.
617.425.2125 399 Boylston Street
http://www.vicorp.com Boston, MA 02116-3305
Eric Ding <eric...@applix.com> wrote:
Shawn Lewis
Racer X wrote in article ...
>Dale Smoak (da...@shore.net) wrote:
>: So, is RCN serving anyone's community with anything yet? They've
>: turned the hype machine up, but do they have services yet or are they
>: just making noise?
>
>I assume you mean the new local telco, and I can confirm that they are
>actually selling services. A friend of mine just obtained local phone
>service from them and says he is satisfied so far.
>
>shag
>--
Well let me comment if I can.
RCN is a facilities based carrier yes. RCN ONLY services TRUE dial tone
from there switch to buildings in which they light. (Which is currently only
3
that have RCN phone service) RCN is a subsidiary of CTEC corporation.
Which was also a sister to MFS. very incestuous. The phone service
shag is talking about is called wholesale. IE: like us, I can change any
one your lines to XCOM telephone. But instead of only giving a 5% discount
we give 10. But the truth is - ITS NYNEX, just NYNEX sends me a discounted
bill, and I then bill you.
I know RCN in and out, my signifigant other used to work there, and I have
some business dealing with them as well. They come from cable
background, with "no clue" to telephone, but they are learning.. I have
always told there "Executives", RCN could be the biggest competitor
around, but you first have to learn how to operate that switch.
I'm not knocking them, they're just clueless and out of touch for the
time being. RCN will most definitely be a very good competitor
when Local Number Portability comes around, but for now they can
only service dialtone in 8 towns. (I must say that XCOM can service
52) But that won't be until June of next year.
I do like the fact that they are spending the money to educate the
public about the telephone deregulation, but I'll be honest, I would
never market the residential segment yet. Ask the simple
question, would you switch your phone service for $2.00 savings.
Who do you call for repair... not nynex... you call them, they call nynex.
gets to be a run around... I would sit tight until you can actually get what
they call "unbundled" loops to your house. At that point, they are
truly servicing you the dialtone.
The new "Bell North" is having a real shaky start as well..
my .02
shawn
sle...@xcom.net
Ron Newman
In article <5sfedn$9...@news-central.tiac.net>, Insomniac
<inso...@shell1.tiac.net> wrote:
> What I have to wonder is what RCN has been busy doing for the last year? I
> happened to do a little work for them on the cable-modem side of things at
> their Boylston Street office probably 10 months ago. Their office was
> large and appeared worn-in. It did not have the appearance of an office of
> a company that was not open for business
That office must cost a fortune. They are taking up two prime retail
storefronts on Boston second-most prestigious shopping street
(Boylston Street).
--
Ron Newman rne...@thecia.net
http://www2.thecia.net/users/rnewman/