Easy Reach sets ADSL2+ standard nationally
After negotiating improved terms with Telstra Wholesale, Internode has overhauled its entry-level broadband services to offer faster speeds, lower prices and improved data quotas.
Called Internode Easy Reach, its entry-level $39.95 plan has a five gigabyte (GB) data quota and access speeds boosted from 512 kilobits per second (kb/s) to as fast as ADSL2+.
At its most popular price point, $49.95 when bundled with a NodeLine phone service, Internode is offering a 60GB monthly data quota with the fastest available broadband service.
Internode managing director Simon Hackett said the new Easy Reach plans made it simple to choose a broadband service. "Now, we offer only one ADSL broadband speed for our customers anywhere we connect them," he said. "Every customer gets the fastest possible connection on every new plan, in every location."
Internode is replacing seven former Home broadband plans with just three Easy Reach broadband plans. As with its other Easy Broadband services, both data downloads and uploads are counted in the monthly quota. If a quota is exceeded, the service is "shaped" to a speed of 128 kilobits per second each way.
Internode has also consolidated its range of entry-level SOHO plans to just three Soho-Reach plans, which cost $10 a month more than the comparable Easy-Reach plan. The benefits of a Soho-Reach plan include a fixed IP address, unlimited uploads and faster "shaped" speeds - at 256 kb/s downstream only (full speed upstream).
Internode's existing 512, Standard and FAST2 plans will be 'grandfathered', which means that current customers can maintain them, but they are not available for purchase. There is no automatic migration to the new plans, so existing customers will only move to a new plan if they choose to.
In areas where ADSL2+ is unavailable, Internode will deliver services at full-rate ADSL1 speeds. Existing customers can change to these new plans with no plan change or upgrade costs applying, and just a 12 month contract term commitment. Customers can change from one Easy-Reach plan to another each month with no change fees and no further extension of contract term.
