The form of DSL offered by BigPond is ADSL (Asymmetric Digital Subscriber Line), meaning that the upload speed is lower than the download speed.

We tested the BigPond Freedom Deluxe ADSL plan, with its maximum download speed of 512Kbit/sec and maximum upload speed of 128Kbit/sec. This package is designed for the home user who regularly uses the Internet, and has a monthly cost of $105.50, or $89 with Telstra pre-selected for phone calls. If a user wishes for more than one computer to be hooked up to a single ADSL connection, an additional $11 is charged per IP. Installation costs range from $399 for the three month contract, to $259 for the 12 month contract, and finally the cheapest option of $189 for the 18 month contract, and includes an Alcatel DSL modem as well as any necessary line filters.

After having our first installation appointment cancelled by Telstra due to a lack of available ports at the local exchange, we eventually had the service installed after another two months of waiting. Initially the service ran superbly, but we soon noticed regular service outages during which we could not use the ADSL network. Thankfully, Telstra is increasing the stability of the network, with less network downtime in recent weeks, but it still isnt quite as reliable as the more mature broadband networks, such as cable. As our benchmarks show, BigPond ADSL performs very close to the advertised speeds. Ping times were also extremely low, generally in the range of 35-50ms to local servers, making it excellent for online gaming.

BigPond ADSL doesnt offer any significant original content except for the main Telstra portal, making Optus@Home the leader in content for home users.

Additionally, BigPond ADSL isnt the cheapest of the broadband options. However, for those who cant get access to the cable networks, BigPond ADSL does offer performance that is comparable to BigPond Cable, far exceeding that of a dial-up connection. If you can afford it and really need the additional performance that broadband offers, BigPond ADSL will satisfy your needs.