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While several American broadband providers contemplate limiting customer’s broadband usage or launching usage-based billing, Australia is headed in the other direction with today’s introduction of the country’s first truly unlimited and unthrottled broadband plan for a flat monthly price.
AAPT, part of the Telecom New Zealand Group, claims its new Entertainment Bundle will revolutionize broadband in Australia as its competitors are forced to adopt unlimited plans of their own to compete.
For $88US per month, AAPT offers ADSL2+ 20Mbps service that has no usage limits, no throttled speeds, and no metered billing. The plan also includes free home phone line rental and a monthly $50 voucher good for downloading from the AAPT In Song music store, offering one million songs. A Wi-Fi modem is also included in the plan.
AAPT's unlimited plan is the first to dispense with usage allowances, speed throttles, and metered billing for Australian broadband users
AAPT CEO Paul Broad said the company’s new unlimited plans would deliver Australians better broadband.
“You go to the United States and there’s no such things as caps – you get online and get an unlimited download,” he said. “Consumers don’t know what these caps mean.”
Broad
The plan requires a two year service contract. Australian broadband pricing always includes a total cost of the plan over the length of the contract. For this particular plan, it’s $2,129.34US for two years of service.
Previously, AAPT offered unlimited downloading only between the hours of 2am-8am local time. Daytime usage was limited to a maximum of 60GB per month, with speeds throttled to 64kbps for the remainder of the month if you exceeded your plan allowance.
“We were first to market with 2am-8am unlimited [service], then 8pm–8am unlimited, and now 24/7 Unlimited Broadband downloads plus music streaming,” Broad said.
The company still reserves the right to terminate service for grossly excessive usage, not specifically defined, but that is a common right reserved by virtually every service provider.
Would-be customers are finding AAPT’s website and broadband plans confusing because AAPT’s broadband plans page does not yet contain details of the truly unlimited plan, which can be found here.
AAPT invites those with questions to call them on 132 082.
