BigPond massively cuts broadband plan costs

Hell yes! Finally Bigpond!

Pitty they still count uploads, have constant caching issues with youtube and have the most unreliable usage meter!

F

Pity they aren't any other ISP... and refuse to offer less than a 24 month contract: Are they worried we won't like their service?

Isaac

They are like other isps there are 12 month contracts on bigpond

What about wireless broadband? I would love the opportunity to get one of these great plans, but I can't. Telstra won't install a proper line, instead I have to have a pair gain line and the only carrier in the area is Telstra.. So I end up getting a 10gb wireless plan for $130 per month. What a joke! 10gb is the max I can have and the price is a rip off! Try maintaining 10gb per month with a family of 6 that have every gadget imaginable that uses the net. It doesn't take too long before we're shaped. Thanks again Telstra for looking after everyone else besides wireless users.....

"Julian Kirk
Mon 26/07/2010 - 15:08
What about wireless broadband? I would love the opportunity to get one of these great plans..."
In case you come back: Your situation sucks. But if you're actually paying $130 you CAN call them and get them to put you on the latest version of the plan (without any fees, contract changes) which is $119, $109 with one other Telstra service, and $99 with 2 other services. It's still only 10 miserable GB :S

Why would anyone use Telstra when TPG are currently offering 180GB, 90GB peak/off-peak, which not many people will use completely, for as little as 49.99 per month.

Telstra offering 2GB for 39.95 is an insult.

Pity most people don't understand technology or are too scared to move/change internet service providers when their current contract expires, (which with Telstra/optus etc can have you stuck for 24 months), have to admit though, TPG's contract is 18 months. Still, what you get is way more usable bandwidth and no counting uploads, (for the above account). See their terms and conditions etc on the site. http://www.tpg.com.au

No, I do not work for them, but I am incredibly sick of the large companies not giving customers a better deal when it becomes available.

Hope the above helps.

Because a LOT of people myself included dont have any DSLAMS other than Telstra in the Excahnge and never will have TPG

Easy answer

I wouldn't use TPG as I am usually asleep at 2am in the morning, so I would only use the internet in peak times.

I wouldn't recommend TPG, I am currently with them, and have been for years. Their recent promotions of huge download offers is really effecting the performance. I used to recommend them, and now I don't, its clear TPG is not doing anything to improve performance. Glad to see Bigpond have revised it price. I don't recommend anyone to take up a long term plan. The next 6-12 months should see some crazy offers out there. Im gonna wait and see what the NBN does in my area.

Part 1 of 3

Hi

What I would like to see is the industry recognise that wireless users are being left too far behind. The problem is that Telstra see anyone using NextG as a mobile user, when in fact many people use wireless as their fixed service as they are unable to be serviced by ADSL or Cable.

Telstra's new plans are great if you are fortunate enough to be serviced by ADSL or Cable, however if your not you are paying up to 28 times more per GB than what ADSL or Cable users are.

A quick look at the top available plan for ADSL and Cable sees a user able to get 200GB's of data from as little as 35 cents per GB. On comparison anyone on wireless is only able to obtain a maximum of 10GB per month at a whopping $9.95 per GB. That is up to 28 times more than what ADSL or Cable users are paying.

At the Telstra announcement found at http://www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/announcements/new-bigpond-broadband-prices-reflect-new-age-of-digital-home.xml

Telstra Executive Director Consumer, Ms Rebekah O’Flaherty says;

'the better value plans were timely in light of new Telstra research which showed internet access along with food and heating were the three things Australians would least like to spend a day without.'

“The average Australian household has entered a new age of online connectivity. Telstra’s research reveals more than half of all households now feature four or more types of internet enabled devices - from wireless laptops to smartphones, the T-Hub®, game consoles and internet TV PVRs such as the T-Box®.'

However this does not include wireless users, especially those that have to use wireless as their fixed broadband service. We are a family of five and we have more than four internet capable devices also, however we cannot use them due to the limitation of 10GB per month at the very high cost. Even if they were to bring in a 20GB plan at more than the 10GB current price it would just be too expensive to have. However we apparently are not an average family.

continued in part 2...

Part 2 of 3

“With information, entertainment and news being enjoyed across multiple devices in the house, it’s not surprising that consumer demand for speed, simplicity and value from their broadband is growing.'

