update Telstra today finally launched uncapped ADSL1 and ADSL2+ broadband services, more than 18 months after some competitors started offering the higher speed services.
However, the telco will only sell ADSL2+ services in locations where competitors are already offering the higher speeds. It will offer the uncapped ADSL1 service nation-wide as a wholesale offering to competitors.
Telstra has up until now sold ADSL1 capped to 1.5Mbps, but the uncapped ADSL1 will allow speeds of up to 8Mbps. ADSL2+ allows speeds of up to 24Mbps, but Telstra is advertising the service at up to 20Mbps.
In a press conference this morning, Telstra's group managing director of its BigPond division, Justin Milne, said Telstra had ADSL2+ hardware in around 360 telephone exchanges, with a further 2400 capable of the upgraded ADSL1 speeds.
In a statement to the Australian Stock Exchange this morning, Milne blamed the geographical limitation on the ADSL2+ services on government regulation.
"Because of regulatory constraints, the up to 20Mbps service would be limited to [telephone] exchanges where competitors are also offering those higher speeds," Milne said.
Telstra has in the past voiced concerns the national competition regulator would force it to offer ADSL2+ as a wholesale offering to competitors, as it currently does the ADSL1.
The move to limit ADSL2+ to areas where competitors already offer it will be seen as an attempt to forestall the need to offer ADSL2+ as a wholesale offering.
The move comes as Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Graeme Samuel said late last month that there was currently no need for Telstra to provide wholesale access to its next-generation ADSL network.
In the press conference this morning, Milne defended Telstra's controversial decision to cap its ADSL1 offering at speeds of 1.5Mbps since it was launched more than six years ago.
"Look really it's a regulatory question. We don't set the regulatory rules, the regulator sets the regulatory rules, and we have to operate within those rules," he told reporters.
"So now we've had a decision that having a balance for the interests of our shareholders, our customers most of all, and looking at the rules that prevail in Australia, we can get a commercial return by launching DSL2 today, and that's the reason why."
Milne also defended Telstra's move to limit the upstream speeds on its upgraded ADSL service to 384kbps. The technology is theoretically capable of much more.
"Well, it's an increase on our current upstream speed, and it's really where the network guys have set the network configuration for the time being. But this is an ongoing, evolving story, this one, so no doubt we will evolve," he said.
Milne said unlike other telcos, Telstra was not trialling the so-called Annex M standard which more than doubles upload speeds on ADSL2+ services.
Customers are able to check what speeds may be available in their area through Telstra's Web site. Some customers may need to purchase a new modem to take advantage of ADSL2+ services.
BigPond has also announced a range of new consumer-grade ADSL plans, as follows (download limit and price is per month):
- 256kbps/200MB (AU$29.95)
- 256kbps/12GB shaped (AU$59.95)
- 1500kbps/400MB (AU$39.95)
- 1500kbps/12GB shaped (AU$69.95)
- 1500kbps/25GB (AU$99.95)
- High speed/600MB (AU$59.95)
- High speed/12GB shaped (AU$89.95)
- High speed/25GB (AU$119.95)
- High speed/60GB (AU$149.95)
"High speed" refers to uncapped ADSL1 or ADSL2+, depending on geographical location.
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Mado
10/11/2006 12:49 PM
Check out the speeds available throughout the US, Canada and England. This will show how far behind the rest of the world we actually are here in Australia
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x
10/11/2006 06:36 PM
the prices are quite humourous too. I have had ADSL2+ at 24000 with 40GB d/l limit on my ISP for at least 2 years for au$60... yes,in Australia. Tel$tra just sucks so far behind everyone it's AMAZING.
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Smoolander
12/11/2006 10:14 AM
I try to tell anyone who will listen that Telstra is an absolute joke as an ISP. Their prices are ridiculous. $39.95 for 400MB download. No wonder they complain about not ENOUGH money out of broadband when they provide crap plans like this.
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yeh53x
12/11/2006 01:12 PM
they are the worst value plans i have ever seen do they not want anyone in australia to be able to afford to use the internet?
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Mr Jones
13/11/2006 09:02 AM
Well maybe not shot but "old school" does have a valid point. In that the suits can only screw the aussie public if they have schooled up lackies to do there bidding.
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LiveAds247dotcom
13/11/2006 12:30 PM
Don't blame Telstra for the high ADSL plan pricing..... Blame the IDIOTS that sign up to their service with NO CLUES about how much it SHOULD be costing them.
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Spud Gunna
13/11/2006 07:26 PM
I think its funny that telstra firstly offer a service more than twice as expensive as iinet.. seriously, i hope the sale of telstra wakes the dickheads up to the fact that competiton does exists in australia. oh and telstra stop ringing me to change my home phone back.
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adrian
27/11/2006 04:30 PM
about time.you people got of your buts and got with it.. P.S ( FIRE THOSE YANKS ON THE BOARD OF TELSTRA ) then our share's will go up.
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nick
23/01/2007 04:46 PM
Thank god for competition because telstra are straight out thieves.....now I know why nobody wants to buy into telstra
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cmcv
26/01/2007 05:16 PM
been with telstra but moving to inett or optus as they have much better download plans double the down loads for same or less than currently on with telstra.
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Layka
23/04/2007 12:29 PM
If you can put up with terrible service Dodo's plans are not bad.
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