Tiscali whips the broadband out from under 186k’s feet
186k, the broadband provider, have been cut off by Tiscali, as the two companies get enthralled in a legal fist fight. Although it is not certain how many customers have been affected by the move, 186k have attempted to make it clear to their users that they are not closing down and everything should clear up.
However, Tiscali have a different view on the matter, and when 186k users attempt to contact Tiscali to migrate their internet connection to another ISP, Tiscali is telling them that 186k has “shut down” and is “no longer in the market”. Who is telling the truth?
186k are adamant to have their clients know that they are still very much alive and have released a statement explaining so. “None of these accusations has any foundation. 186k is a wholesale ISP with a customer base covering broadband, dedicated servers, collocation, leased lines, telephony and other information technology related services. Of its wholesale broadband customer base, only a small percentage was serviced by Tiscali, with the remainder provisioned with BT Wholesale,” said the statement from 186k.
However, Tiscali have released a statement saying, “The Wholesale Broadband Agreement with 186k has terminated. In consultation with Ofcom, Tiscali is providing continuity of service in the form of temporary access to all users that are on the Tiscali Network.
“We have provided MAC codes in bulk to 186k to enable it to move its reseller bases and we have also put in place a process to provide MAC codes to all direct customers. This process is in line with other wholesale providers within our industry,” continued the statement from Tiscali.
However, many customers are still waiting for the MAC codes, allowing them to migrate to another ISP, and many have attempted to get hold of 186k without any luck whatsoever. The whole situation is sketchy and it seems as though the ones that are suffering are inevitably the customers.
186k’s statement went on to discuss how they could not go into any detail about the situation due to the legal nature of the issue, saying, “There is an ongoing legal dispute and High Court action between 186k and Tiscali which we cannot comment on further at this stage. It is unfortunate and unfair that end users have been inconvenienced by this dispute. 186k would like to reassure its customers that it is continuing to do everything possible to restore service to those affected by Tiscali’s actions.”
Tiscali are struggling, as are many corporations, through the economic downturn, and they have made the news today as they have announced that they will be making 250 job cuts at its Italian unit. However, the company are claiming that the cuts will be made in an attempt to improve their profitability. The company are also in talks with BSkyB about selling on their British assets.
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