 Wannabe broadband
Monday, 8 August 2005
According to the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), broadband is defined as a transmission capacity that is faster than 1.5 Mbps.
So, if Australia is a member of the ITU, why do Telstra, Optus, iPrimus, Pacific and others all advertise their “popular” ADSL services as “broadband” when they’re not able (or willing) to offer anywhere near that sort of throughput at these widely and heavily advertised prices:
iPrimus ($19.95) 256/64 kbps
Optus ($29.95) 256/64 kbps
Pacific ($39.95) 256/64 kbps
Telstra ($29.95) 256/64 kbps
One could be excused in thinking it’s all a big marketing lie. Throughput which is at least six times slower than broadband is not broadband. It’s “wannabe broadband” at best.
According to Telstra’s own broadband propaganda:
“ADSL, Cable and Satellite all fall into the Broadband category, giving you a number of options for enjoying an amazing online experience … You see, the thing that all Broadband access methods have in common is incredible speed. These are among the fastest ways for you to surf, share, download, upload and play games online.”
Incredible speed? Really? Not at those prices you won’t get it. Especially considering the high contention ratios used by these providers.
With our federal government desperately trying to privatise Telstra, it’s no surprise that they want to keep the charade going, but I wonder if Helen Coonan has broadband at home?
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