An offshoot of broadband community Web site www.whirlpool.net.au, the new site www.BroadbandChoice.com.au has been floating around as a concept for a couple of months, according to Whirlpool founder Simon Wright, and cranked to life midnight on Sunday. It offers detailed information about every residential plan currently available, with listings tailored for each capital city and state.
-Whirlpool.net.au has become a valuable resource for people who have broadband, but there was nothing out there to help people considering the move from dial-up to faster ADSL or cable services," Wright told ZDNet Australia. "And we're not talking about saving a few dollars here or there," he added. -For example, one of the heavily promoted companies is charging more than double Telstra's rates."
According to Wright, BroadbandChoice is the only summary site out there that focuses on the residential market. Unlike businesses, which are more likely to have knowledgeable people on hand to select an ISP, many home customers don't have the time or expertise to wade through dozens of choices, he said.
Several site features are still in the development stage, according to Wright, including a system that will search for the best broadband plan for users. -Some people want faster speeds, whilst others want more megabytes for the dollar...there are literally dozens of criteria which separates one broadband plan from another," he said.
Users of a broadband ISP will eventually be able to post their opinions of the service and Wright intents to include a "value" rating, which will be an indicator of the value for money a given plan represents.
Every ISP listed on the site will be offered the ability to make any changes and updates themselves, Wright said. -Since it's in the ISP's interest to have their listing as accurate as possible, we believe that having timely and accurate information won't be an issue."
-Feedback has been overwhelmingly positive so far, from both broadband users and ISP representatives," Wright said.
These broadband infomation sites have long critisised the broadband providers for there pricing.
The fact remains, it still costs someone to provide these services, and when it comes down to it... It's Telstra or the Last Mile carrier who have to foot the bills.
Quit winging and learn the real prive it costs to provide you with what you want.