I am currently considering whether to include a satellite system in the house planning or rely on a cable connection. Regardless of that, I have already applied for a telephone connection with the local provider, as I believe every house should have one.
Due to recent news that SD channels may stop broadcasting via Astra in 2022, there is speculation that a fee for satellite service might become mandatory by then. (This is already the case for HD+ channels, although they can still be viewed free in SD quality for now.)
The cable connection with Unitymedia costs around €1000, which is quite expensive and only really worthwhile if you immediately sign up for an offer from Unitymedia, as this would reduce the cost to about €400 according to my information. The question is:
a) Should I skip the cable connection and have a satellite system installed instead? In that case, I would use the Telekom network for phone and internet. Question: Will satellite remain free in the future as well?
b) Get the cable connection and use Unitymedia for phone, internet, and TV. The cost of the satellite system would then be “saved.” I would have the Telekom connection as a backup but would not use it at first.
Do you have any recommendations or tips? I’m trying to figure out which option is more economical.
Follow-up question: Is it possible to switch easily between cable providers, for example from Unitymedia to Vodafone? How does that work with “cable rights”? With telephone service, the infrastructure still belongs to Telekom, even if you use a different provider for calling.
Due to recent news that SD channels may stop broadcasting via Astra in 2022, there is speculation that a fee for satellite service might become mandatory by then. (This is already the case for HD+ channels, although they can still be viewed free in SD quality for now.)
The cable connection with Unitymedia costs around €1000, which is quite expensive and only really worthwhile if you immediately sign up for an offer from Unitymedia, as this would reduce the cost to about €400 according to my information. The question is:
a) Should I skip the cable connection and have a satellite system installed instead? In that case, I would use the Telekom network for phone and internet. Question: Will satellite remain free in the future as well?
b) Get the cable connection and use Unitymedia for phone, internet, and TV. The cost of the satellite system would then be “saved.” I would have the Telekom connection as a backup but would not use it at first.
Do you have any recommendations or tips? I’m trying to figure out which option is more economical.
Follow-up question: Is it possible to switch easily between cable providers, for example from Unitymedia to Vodafone? How does that work with “cable rights”? With telephone service, the infrastructure still belongs to Telekom, even if you use a different provider for calling.
[A silly question: We are planning a multi-utility connection:
a) Will the Unitymedia cable connection be included in this?
b) Since it is more or less an empty conduit, is it possible to install the cable connection later on, for example in a few years, without major work such as digging or breaking through again?]
Ask your architect what kind of multi-utility connection it is.
Ours has four entries:
- Water
- Electricity
- Telecommunications
- Empty conduit (for later connection of Unity Media)
We don’t have gas, for example.
Doing something later is always difficult, expensive, and fiddly—especially if you want to add a fifth utility later on. Make it future-proof from the start, exactly how you want it.
You can also stick to just one connection, but then you lose the “luxury” of switching providers. But ask your parents how often they have switched providers. You have to want it for it to be worth it. And you shouldn’t be worried that if you don’t have alternatives, one provider might suddenly increase prices tenfold. I think that is unlikely.
Check what the effort and cost for an empty conduit is in your area and whether it’s worth it for you. Because with one utility left free, the empty conduit costs me nothing; the construction company includes it, which costs them just a few euros for materials and about five minutes of work. If it costs 200€ more for a five- or six-utility connection, I would still do it. If it costs 1000€ more, I probably wouldn’t. But everyone thinks differently about that.
And yes, if I want Unity Media in two or four years, they will have to dig up the street again and push a cable through my empty conduit. But they will charge 400€. They also charge 400€ if they do it initially; it makes no difference to them. The empty conduit option actually means less effort overall for Unity Media.
a) Will the Unitymedia cable connection be included in this?
b) Since it is more or less an empty conduit, is it possible to install the cable connection later on, for example in a few years, without major work such as digging or breaking through again?]
Ask your architect what kind of multi-utility connection it is.
Ours has four entries:
- Water
- Electricity
- Telecommunications
- Empty conduit (for later connection of Unity Media)
We don’t have gas, for example.
Doing something later is always difficult, expensive, and fiddly—especially if you want to add a fifth utility later on. Make it future-proof from the start, exactly how you want it.
You can also stick to just one connection, but then you lose the “luxury” of switching providers. But ask your parents how often they have switched providers. You have to want it for it to be worth it. And you shouldn’t be worried that if you don’t have alternatives, one provider might suddenly increase prices tenfold. I think that is unlikely.
Check what the effort and cost for an empty conduit is in your area and whether it’s worth it for you. Because with one utility left free, the empty conduit costs me nothing; the construction company includes it, which costs them just a few euros for materials and about five minutes of work. If it costs 200€ more for a five- or six-utility connection, I would still do it. If it costs 1000€ more, I probably wouldn’t. But everyone thinks differently about that.
And yes, if I want Unity Media in two or four years, they will have to dig up the street again and push a cable through my empty conduit. But they will charge 400€. They also charge 400€ if they do it initially; it makes no difference to them. The empty conduit option actually means less effort overall for Unity Media.
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