verystormy

So Optus today luanched its fees for customers to use the NBN. I was a supporter of the idea on the assumption that it would reduce costs and stop using pathetic download limits. Well i was wrong.

The starting package will be $39.99 a month and offer a speed of 12Mb and a download limit of 40Gb. Crap. Virgin in the UK are offering 100Mb speed with unlimited download and a land line telephone for 32 pounds a month and sky are doing Sky TV, land line with free calls, 20Mb down loads speed net unlimited for 32.50 a month.

I had semi believed the crap the companies used to spout about Oz being such a big place and the costs of putting in systems. But i as a tax payer have now paid for the lines and you are still ripping me off.

In Exile

i was mortified at the shockingly poor internet offerings by all Australian ISPs when I got here in 2007. When Optus offered me a "generous" 20GB limit on their 99 dollar plan, that had a 2 year contract, I basically told them to **** off. Until I realised that it was the same everywhere!

I was genuinely puzzled about chronically low quotas and caps and shaping etc. My OHS parents were on 200mb per month!) I have seen it slowly evolve over time and it is better now than it was, but still piss poor in comparison to EU/USA/ROW etc.

However with the NBN I set my expectations accordingly: there was never any part of me that thought the NBN plans offered by ISPs would be anything other than a rip off. The only thing this time is that we cant blame Telstra exclusively for controlling all the infrastructure.

One thing I learned though, never look to Optus or Teltra to provide value for money. There are plenty of other ISPs out there who offer better packages. Check out whirlpool.net.au

12MBPS - i think I am actually getting more than that now!

GarryP

Ahh, the joys of a 'free' market. Most people don't seem to realise 'free' means free to extract the maximum possible amount from each punter.

Putting in a fibre network IS a worthwhile and useful thing to do, but its only one part of the process and needs to be done right. Allowing Telstra near it is doing it very wrong.

If I'd been in Gov I'd have started with installing/buying lots of nice new oceanic cables between Australia and the rest of the world. That a significant reason why bandwidths are capped here - the long haul fees to get data from where you might want it. Quite cheap and quick to do in relative terms, and then allows you to whip the local telcos into shape (access fees related to service quality).

The other bit is working out what you are going to do with a widespread, highspeed, network. You need it to have some point ahead of time - and at the moment its still missing.

Oh, and I'd have had a word with Mr Branson to shake the telco industry up. That would set the wolf amongst the fat cats.

Amazulu

Why would you go to a crappy, mickey mouse outfit like Optus for your internet? iinet have 100Mb, 1Tb plans for not much more than that.
How many people have access to 100Mb internet in the UK? Not many I reckon. Where I used to live in the UK (inside the M25), only recently got 24Mb ADSL2+. Many in the UK only have access to 8Mb broadband. The government over there has a policy to give the whole country access to at least 2Mb. Those 'unlimited' plans are not so unlimited when their 'fair use' policy kicks in.

You no longer live in Australia so why are you worried about this?

chris955

The whole thing is a huge white elephant. I have been researching internet/phone/TV packages for when we return to the UK and the deals are just amazing when compared to here. We will be paying the same there for all those things with faster unlimited broadband for what we pay for Foxtel alone here.

Beoz

The price comparison between Oz/UK is a no contest. UK wins hands down though why anyone would go with Optus or Telstra or one of the other rip off's is beyond me. TPG is working absolutely fine for me in Oz - in fact a lot faster that my 24 mb/s connection in London which maxed at about 8mb and constantly dropped in and out.

Sherlock Holmes

I have absolutely no problems with speed and reliability but the price is STILL way too high.

What happens if few people take up the NBN and stick with their current arrangements?

Amazulu

I find the same with iinet - 15-19Mb download speed, very reliable and when there is a problem they are quick to sort it out. 400Gb cap is plenty enough for me.

Most UK 'unlimited' plans are not that due to their fair usage policies:
http://www.uswitch.com/broadband/gui..._usage_policy/
Judging by what I download every month, I would be caught by this if I lived in the UK.

renth

I'm not sure about this but I think eventually the NBN will be the only option meaning the govt. will be able to control what everyone can and can't see.

If people don't like it? well, they must be paedophiles...

renth

I have ADSL2+ with iinet and only get between 5Mb/s and 9Mb/s.

I've started using a VPN for torrenting and using BBC iPlayer and Hulu in the USA. Then my connection goes down to less than 1Mb/s, sometimes much slower than that.

verystormy

Firtly, i lived in Leicester and had 40Mb and totally unlimitted.

Secondly, because i do live in Australia. I just dont work there any more

Amazulu

Again, few people in the UK will have access to internet speeds above 24Mb. If you did then that's cool, but it's not common. I Checked the CR3 postcode (where I lived inside the M25) and it is not available.

If you want ot use a muppet outfit like Optus then that's your indaba.

Amazulu

That's not good. Look at changing ISP.

Bix

Many moons ago before it was approved they said each household would have a choice. You would need to opt-in to get it.

There is no way that will hold up though. The cost will put people off potentially making it a bigger white elephant than the Adelaide - Darwin railroad so everyone will be forced onto it.

I guess all they have to do is dismantle the current phone line system and we are buggered.

ozzieeagle

You dont get unlimited broadband in the UK.... It is always throttled at a certain limit... very false advertising over there. People are always complaining about it on IT forums.

You'll find that every single provider in the UK throttles at some point or other.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8077839.stm

http://www.eweekeurope.co.uk/news/is...rottling-23642

http://forums.digitalspy.co.uk/showthread.php?t=484326

I'll probably go with IInets 500 x 500 gig plan... which is basically unlimited at 25/5mbps... It's Bloody hard to download a terrabyte per month.. I did try early on in my 400 x 400 gb plan to reach the limit with 3 of us downloading we almost got there on the peak .....

http://www.iinet.net.au/nbn/nbn-plan-residential.html