Internode Launches Extreme Broadband - Australia's First ADSL2+
National broadband innovator Internode has beaten its rivals to market again by delivering full production ADSL2+ broadband services more than 12 months before Telstra's announced kick-off date.
Internode calls these new services "Extreme Broadband" because ADSL2+ runs at peak speeds up to an incredible 24 megabits per second (Mbps). This is 16 times faster than Telstra’s top-speed broadband plan and more than twice as fast as Telstra's cable service.
Internode threw the switch to become Australia's first ADSL2+ broadband provider this week after the Australian Communications Industry Forum (ACIF) published a revised technical standard for the use of ADSL2 and ADSL2+ on Telstra's copper pair access network. Internode has immediately upgraded its current ADSL2 customers to ADSL2+ plans for free.
The ADSL2+ plans double the download speed of ADSL2 at the same cost. Internode has branded all its ADSL2+ plans with the name Extreme. To access Internode's Extreme Broadband services, you must be in an Agile Communications ADSL2+ DSLAM coverage area. For the highest possible speeds, you need to use an ADSL2+ capable access device such as the Linksys WAG54Gv2, sold and supported by Internode.
Internode Extreme Broadband is already available for customers in Adelaide, Melbourne and several rural South Australian towns. The company has a published schedule to deploy its ADSL2+ services throughout the eastern states in coming months.
Internode managing director Simon Hackett said the real win from ADSL2+ was delivering the "triple play" of Internet, voice and video. "With ADSL2+, you can run two high definition video channels and still have 10 megs left over for blisteringly fast Internet access," he said.
"Our network is built to handle these amazing speeds. We run our own fibre to the exchange. We're launching our NodePhone Voice over Broadband service in May and we'll launch video services after that. ADSL2+ was the last network enhancement needed to make that triple play possible."
Internode (www.internode.on.net) is a leading Australian broadband services and Internet services provider. Based in Adelaide, it is a premier provider of business-class Internet access and professional services to organisations throughout Australia. Internode founder Simon Hackett, also President of the SA Internet Association, is an Internet pioneer who was involved in AARNet, which brought the Internet to Australia’s shores in the 1980s.
In early March, Internode became the first broadband services provider in Australia to offer full production ADSL2 broadband services, capable of download speeds as fast as 12 Mbps. Extreme Broadband marks Internode’s latest step to set the broadband agenda.
Internode’s entry-level Extreme Broadband services for home customers start from $59.95 with a 15GB download quota. The $79.95 HOME Extreme-Pro service has a 30GB quota. For $119, the quota is lifted to 60GB. SOHO ADSL2 services start at $99.95 with a 30GB quota while for $139.95, there is no download restriction. Both SOHO plans are actually $10 less expensive than Internode’s equivalent 1.5Mbps plans which are based on a service provided by Telstra.
Internode has also extended its Tier 1 broadband network to the west coast of the US to ensure its ADSL2+ customers encounter no bottlenecks. The company has established fully redundant connections between two data centres in Sydney and facilities in San Francisco and Los Angeles. These links are easily expanded as demand grows.