This growth is for everyone, the internet does not stop growing for wireless users, it is the same internet and is getting more and more rich in media that my family is not able to enjoy the fullness of the internet. For example we cannot allow downloads unless I give the OK, my children cannot watch YouTube videos or any other videos. They are not allowed to play online games. We cannot video Skype family back in Perth and we have to be careful of the sites we visit to ensure the data to load those pages is not too high. We rarely make it to day 15 before we get shaped to 64k which is not much better than dial-up speeds.

“Telstra realises customers’ needs are changing, which is why our new BigPond broadband plans deliver greater data allowances at lower prices, allowing household members to do more on the internet for less,” Ms O’Flaherty said.'

They don’t deliver any of this to wireless users, no increases in quota or lower prices. Wireless members cannot to more on the internet for less, we have been ignored and that in my view is discriminatory to those users that are not serviced by ADSL or Cable.

While there appears to have been a small saving added to wireless of $10 per month that is a smokescreen that is actually no discount at all applied as those discounts were already available but have cleverly been marketed to look like they are added discounts. For example we already get 10GB for $99.95 as we get a single bill discount from Telstra so the new discount is not correct at all.

I have suggested a possible additional solution to Telstra by way of a new broadband delivery service be setup called 'Fixed Wireless' which is as the title suggests, access to Telstra Wireless (NextG) but from a fixed location only.

The Fixed Wireless service can be set so it is ONLY made available to households that cannot access Fixed Line services such as ADSL or Cable of which can be verified by a Telstra Technician.

The Fixed Wireless service cannot be used for mobile purposes and is restricted to the physical address of the household location (this may be up to three towers to ensure continuity of service if a tower close by goes down).

Continued in Part 3...

Part 3 of 3

The Fixed Wireless service is then priced similar to that of other fixed broadband access services like ADSL and Cable.

If anyone that has a Fixed Wireless service wants a mobile service they can as ADSL and Cable users do, sign up for a mobile service at an additional cost at the current Wireless prices.

I feel the introduction of a Fixed Wireless service will remove the inequality of services provided to those that cannot get ADSL or Cable and will bring about a fairer system for all and choice for all to use what they want based on the plan they choose to use each month.

While I understand there are possible issues relating to congestion there are other options for Telstra to overcome this by upgrading equipment or installing DSL or Cable services where they currently do not exist. I get emails from many that say the only reason they cannot get ADSL is because of the lack of ports, so if ports are added then the number of users on wireless will surely drop and reduce congestion.

There is also the rural and regional areas where congestion would rarely be an issue as the numbers would be nothing like they are in the major centres or cities, therefore those locations could handle additional loads quite effectively, however again if not, then maybe those areas need to have DSL services extended to service a greater number of people in those areas.

While I also appreciate that other providers do not service us at all, there is little I can do about that, however Telstra do service us but charge excessive amounts in doing so as they know we have no other choice.

Finally I am not after like for like plans for wireless to ADSL, as I know this will not happen, but even 1/4 or 1/5 the quota at a similar price would be a good start. For example provide 40GB or 50GB for $89.95 (before discounts), provide 20GB for $69.95 (before discounts, provide 3GB for $39.95 (before discounts) and then wireless users can start to enjoy the internet as ADSL and Cable users do, not completely but a step closer.

Thanks

GW

Nice now that Telstra has almost made people forget that they are going to censor your internet connection with their flashy new prices.

Nice marketing trick Telstra, make people forget about you are going censor the internet by using new flashy plans to rake in the people and then censor their internet connections.

Telstra is running scared of losing customers with their internet filter.

Bob, your right. As for the rest of you guys claiming Bigpond is the bee's knees, your dead wrong. TPG offer way better packages that don't count uploads, as for Bigpond, you show me a decent price plan with up's not included, bet you won't. 25 and 50 GB plans should be shelved and any ISP trying (as Bigpond have) to offer less should be ridiculed as the thieves they are. They prey on those not knowing how the ISP's work into parting with their hard earned cash for nothing. So at the end of this rant TPG all the way.

Time to leave bigpond again. As in the past ten to 15 years, whenever Telstra cut their internet plans and/or usage charges drastically, their network would be flooded with traffic from new members in no time. Then Telstra would introduce a whole new range of higher-cost plans, often using newer technology thus faster (remember from dialup to ADSL1 ?), and try to lure the longer-term customers into re-contracting on the new plans for another 2 years.
I would prefer Telstra to keep their plans more expensive than other ISPs'(for the same download quota), so that their network remain accessible to more or less only people who can afford to or would like to pay more to enjoy the higher speed and less congested network, while not worrying about having a smaller quota in download volume.