Competition in Australia's Internet ADSL market is heating up just weeks after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission announced plans that will make it easier for service providers to get access to Telstra's copper network.
New Zealand-based Internet Service Provider, Ihug has launched its ADSL service and announced its intention to enter the wholesale ADSL market.
In some cases Ihug's monthly ADSL Internet access plans appear to be substantially cheaper, or provide more generous download caps, than Telstra's.
The speed and price of Ihug's basic ADSL offering matches Telstra's but lets consumers download over three times as much data before incurring additional charges.
Ihug's monthly plans become more competitive with Telstra's as the customers network data traffic requirement's increase. Telstra's fastest 10 Gigabyte plan costs AU$429.95 per month -to purchase an equivalent service from Ihug costs AU$199.95.
"Ihug has often challenged the 'industry rules' so customers have been eager to see our ADSL plans," said Gareth Bissland, Ihug General Manager.
Ihug is bullish about its prospects of succeeding in the ADSL market claiming that it has already received 30,000 expressions of interest regarding its ADSL plans prior to launching its service.
Optus has not announced any plans to introduce a ADSL residential broadband service.
ATT: Anyone selling ADSL by the seashore ...
In my humble opinion your customers want:
- Free installation.
- Free modem/TA
- A digital connection that is always on
... and....
- To be charged no more than $80 (AUD) a month on a 12-month contract for the privilege
Moreover, you should consider that:
You're average citizen can't tell the difference between 64Kbps and 256Kbps on a standalone machine, and the great majority have no intention of overstepping any reasonable download CAP because ... well ... they've got lives.
All Mr and Ms Average Citizen want to be able to do is lean over to a machine and pull up a recipe for Steak Dianne on Google. (... perhaps ... check their e-mail, their bank balance, let their kids research their history project for school or have a quick quiz at a site a friend recommended) - without going through the dial up process.
Get them a $20/week digital connection like they could get onto if they lived in the 'Chicago-land area', and hey, you've got a luxury an Aussie can afford.
Else potential ADSL customers will continue to pay $5-$7 a week for a Dial Up Connection and, say, an average of 75c/day in dial up charges. Cuz sure, they'll suffer the log on time, but hey, they'll pocket the change.