"We are Enhancing you NBN Service - And it will cost you more":

[RooFlyer]

What cheeses me off is getting an e-mail from Telstra saying "We HAVE changed your business internet plan, now "unlimited" and its costing you $20/month more".

Given that I don't nearly use the current data allowance (not even close), that didn't suit, so I called. Made to call via the app ... nice bloke in Perth but basically there is no cheaper business plan - its unlimited or unlimited with speed boost.

He suggested a residential plan - but I pointed out to HIM that these 1) don't have mobile dongle back-up to the NBN modem, if NBN goes down, and 2) speeds are guaranteed in evening for residential, as opposed to business hours for business.

I have oodles of phone data and will be testing the speed (4G where I live/work) over the next month to see if it can replace the NBN.

 

[MARTINE]

What cheeses me off is getting an e-mail from Telstra saying "We HAVE changed your business internet plan, now "unlimited" and its costing you $20/month more".

Given that I don't nearly use the current data allowance (not even close), that didn't suit, so I called. Made to call via the app ... nice bloke in Perth but basically there is no cheaper business plan - its unlimited or unlimited with speed boost.

He suggested a residential plan - but I pointed out to HIM that these 1) don't have mobile dongle back-up to the NBN modem, if NBN goes down, and 2) speeds are guaranteed in evening for residential, as opposed to business hours for business.

I have oodles of phone data and will be testing the speed (4G where I live/work) over the next month to see if it can replace the NBN.

I have never had nbn and use 4G mobile Sim and modem from 0works. Works extremely well

 

[Pushka]

What cheeses me off is getting an e-mail from Telstra saying "We HAVE changed your business internet plan, now "unlimited" and its costing you $20/month more".

Given that I don't nearly use the current data allowance (not even close), that didn't suit, so I called. Made to call via the app ... nice bloke in Perth but basically there is no cheaper business plan - its unlimited or unlimited with speed boost.

He suggested a residential plan - but I pointed out to HIM that these 1) don't have mobile dongle back-up to the NBN modem, if NBN goes down, and 2) speeds are guaranteed in evening for residential, as opposed to business hours for business.

I have oodles of phone data and will be testing the speed (4G where I live/work) over the next month to see if it can replace the NBN.

Similar to Optus who continually update their plans so any change becomes a new plan. Just after their data breach they sent out an email saying they were upgrading us as our plan no longer existed. No way in hell will I commit to another three years when we own all our mobiles. And the data increase wasn't that great but moot as we never use more than half anyway. So I ignored it. Two weeks later I get a phone call asking why I didn't accept their generous offer. Pointed out it wasn't generous and signing up involved commitment which isn't going to happen. Ok. Will take you off the list. Two weeks ago - same person called me asking the same thing. I simply said I've already spoken to you and am not interested.

 

[TheRealTMA]

What cheeses me off is getting an e-mail from Telstra saying "We HAVE changed your business internet plan, now "unlimited" and its costing you $20/month more".

Given that I don't nearly use the current data allowance (not even close), that didn't suit, so I called. Made to call via the app ... nice bloke in Perth but basically there is no cheaper business plan - its unlimited or unlimited with speed boost.

He suggested a residential plan - but I pointed out to HIM that these 1) don't have mobile dongle back-up to the NBN modem, if NBN goes down, and 2) speeds are guaranteed in evening for residential, as opposed to business hours for business.

I have oodles of phone data and will be testing the speed (4G where I live/work) over the next month to see if it can replace the NBN.

Any reason you can’t keep your same Gateway modem and change to lower plan?

 

[RooFlyer]

Any reason you can’t keep your same Gateway modem and change to lower plan?

I probably could, but last time I changed my Telstra plan, a new modem came anyway .... But the lower (residential) plan isn't good enough, given its dicey speeds during the day and lack of mobile data dongle backup when the NBN goes down. Oh, you mean use the existing modem and dongle with the residential plan? Dunno if the mobile dongle would work.

 

[TheRealTMA]

I probably could, but last time I changed my Telstra plan, a new modem came anyway .... But the lower (residential) plan isn't good enough, given its dicey speeds during the day and lack of mobile data dongle backup when the NBN goes down. Oh, you mean use the existing modem and dongle with the residential plan? Dunno if the mobile dongle would work.

Yes they send you a new one , just stick it in the cupboard with all the others!

Don’t see why you can’t just use the existing modem, and the mobile backup should still work AFAIK.

