news The nation’s biggest telco Telstra has overhauled its fixed and mobile broadband plan structure, giving customers substantial extra monthly download quota and launching a new 500GB plan that more than doubles the previous limit customers could use per month.
Telstra’s previous highest-quota plan featured 200GB of quota; a limit which meant that the nation’s biggest consumers of broadband services typically turned to other providers for their high download needs — with ISPs such as iiNet and Internode offering terabyte plans and others such as TPG and Dodo offering theoretically unlimited plans.
However, in a blog post on its Exchange site today, Telstra revealed it had introduced a new 500GB plan — which will cost customers $89.95 per month when they also sign up for a full service fixed telephone line, costing from $29.95 a month. The company also maintains several other broadband packages, which can be used by customers on its ADSL, HFC cable or fibre infrastructure — ranging from 5GB/$29.95 a month to 200GB/$69.95 a month.
In addition, Telstra has also created a new higher value mobile broadband plan — with the new plan to cost $79.95 and come with 15GB of data. Lower $29.95 and $39.95 plans have had their monthly data quotas boosted from 3GB to 4GB and from 7GB to 8GB respectively.
As with Optus, Telstra prefers to place a high degree of focus on bundling broadband plans with other offerings such as mobile, traditional telephony or entertainment packages. For example, it currently offers a $159 monthly plan which comes with 500GB of quota, telephone line rental and a T-Box internet television unit. Customers can also bundle on mobile broadband, or Foxtel subscription TV, for example.
In its blog post today, Telstra noted it had simplified the way it allocated discounts to customers for bundling.
“We’ve also simplified our discount criteria, so by simply combining a Telstra full service fixed line home phone with a 24 month fixed broadband plan on a Single Bill you’ll enjoy a $20 discount off the standard monthly access fee. This is our BigPond® Broadband Benefit pricing,” wrote Telstra corporate relations officer Sarah Green in the post.
Green noted existing customers wouldn’t be automatically changed onto the plans; they would need to contact the company by telephone to make the change or set it up through its My BigPond portal online.
“At Telstra, we are listening to what our customers want from their internet access,” Green wrote. So we are extremely excited to announce that from today we’ve enhanced our fixed broadband and mobile broadband plans available to new and existing customers. They are simpler and packed with more value, so you can feed your net fix more than ever.”
opinion/analysis
Telstra’s mobile and broadband plans just keep on getting better. They’re still priced at the top end of the market, and a variety of complex terms and conditions apply. However, since the telco’s new chief executive officer David Thodey took over several years ago, it has become harder and harder to avoid checking out Telstra’s broadband and mobile options — especially if you think there might be a bundling opportunity.
Having said that, the company’s customer service could still use some work ;) A lot of work.
Image credit: Telstra
Great now how about Telstra fixing those congested exchanges that people have been suffering for too long?
I agree with JK, it’s a joke, there are some west melbourne suburbs where you can not get any internet are we still living in the age of dinossaurus, what a shame!!!
Just quite get it together can they;
“Green noted existing customers wouldn’t be automatically changed onto the plans; they would need to contact the company by telephone to make the change or set it up through its My BigPond portal online.”
yet doing the latter…
“Bundled customers please call 13 22 00 to change plans. Changing BigPond Cable, ADSL and Mobile Broadband plans online may result in the removal of Bundle benefits and Combo rewards, this may generate additional charges.”
Can someone please explain to me what is new. I have been on the 148(158) Bundle for vove 4 months. where I get 500GB data and all the calls in australia.
iiNet and Internode offering terabyte plans and others such as TPG and Dodo offering theoretically unlimited plans. – Umm iPrimus has 1.1TB Plans and completely Unlimited plans… There are other ISPs besides Internode and iiNet…
Someone should do a research of the percentage of the Australians that can have ADSL2+. I can’t thanks to Telstra and it bloody pair gain systems.
Telstra is the biggest joke in Australia.
so will Telstra upgrade my exchange so pulling down 500GB might be remotely possible?
These plans aren’t on their website as of 1.45 pm today
everyone forget NBN, forget adsl 2+. The way to go is Cable. I am getting between 94.0 and 98.4 Mbps. And I have been on the 500GB for nearly 4 months now. just walk out of you house and it there is a foxtel cable going into any house on your street then the chances are you can get cable as
you the only one on it?
screw cable bring in the much better and faster nbn
Nothing new here in terms of pricing or offering. They’ve simply enabled bundling on their standard products and matched what was already available from the bundle plans. Disappointing. $80 for 50GB stand alone versus optus’s $60 50GB/70GB stand alone. Both cable products with decent speeds. I know which one I would use if Optus did cable in my area.
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