The corporation has removed the AU$500 modem cost and is offering untimed local voice calls for less than 20 cents for home customers, while business customers are being offered voice calls for less than 20 cents if they don't go over five minutes.
ISDN is similar to a standard phone service entering homes and offices via the normal copper cable. Once connected, the single copper cable is transformed into an information pipeline that consists of two lines each capable of carrying 64 kbps.
Because ISDN uses the standard copper wire phone system it has a far greater reach than services such as cable broadband services, and since 1998 has been available to 96 per cent of Australians.
However, in the past the service has been considered far too expensive for home users. It is now closer to the cost of other broadband services such as cable and satellite which cost AU$65.95 a month for unlimited access, but do not include voice call services and have varying infrastructure costs for the subscriber.
Telstra's General Manager, ISDN Services, Ian Fleet, said OnRamp Business Highway and OnRamp Home Highway digital services would support EFTPOS, phone, email, fax, Internet and data, e-commerce, videoconferencing and flexible working.
Under the new pricing structure home users with an existing phone connection will be charged AU$190.30 for the installation of a second line, which is required for ISDN, and a monthly access charge of AU$42.90 a month, which includes AU$5.50 worth of calls.
There will be a further charge of AU$1.10 an hour with a 16.5 cents connection fee for local high-speed connection to the Internet. Voice calls will cost 19.8 cents a call or 16.5 cents for Telstra's local Neighbourhood Calls. STD and ISD calls are charged at standard rates.
Businesses will pay between AU$66 and AU$220 a month access fees depending on the plan with a varying amount of free calls included in the cost. Data calls will be charged by the minute with the first three minutes costing 22 cents and 3.3 cents a minute from then on.
Voice calls will cost 19.8 cents for the first five minutes and 4.4 cents per additional minute during peak periods.
