1 How does ASTURCÓN work?

ASTURCÓN works following the guidelines of subsidiaries and the separation of infrastructure and services: the local government of the Principality of Asturias will only establish a telecommunication network in those areas where the private market will not offer broadband and will then offer this broadband to the different suppliers, enabling them to provide an equally competitive service to consumers. In exchange, suppliers pay a monthly fee for every user they have.

2 Who manages the network?

The network is managed by GIT (Gestión de Infraestructuras Públicas de Telecomunicaciones del Principado de Asturias S.A), which is a public company totally owned by the Principality of Asturias. To summarise: the Principality of Asturias creates a network; GIT manages it, and the different suppliers offer their services to the general public.

3 What do I have to do if I want to become a user?

First of all, you need to make sure that your home is within the network’s coverage area. You may consult this at the TDT Coverage section of this website or by using  , the company’s problem solving service.

Having checked this, you need to find out which suppliers offer their services in your area (to do so, please see the Suppliers and Services section of this website). After deciding whose services satisfy your needs in the best manner, you need to contact the company itself and follow the instructions on their website or call the customer service line to become a user.

4 Why is my building not covered by the ASTURCÓN network but the one next to mine is?

This is often due to difficulties obtaining the required license to lay cables or to install the necessary equipment that needs to be connected to your homes on the façade of your building. If your building is not covered by the ASTURCÓN network and the one next to it is, it is probably because your neighbourhood association did not approve the installation of the equipment on your building. If you want to see how the cables and electronic devices look on a normal façade, please click here.

If your neighbourhood association did not oppose the installation, then your building might have been built after the cables were laid in your area or your building is simply outside the coverage area.

For more information, please use  , GIT’s problem solving service for potential and future users of the network. You may submit your question as a letter, by telephone (office hours: weekdays from 9 am till 2:30 pm) or via e-mail through this website. To learn more about  , or to e-mail a question, please click here.

5 May I have two or more different suppliers?

No. You have to pick one. Even though it would be technically possible, our operating principles only allow one supplier per user.

6 Customer…, user…, what is the difference?

You are a customer of the supplier offering you its services. You have signed a contract with them. To GIT, you become a user of the network when your home gets connected to it, as requested by your supplier. You will be a user until your home gets disconnected from the network.

7 May I change supplier after signing a contract with one?

Yes. You just have to contact the new supplier and sign the form requesting a changeover. The new supplier is now in charge of this transaction. The changeover takes about 10 days. In some cases, (depending on the suppliers and services been changed) one or both suppliers might require access to your home.

8 May I (more or less) change the services I contracted?

Yes. You just need to ask your supplier. In some cases, your supplier might require access to your home.

9 How long does it take to get connected after contracting the services?

Only in exceptional cases does it take GIT longer than 15 working days after your supplier requests the installation to get connected. However, in some cases, your supplier might request the installation a few days after the contract has been signed.

10 What do I have to do if I want to check the status of my installation?

You may use  , GIT’s problem solving service for potential and future users of the network. You may submit your question as a letter, on the telephone (office hours: Monday – Friday from 9 am till 2:30 pm) or via e-mail through this website. To learn more about  , or to e-mail a question, please click here.

11 How is the installation carried out at my home? Who will do it?

A member of GIT’s the technical staff will connect your home to the network. You will have an optical network terminal (from now on ONT) installed and set up at your home. This terminal connects to the final splitter situated outside your home through a thin optic fibre cable. If you want to see how the installed devices look, please click here.

12 Where does my ONT get installed?

Whenever possible, the ONT will be fitted to a wall in the same room where the cable that comes from outside the house is. This is normally the living room. The ONT needs to be connected to the power supply, although it uses a very small amount of energy.

13 Why does the ONT have to fitted to my wall?

This will simplify the installation process, ensure that the ONT is as safe as possible and because the fibre part of the device stays fixed there is no need of extra components.

