As the NBN rollout continues in Tasmania, Internode has announced their pricing plans for the fibre broadband network. For those living within the service range of the first stage of the NBN pilot rollout, the entry-level $29.95 plan will include 15GB per month at 25Mbps download and 2Mbps upload speeds. The prices will stay in place until June 30, 2011.
That kind of data allowance, says Internode, makes it better value than their current ADSL standard and ADSL2+ Extreme plans, which start at $39.95 a month and don't offer anywhere near the top speeds of broadband delivered via fibre.
But don't get too excited yet. As cheap as the prices may seem to the rest of the country, they are part of a pilot program and "may bear little resemblance to what emerges under the NBN proper", managing director Simon Hackett said in a statement.
Internode is the third ISP to announce NBN Internet plans in Tasmania. iiNet, the country's third largest ISP, recently released their pricing for the pilot programme, with 25Mbps plans costing $49.95 for 10GB. iPrimus has launced similar plans, but none have come close to the $29.95 deal offered by Internode.
Hackett is calling the NBN rollout an important learning exercise for the ISP, giving the company the opportunity to learn more about fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) and "how customers use fibre broadband".
While Internode's entry level plans offer 25Mbps download speeds, 100Mbps connections will start from $59.95 per month.
Internode has already launched FTTH services elsewhere in Australia at nine commercial and residential estates via the OptiComm network, and to residents of Point Cook, Victoria using the Telstra FTTP network.
