iPrimus pulls plug on unlimited DSL - News - Communications

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This story was printed from ZDNet Australia.
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iPrimus pulls plug on unlimited DSL

By Rachel Lebihan, ZDNet Australia
October 09, 2001
URL: http://www.zdnet.com.au/news/communications/soa/iPrimus-pulls-plug-on-unlimited-DSL/0,130061791,120261014,00.htm

iPrimus, is scrapping its unlimited DSL plan and has given users a month's notice to find an alternative service.

The 400 customers of the ISP's unlimited service began receiving letters this week, announcing the option to download unlimited data will become defunct in about a month's time.

-Quite simply, it's uneconomical for us to continue," iPrimus media relations manager, George Hazim, told ZDNet Australia.

-Even with our low cost to provide bandwidth from our end, Telstra's high cost of bandwidth coupled with customers who are highly abusive of the service, means it's no longer economical."

Hazim said the ISP is aware the decision will -prove to be unpopular" and although it's just a small proportion of the ISP's 400 unlimited customers that are deemed excessive users, -some are taking far too great a liberty," he said.

The move by iPrimus shadows the same decision by Telstra in June this year to cap its unlimited Freedom Plan - a move which inspired Internet petitions, marches of protest and talks of a class action by angry broadband users.

Although iPrimus users involved in a broadband forum discussion today have expressed concerns that the service provider may levy fees for costs incurred with the early termination of contracts, Hazim said: -we won't be charging them".

However, iPrimus claims to be the only direct competitor of Telstra's that is able to match the telco heavyweight in terms of DSL offerings. -Our DSL service is far more reliable than Telstra's," Hazim said. -We're still the second largest DSL provider in the country...I don't think jumping ship would be a wise thing to do."