This is a follow-up to an earlier post regarding how Bell’s new Entertainment Service works. Specifically, this post will discuss the overall bandwidth expectations a subscriber can expect. The Entertainment Service is a converged service. This means that television and Internet services are provided over a single VDSL line from Bell.
Internet speeds.
Our speedtests showed impressive numbers, delivering a consistent download speed of 20Mbit and an upload rate just shy of 8Mbit. Compared to a typical DSL service of 6Mbit x 800Kbit, this is a huge improvement, especially for upstream applications (like VoIP, VPNs, sending E-mail, etc.)
Typical ADSL speed test results
Bell Entertainment Service Speed and Bandwidth Test Results
Internet Speeds while watching (and recording) TV
Bell’s Entertainment Service uses a single VDSL line to provide a converged Internet and television service. Rather than dedicate a fixed amount of bandwidth for the television signal, Bell’s service uses dynamic bandwidth allocation that ensure your television signals are given preference over your Internet connection. This means that if you’re watching two hi-definition shows, Bell lower the speed of your Internet connection in order to meet the higher bandwidth demand of the HD signal.
So exactly what does this mean?
In our tests we found that our 20Mb speedtest results dropped by approximately 3Mb while we watched a single HD stream. A typical HD stream uses 5-7Mb, but since Bell already allocated 5Mb for TV, we “lose” about 2-3Mb while watching hi-def channels. A second HD stream dropped us by another 7Mbit. Bell says that when customers add additional TVs (up to 4), they add 5Mb to your VDSL service for each TV.
Don’t forget that since recording a show also uses bandwidth, these test results will also apply if the console is recording a show.
Summary
Having a 20Mbit Internet service at home hasn’t made a significant impact on our daily web surfing lives, but it’s noticeably faster when software updates are downloaded, or a visit to YouTube downloads the entire video almost immediately. Even if both televisions are in use at the same time, we get a consistent 10Mbit x 7Mbit connection… still better than a standard DSL line. If you’re looking for Hi-Def television service AND high speed Internet, you should check out Bell’s Entertainment Service at entertainment.bell.ca.
More Information:
- Recent post: How does Bell’s IPTV Entertainment Television Service Work?
- Bell Entertainment Service website
- Bell IPTV User Guide
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For customers of the IPTV service, it would be nice if Bell would give you access to the account to allow you to tune the various aspects of the service to suit you. Meaning, if you only have 1 HD TV then you can give most of the bandwidth to the internet service. From what I know, unless you know someone (Bell tech) the system is configured a specific way and your service will not vary from those parameters.
I’ve had a VDSL connection since last winter and I’m on about a 45Mb connection (no IPTV just 100% internet). This has given me ample opportunity to see what the connection can do. All I can say is, “It’s Fast!!!” When you can connect to a site that can blast data in megabytes per second, it’s amazing, but mostly it’s no different than any other internet, Connection problems due to congestion, bandwidth and issues that normally affect web sites and their ability to send/receive data are still the normal headaches you still have to contend with.
Oh, if you’re not aware of it, Bell does do traffic shaping and unfortunately this means that your connection may finally get uncapped sometime around 2am-3am. Sometimes, if the network is not being utilized, you may see speeds ramp up during the day but those days are few and far between.
Unfortunately, for most people, their ultimate speeds will vary since the service throughput is dependent on how close they are to the Stinger.
Ben, the results of your speed tests are all good and well, but there is no way I will be considering Bell’s Entertainment Service. I’ve just gotten off the phone with their customer service people and they’ve informed me that your Internet usage is subject to a 60GB cap per month (though TV usage does not count towards the cap).
60GB per month @ 20Mbit is just ridiculously anemic, not to mention unfair. Bell is essentially trying to say IPTV is the future, though it has to be THEIR IPTV service. All other video services fed from the Internet are subject to their 60GB cap. Frequent enough usage of Bell’s IPTV service would almost certainly exceed the 60GB cap many times over were it not exempt.
This manner of unfair usage control (and really, anti-competitive behaviour) really rubs me the wrong way. As a result, I will most certainly NOT be considering Bell’s Entertainment Service.
Others who feel the same way would do well to support Save Our Net’s net-neutrality movement (http://saveournet.ca/), as well as Consumers For Internet Competition (http://www.consumersforinternetcompetition.com/).
