[mark in japan]

Here in Japan i have unlimited broadband access. i know back in the UK many of the plans work on number of hours usage. But in NZ it seems its on the amount of data you download. I have no idea what this means. ANyone gone from an hourly plan to this data capped plan? can you give any idea what 1GB per month means? (i know it depends on what your looking at, but a general idea of whether say 25 hours per month easily exceeds 1GB etc)

regards
Mark

[richard]

But in NZ it seems its on the amount of data you download. I have no idea what this means. ANyone gone from an hourly plan to this data capped plan? can you give any idea what 1GB per month means?

It is actually upload and download added together. I am on Telecom's 256MB/3GB per month plan. I work from home looking after computer systems back in the UK and use VPN software to get to them. There is quite a traffic overhead using the software but this is the total after 25 days:-

Total Downloads: 1459.72 MB
Total Uploads 1104.42 MB
Total Usage: 2564.14 MB

That is for working on-line for 8 hours a day then 2-3 hours general surfing on top. The cost for this service is $49.95 per month.

[Dave & Sandra]

We are on Telecom's Xtra broadband and it was $39.95 per month for 1GB but they have changed it now - see quote

Good news about broadband

We've got some good news – we'll soon be upgrading your monthly Xtra JetStream plan .

No more excess usage charges: use the Internet as much as you like and all you'll pay is $39.95 for your monthly plan. That means no nasty surprises when your bill arrives!

At the moment, if you exceed your 1GB monthly data cap you're charged 5c for every additional megabyte you use. Once we make the switch you can surf and download as much as you like at no additional cost.

If you do go over your 1GB monthly allowance, all you'll see is your connection speed reduced to a maximum of 64kbs (dial-up speed) for the rest of that month.

You don't need to do anything – we'll make the change automatically during November and December. You'll know the upgrade has happened when you get your Telecom bill and notice the name of your Xtra JetStream plan has changed from ‘Xtra JetStream Surf' to ‘Xtra JetStream Go'.

Removing excess usage charges is just one way we're improving broadband for our customers. We're also introducing a range of new plans with higher speeds. In fact, for just $5.00 more each month you could get a plan with four times your current download speed. Check out http://xtra.co.nz/newplans to see what's available.

Finally, as more and more New Zealanders sign up for broadband, Telecom will be making some network changes to ensure everybody can get the best from their connection.

As a result, you may notice a slight change in your Internet experience, for example the pop-up message you see when you first connect to the Internet will now more accurately reflect the speed of your plan.

For more information on the network changes and what they mean for you visit: telecom.co.nz/novemberchanges

We hope you enjoy the improved service and thanks for choosing Xtra.



Kind regards

Chris Thompson
Head of Broadband and Internet




Good news for us :nice1

Sandra

[mark in japan]

that sure sounds good. only can you call 64kb speed broadband?
Richard what speed is your connection? sounds like 3GB is virtually equivalent to unlimited use if your using it 10-11 hours per day.

thanks for the replies.
mark

[deebat]

Thanks, Richard and Sandra, for this information! This was one of my big worries going to NZ.

Richard, do you feel like you've tried to restrict yourself at all in your Internet usage (i.e., do you have a mental timer running in your head when you're working)? I've grown spoiled by all the unlimited access here in the States, and I don't want to step back to the days of pay-as-you-go!

Thanks,
Dan

[richard]

Thanks, Richard and Sandra, for this information! This was one of my big worries going to NZ.

Richard, do you feel like you've tried to restrict yourself at all in your Internet usage (i.e., do you have a mental timer running in your head when you're working)?

I do definitely! One of the tools I use is PC Anywhere to remote control a PC in the UK. That means that I can drop the connections and things keep running without me having to watch it all of the time. When PCAW is running it is screen scraping the PC in the UK and sending a lot of data over the link compared so I tend to shut it down whenever I can. It can make the difference of 40-50MB a day. At the moment I am working 7 days a week so I have to try and keep the daily usage to 100MB.

I am also having huge problems at the moment with the ADSL dropping out for a couple of minutes for absolutely no reason. It has dropped 11 times today already. This plays havoc with my VPN.

I only had 64K ISDN in the UK though so it is a big improvement on that.

[Timbo]

B U S I N E S S S T O R Y
RELATED LINKS
» More technology news

» Have your say

» Subscribe to Archivestuff






Telecom and ihug reach UBS agreement
23 December 2004

Telecom and ihug said today they had reached an agreement on a 1 and 2 megabyte (MB) unbundled bitstream service (UBS).


UBS is a wholesale high-speed internet service which allows other internet service providers (ISPs) access to Telecom's network to provide high speed broadband.

Telecom said in a statement the agreement would not affect its agreed launch dates for its UBS plans in March next year.

The UBS was originally scheduled for launch in June this year but Telecom pled technical issues and delayed the launch to September, which again did not materialise. Frustrated with the delays ihug and TelstraClear both applied to the Commerce Commission to investigate. As a result of today's agreement ihug said it had withdrawn its application to the Commission.

Recently Telecom has made a number of concessions regarding its Jetstream resale arrangements. They will now be available nationwide, after previously being excluded in competitive areas where other networks existed. Telecom also decided to allow split billing, so a retail customer could choose to keep their phone line with Telecom and take their broadband service from another service provider.

Ihug said in a statement today it would also launch higher speeds for its bliink broadband range in January.

Shares in Telecom were up 4c at $5.96 in mid-morning trade.

[Caven]

Sandra and Timbo,

Thanks for cheering me up, really good news! :nice1

[veronica]

hi acisman does this help

[acisman]

Hi Veronica

Yes, thanks, this is very helpful.


Cheers

Dave

[Radders]

Xtra Jetstream gives these figures for what amounts to 1GB
6 hours surfing everyday for a month; or 200 songs or 4000 pictures.
Hopes this helps

[jonSE]

out here on a little island off Auckland - Broadband - still researching this but i think it is cheaper than the UK and available via Radio with download limits and currently at 11Mb - faster than many network cards. or dial up access $22 per month three months up front monthly thereafter unlimited access no call charges, can't get that inthe UK

Jon

Must stop surfing so the folks back home can call us on the phone