iiNet launches terabyte broadband plans

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National broadband provider iiNet today unveiled an extensive revamp of its broadband plans, including what it claimed was Australia’s first plan with a terabyte of included download quota.

“iiNet is moving Australian broadband forward,” said the company’s chief executive Michael Malone in a statement (PDF). “We’ve built a high performance network over the past five years, including great long-term deals with our suppliers. We have oodles of bandwidth and it’s about time we used it.”

“Today we continue to lead the market with our latest innovation — Australia’s first one terabyte plan … this isn’t about big plans, it’s about sustainable plans.”

The terabyte plan — to be available, along with the other changes, from August 20 — allocates customers 500GB each of on-peak and off-peak data and will cost customers between $99.95 and $119.95 per month, depending on whether they choose an ADSL1, ADSL2+ or naked DSL connection, and whether they bundle their broadband plan with a telephone connection.

Business customers, however, will pay more — with business terabyte plans ranging up to $149.95 per month. And both uploads and downloads count towards the quota.

iiNet has also boosted the quotas on its other broadband plans, and now offers a range of tiers from 20GB per month for $29.95, ranging then to 100GB, 200Gb and 400GB. The ISP continues to shape customers once they go beyond those limits — down to 256k upload and download speeds. the business plans consistently cost more than the consumer plans, but offer additional options.

In iiNet’s statement, the company said a terabyte of data would allow customers to watch the equivalent of more than 8,000 half-hour episodes of streaming television per month. “Alternatively, customers could stream the ABC’s new 24 hour news channel, ABC24, continually for the entire month and still have more than half their quota remaining for other uses,” said iiNet.

Steve Orenstein, the chief executive of local cloud-based field service software company Connect2Field, said from a personal perspective he couldn’t imagine many people actually using the whole terabyte of data each month.

Orenstein has broadband at home with a quota of around 60GB — and the most he would use each month, even downloading online movies and so on, would be about 40GB, he said.

The only sort of customer who would use that amount of data, he said, would be someone who was “super-nerdy” — or maybe a teenager who had a lot of free time to watch TV. From his perspective the announcement was more of a public relations initiative from iiNet.

However, Orenstein noted fibre to the home services might change the game as they are eventually rolled out around Australia — especially as the popularity of internet television (IPTV) ramps up. “That would allow people to download a lot more,” he said.

Some customers have already pledged to sign up to the service, however. Public servant and Delimiter contributor Darryl Adams said he had recently spent a few days with his internet speeds shaped after he downloaded five Linux distributions.

“I have been looking at TPG plans, but not seriously, for all their faults, iiNet regularly up my quota and is a stable ISP,” he said. “The 1TB cap is a very pleasant surprise, and I will definitely use this service.”

Image credit: Clix, royalty free

16 COMMENTS

  1. Still quite a way off from the offerings of TPG.
    500GB $60 shaped 1Mbps/1Mbps
    Unlimited downloads 24/7 $75 no shaping
    Dasha

    • True. It really depends on numerous things. iiNet are really pushing hard on the double and tripple play with BOB, Fetch TV and VOIP.

      The shaping is very generous at TPG, compared to iiNet.

      I am waiting for the other shoe to drop at iiNet, the telstra style uploads add to your quota.

      The issue for me is that everytime I look at TPG, my spider sense tingles. Maybe its just me, but TPG has the same feel as Dodo (and that may be very insulting to TPG).

      • Your not the only one mate, every one that I have talked to about TPG gets the same feeling. It makes me wonder what market TPG are going for when they have plans like that. In my mind it will really only attract excessive file sharers and bring nothing but congetsion to their network. In the end some thing has to give and the users will have all of this download, but no way to use it due to the fact that the network can no longer withstand the pressure the leechers are placing on it.
        Having said all of this I must say I know nothing of the infrastructure of TPG and there for cannot make an accurate estimate of the capasity of its network. However what I can say for sure is that, I get a bad feeling about this.

        • “Having said all of this I must say I know nothing of the infrastructure of TPG and there for cannot make an accurate estimate of the capasity of its network. ”

          thats totally apparent
          tpg recently cash purchased the major backbone network in Australia (Pipe)
          Pipe is a major national asset and not just tpg use it to supply your 0/1s on most isps in Australia.

          perhaps some facts and balances
          malone recently delared anyone wanting 100gb+ should look elsewhere
          he also nuked the aapt unlimited service
          now offers the same in the other hand

          interesting times
          facts really make a discussion go around

          D

  2. Yes yes yes, this is all well and nice, but instead of spending more and giving more to those that already have access to good plans, why not be more proactive and install more dslams and other broadband devices for those that cannot get serviced by iiNet.

    I (and many others across Australia) live in a location that cannot be serviced by fixed means, we only have access to wireless and that limits us to one ISP, Telstra/Bigpond. If iiNet and the other ISP’s were to put a little more effort into getting out to the regional and rural areas then more people could enjoy the plans that are available, bugger I’d go on their 3 year old plans as they would still be better than what we can get on wireless with BP.

    While I do read they are in some regional centres they are only in the towns, they need to expand more to the outer areas and NOT reply on Telstra to service them to service us – I mean you must be big enough to be serving up 1TB plans so why not be big enough and service more people!

    GW

  3. So iinot release 1tb
    iprimus respond with a the release of a 1.1tb plan

    tpg have unlimited already out and no frontpage news?

    strange what gets reported these days

    D

  4. sure makes internode’s recent price refresh look just like a pathetic clone of big brother telstra’s price points.

  5. Its worth noting that TPG’s unlimited plan is only available in a few select exchanges, it’s certainly not available nationally, chances are you won’t be eligble for this plan. You can’t really compare TPG’s unlimited plan with iiNet 1TB offering which is available in almost every exchange in the country (resold TW ADSL1 or iiDSLAM). Its certainly the first offering of this size at this price point available on a national scale.

    • “You can’t really compare TPG’s unlimited plan with iiNet 1TB offering which is available in almost every exchange in the country (resold TW ADSL1 or iiDSLAM). Its certainly the first offering of this size at this price point available on a national scale.”

      again the stuff gets left on the cutting room floor
      aapt, already has unlimited

      so please humour me with the math of flat out adsl1 and the maximum quota achievable.
      sure even with them counting the uploads as well they’d be hard pressed to get anywhere near the 1tb/m

      D

      • “so please humour me with the math of flat out adsl1 and the maximum quota achievable.
        sure even with them counting the uploads as well they’d be hard pressed to get anywhere near the 1tb/m”

        Sure. 1tb a month is equivalent of ~3.5Mbit/s going flat out 24/7.

        You’d be able to download well over 2TB/month on an 8mbit connection.

  6. MitH,

    Maybe you ought to fully disclose your position here. From what I understand (from Whirlpool) you are a registered TPG re-seller aren’t you?

    Cheers,
    Mark

    • thanks for the free plug
      see how i didnt post anything promoting mysellf?

      please let me know if i got any other post comments incorrect

      D

  7. “he had recently speed a few days with his internet speeds shaped after he downloaded five Linux distributions.”

    <3 free Internode mirror.

  8. We are currently on the TPG unlimited plan and nothing compares to it. We’ve never had any problems with TPG’s service and it’s great that we no longer have to worry about shaping. If you’re exchange is eligible it’s great value.

Comments are closed.