Sohail,
Thanks for stopping by. I’m very familiar with net neutrality in Canada as I have been actively engaged in the movement. In addition to this, I’m the owner of the saveournet.ca domain name and have donated it to the Save Our Net cause. Before you get too far into the net neutrality discussion with me, know that I’m already deeply in the loop. :)
Regarding bandwidth usage I can tell you that I am a fairly heavy user of Internet services at home. I have 2 DSL lines and a mix of PCs, Macs and other endpoints, including some IP phones (I’m one of the founders of HIP Communications, a Hosted PBX voice over IP company in Toronto). I am also a former board member of the Toronto Internet Exchange (TorIX), Canada’s largest IP peering centre operating out of 151 Front Street (Toronto).
I have no problem sharing my bandwidth utilization with you, which is currently about 25GB for the past 30 days. This is just under half of my monthly allocated cap. Even if I blow past my 65GB cap with Bell, the most I’ll be charged is an additional $30. To me, this is a reasonable proposition.
The net neutrality debate is an important one and it’s something we as Canadians need to fight for on a daily basis. But Sohail, Net Neutrality should be a fight to ensure innovation in Canada is at the forefront of commerce; It’s not a fight to secure unlimited bandwidth for software pirates, leachers and other freeloaders.
Ben,
Thanks for your input.
65GB may be more than enough for you, but in my household of 4 very active ‘net users, it’s certainly not enough, nor do I find the prospect of paying an additional $30 very enticing.
You’re right, this isn’t really a debate about securing unlimited bandwidth, but one about serving innovation as you mention, and the fact remains that usage & bandwidth are key to innovation. Is innovation really going to be best served with increasingly anemic usage caps for faster and faster broadband connections? Was the explosion of Internet video ever going to happen within Canada where Bell and Rogers want a controlled piece of all the action? Let’s face it.. the vast majority of Internet video is being consumed by US residents, where bandwidth caps are far less anemic, where content producers and distributors are already figuring out how to deliver content to their viewers over the Internet, and that’s also where future of Internet innovation will happen.
We see this future developing right before our eyes. As I mentioned, the future of video and TV is on the Internet. The future COULD be a landscape with unlimited video providers and specialty channels, but I’m certain it won’t be… not while Rogers and Bell have vested interest in TV services.
So, how badly do we want to drive the next great Internet innovation, and will the Canadian incumbents be facilitators or gate-keepers?
I think they’ve already proven (and continue to prove) that they want to be the gate-keepers of Internet innovation within Canada. What else is Bell communicating when their own IPTV service is exempt from the usage caps they want to subject every other Internet service to?
Sohail,
Before I address your questions, I want to make sure I fully understand your concerns. I’ve summarized your concerns below based on your comments above:
Is there anything you’d like to add or change before I address your points that I’ve summarized?
If I may be so bold:
1) I’ve lived in the US for a number of years. I’m concerned about coming back to Canada and subsequently having to think about my current usage levels before consuming Internet content. That, and that the usage caps do not seem to be increasing proportional to bandwidth increases. I believe this is to encourage more/greater ‘net use, and then subject subscribers to the increasingly inevitable overage charges that will follow.
2) I believe that unlimited usage, or at least higher usage, is *A* key to fostering Internet innovation, as it has already been in years past. With more and more services moving into the cloud, greater usage is inevitable.
3) As long as companies like Bell and Rogers control the networks AND compete with other content producers for similar (or the same) services, they will ensure that they retain an unfair advantage.
I’d like to add a 4th point:
4) With the costs of network infrastructure development declining, and revenues increasing, what is the argument for stricter data caps? Arstechnica has a great look into the costs/revenue of American telecom operators (http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/isps-costs-revenues-dont-support-data-cap-argument.ars). I have a hard time believing Canadian operators’ cost/revenue structures look much different.
Ben, I’ve just realized that all my links are broken. Here are they again, for the benefit of your readers:
Save Our Net – http://saveournet.ca/
Consumers For Internet Competition – http://www.consumersforinternetcompetition.com/
ArsTechnica’s look into costs/revenues of American telecom operators – http://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/news/2009/05/isps-costs-revenues-dont-support-data-cap-argument.ars
Folks,
I’ve started a specific Bell Entertainment bulletin board at
http://bellent.currentinternet.com
Share your reviews, ideas, requests there — let’s grab the attention of Bell and help them shape the service in the years to come.