Dongle? Mine has a built in SIM for outages.

 

[JohnM]

Dongle? Mine has a built in SIM for outages.

As does my Telstra-supplied modem (and it's several years old).

 

[tgh]

Optus sent us a "special" offer to upgrade our plan…massive monthly increase and no better..hmmm.. no thanks...
We have ignored further repeated offers but I guess eventually they will force us to "enhance" our plan…which presently costs peanuts and gives us enough data to run the whole street..

Bought a portable 5g modem for the unit..@ $399 + Telstra plan @$25pcm
Much much cheaper than any NBN fibre to the node connection available in the unit as we just have a casual need atm
It is so fast it burned my fingers…...

 

[drron]

Back in the day we both had Telstra $5 a month plans as we only needed to receive calls when we were out. About once a month got offers to upgrade our plans. It took 3 - 4 years before they scrapped the $5 plan.

 

[p--and--t]

Yes they send you a new one , just stick it in the cupboard with all the others!

Don’t see why you can’t just use the existing modem, and the mobile backup should still work AFAIK.

Dongle? Mine has a built in SIM for outages.

Have been having problems with my cable internet (no NBN in our building) and it went down again yesterday. After reporting it again, the Telstra tech told me the SIM backup on the Telstra modems only have max 60G capacity and he had to "top up my SIM card" for me in case the link went down again as I had been running on the backup mobile sim for a few days and used up much of the allowance.

 

[RooFlyer]

Dongle? Mine has a built in SIM for outages.

Yeah, thumb drive sized thing plugged in via USB that sticks out of it. Its maybe 6 years old.



Tasmania remember. Where tech comes to die.

 

[TheRealTMA]

Yeah, thumb drive sized thing plugged in via USB that sticks out of it. Its maybe 6 years old.

View attachment 311195

Tasmania remember. Where tech comes to die.

Ah. Older version of telstra gateway. NFI try it and see? What type of NBN connection is it?

Otherwise I have a spare new telstra gateway cable modem if that’s useful.

 

[VPS]

I'm still on a $40 a month Telstra phone plan that gives me sh!tloads of data that I never use and unlimited overseas calls to many countries. They keep offering me new plans but I'm good (especially because they stuffed up sometime more than two years ago and gave me a substantial credit so I haven't paid anything for over a year)

 

[FlyingKangaroo]

I'm still on a $40 a month Telstra phone plan that gives me sh!tloads of data that I never use and unlimited overseas calls to many countries. They keep offering me new plans but I'm good (especially because they stuffed up sometime more than two years ago and gave me a substantial credit so I haven't paid anything for over a year)

Similar with me and Vodafone. I'd set up a prepaid back in Melbourne after working in Singapore a few years just to get going and never got around to signing up for a postpaid plan. In the end I was content with the offering and these days nothing they offer either prepaid or postpaid is nearly as good, so I've just kept the auto-recharge on and they've never forced me off it.

 

[MARTINE]

Similar with me and Vodafone. I'd set up a prepaid back in Melbourne after working in Singapore a few years just to get going and never got around to signing up for a postpaid plan. In the end I was content with the offering and these days nothing they offer either prepaid or postpaid is nearly as good, so I've just kept the auto-recharge on and they've never forced me off it.

In my expereience if the consumer is getting a good deal the company will try to ‘upgrade’ because they are not making enough profit.
Hence why defined benefit super schemes went to the graveyard

 

[Quickstatus]

business internet plan,

You mean via 4G?

 

[RooFlyer]

You mean via 4G?

Current internet is through Telstra/NBN FttN business plan, 'guaranteeing' 50 Mbps down, 17 (from memory) up during business hours. There is some data limit, but I don't know it, since I never go close. Maybe 500Gb per month; I'd use 100 at absolute MAX. If I needed to backup my laptop from scratch, I'd take it into the uni and use their wi-fi @ 200+Mbps.

Telstra want me ... no, HAVE moved me ... to an unlimited data plan, same speed, $20/month more. No cheaper business plans. So I see my options as:

* Telstra residential plan, but that 'officially' has no 4G back-up if the NBN fails (as TRTMA noted, it might work anyway) and guarantees the speed in the evening, not during the day. I'm in a semi-rural area, so NBN going down is rare, but happens. Speed during the day would probably be OK. Same speed plan is about the same as current price I have; cheaper plan less (I'll need to check).