14 Do I own the ONT after installed?

No. The ONT belongs to GIT. You may use it without having to pay a fee while you are a user of the network. Should you stop being a user, GIT will take back the ONT from your home in the subsequent 30 days. To do so, you have to allow GIT technicians into your home (at normal working hours).

15 Do I have to do something to the ONT?

No. The LED pilot lights on the ONT show the status of the device so that there is no need to touch it. When you become a user of the network, you agree to maintain and protect the ONT device, as well as not to manipulate it or use it for other purposes.

16 What do I do if I have to move the ONT due to some building work being done at home?

Please contact GIT’s service   to have a technician sent to your home to move the device. The ONT is a delicate, electro-optic device that receives a laser signal. If you move it, you may break the device, damage the optic parts or even cause damage to your eyes if the cable comes into contact with them.

17 What happens if the ONT breaks down?

If the ONT stops working due to technical problems, GIT’s insurance will cover the repair costs.

However, if the ONT stops working because you have not kept your agreement on maintaining and protecting the device, as well as not to manipulate it or use it for any other purposes, you may incur a three hundred euro fine (300€).

18 Does a technician from my supplier have to come to my home after GIT has connected the ONT?

That depends on the supplier. In some cases, the device starts working when a GIT technician finishes setting it up. However, other suppliers need some cables to be laid or additional devices installed at your home before you can start using their services. In both cases, the GIT technician who installs your ONT will inform you.

19 What can I do if an installation breakdown occurs or if I want to complain about the installation?

You may use  , GIT’s problem solving service for potential and future users of the network. You may submit your question as a letter, on the telephone (office hours: Monday – Friday from 9 am till 2:30 pm) or via e-mail through this website. To learn more about  , or to e-mail a question, please click here.

20 What can I do if any of the services I hired is not working properly or at all?

You need to contact your supplier’s customer service. Please do not contact GIT, they cannot help you or manage your complaint. Even if the ONT breaks down, you should contact your supplier and they can contact GIT.

21 How may I terminate the contract?

You need to terminate the contract with your supplier. A GIT technician will only disconnect your device when your supplier requests it. During the 30 (working) days after you terminate your contract, GIT personnel will remove the ONT from your home. For this purpose, you must give the GIT technician access to your home.

22 How do I install the internet on my computer?

If you are not a computing expert, please follow the instructions given by your supplier. However, modern operating systems will automatically recognize your supplier’s DNS, so when your computer connects to the net, it will automatically get connected to the internet.

23 Does ASTURCÓN really offer 100 Mbps?

The ASTURCÓN network for private users splits the 2.4 Gbps download speed and the 1.2 Gbps upload speed from every GPON network exit in a dynamic way between 32 users. Therefore, even if all 32 users were simultaneously connected and using all their capacity at the same time, each user would have a 75 Mbps download speed and 37.5 Mbps upload speed guaranteed. Since this practically never occurs, the speed of connection is only limited by the ONT’s speed connection, which is 100 Mbps.

24 Can the maximum speed get higher?

At the moment, the maximum speed is set to 100 Mbps, but if a higher speed were to be needed in the future, ASTURCÓN would be able to increase it: the splitting ratio of the GPON network ports would need to be changed (instead of sharing the speed between 32 users, it could be shared between 16, for example) and there would be no need to lay new optic fibre cables in your town. What you need to do, however, is replace your ONT with another one, already available, which permits a 1000BX interface. For you to be able to enjoy this new maximum speed, your computer will need to have a 1 Gigabit network card installed.

25 Why have I never had 100 Mbps?

Speed tests do not measure the connection speed, but the average speed at which standard packages are being sent to a specific server outside the net and received from this server. In simpler terms, the package is sent to the internet and then sent back, so the average speed will depend on the kind of service you availed of, where the server where the package being sent to is located, the internet access capacity your supplier is offering, the number of users connected simultaneousl and how much of your allocated capacity you are using.

If you want to have a reading as accurate as possible, you have to stop all applications which use the net (especially P2P ones).

The global connection speed is closely related to the quality and speed of the access network.