* See what plans other NBN providers offer., but its a pretty uncompetitive market

* Go to Telstra 4G only, either hot-spotting off my phone (phone data plan probably enough data, or I could boost it for not much), or a separate 4G modem feeding house/office wi-fi. Catch here is that during holidays, the shackies invade the place, all using their mobiles, day and night (streaming). Before NBN, I was on mobile internet and it completely clagged during summer holidays (incl calls!!). That was 3G but with streaming etc I expect the same would be now with 4G. I'll be testing it over the coming month.

Thoughts welcome. I don't need blazing speeds; 50 Mbps is perfectly adequate for me but I do want it when I want it.

 

[Quickstatus]

Telstra/NBN FttN business plan, 'guaranteeing' 50 Mbps down

Nah, thats just marketing. Has nothing to do with any guarantee of speed. NBN does not wholesale with guarantees during certain times of the day.

One way to understand this is to look at the CVC graphs. Unfortunately Hellstra does not publish their CVC graphs.
But Aussie broadband does. You can find your POI here. You can see that for all of the POI (point of interconnect) - the actual traffic in the POI is highest in the evening. During business hours the traffic is way below the amount of CVC allocated (CVC limit) at the POI by the provider. The top blue line is the CVC allocation or limit and the black line is the total instantaneous traffic. You can see that the business hours traffic is always going to be guaranteed because there is a significant headroom between business hours traffic and CVC limit. This is similar for all POI

Basically Hellstra is selling you a guarantee akin to a guarantee that the sun will always rise in the east.

I would not rely on the 4g failover capability. While the failover is carried by the 4G network, the speeds are capped at 25/5, however the real speeds are likely lower due to all the factors that limit a 4g signal - such as distance to tower, congestion on the tower.

You would be better off using the data on your phone as a backup via the personal hotspot capability on your phone.

Recommendation: Just get a standard 50mbs plan, and use the data on your phone as a backup - especially when your 4g speed on your phone is higher than the 4g failover. Also consider Aussie broadband. Prices are more or less the same but not having to call Hellstra support overseas makes it a very easy choice. ABB has excellent local call centres in Morwell, Warnambool and Adelaide. They hold all my NBN accounts. The only account I have with Hellstra are the mobile accounts.

What cheeses me off? = #IhateHellstra

 

[RooFlyer]

Thanks! Just what I hoped someone would do Gets me a long way to make a decision to change. Dump Qantas first, and then Telstra! OK, OK, I'm slow, but I get there eventually!!

Just get a standard 50mbs plan

It appears that the ABB plans aren't speed capped/choked?? Just 'typical' speeds in the evening?? Unlimited nbn™ plans from $59/month Is that correct?

If so, then I should expect 50 Mbps during the day (the availability being there) and so get a plan with 25Mbps in the evening. If I want to stream (which I do only rarely), I'd do it through my phone, as I do now.

What do you think? I'll phone them of course, but better to be armed with some info

I'm happy to go with ABB; although I'm sure there are cheaper options, I rarely go with lowest price as I believe you get what you pay for. Do you think I need the modems ABB supply? I'd get the basic one. Could my existing Telstra one possibly work, or are these modems somehow network tied?

Has nothing to do with any guarantee of speed.

Well, I did put 'guarantee' in scare quotes

 

[drron]

Thanks! Just what I hoped someone would do Gets me a long way to make a decision to change. Dump Qantas first, and then Telstra! OK, OK, I'm slow, but I get there eventually!!



It appears that the ABB plans aren't speed capped/choked?? Just 'typical' speeds in the evening?? Unlimited nbn™ plans from $59/month Is that correct?

If so, then I should expect 50 Mbps during the day (the availability being there) and so get a plan with 25Mbps in the evening. If I want to stream (which I do only rarely), I'd do it through my phone, as I do now.

What do you think? I'll phone them of course, but better to be armed with some info

I'm happy to go with ABB; although I'm sure there are cheaper options, I rarely go with lowest price as I believe you get what you pay for. Do you think I need the modems ABB supply? I'd get the basic one. Could my existing Telstra one possibly work, or are these modems somehow network tied?

View attachment 311355



Well, I did put 'guarantee' in scare quotes

We are with ABB and recently upgraded to the 50Mb plan as it was a special offer. As far as our speed goes it seems their quoted speed is a minimum rather than a maximum most times.
Drops a bit when the kids get home from school so go for a walk then.