Telecom rival offers new fast net plans

By JUHA SAARINEN

TelstraClear is challenging Telecom with a range of new fast internet access plans with large monthly data allowances in areas covered by its cable network - Wellington, Kapiti and Christchurch.

The three new plans are called HighSpeed 1G, which provides 2 megabits per second download and 512 kilobit/s upload speed, plus a 1 gigabyte data allowance per month, for $39.95. If you get a Saturn phone line at the same time, the price is $64.90.

HighSpeed 5G offers the same speed as the lowest-priced plan, but gives you a 5 gigabyte data cap at $59.95 or $84.90 with a phone line.

The fastest plan is the Lightspeed 10G, which comes with a 10 gigabyte per month data cap and 10 megabit/s download and 1 megabit/s upload speeds - the fastest residential internet access option in New Zealand. This plan costs $139.95 or $164.90 if you get a phone line, too.

Each of the above plans requires users to rent a cable modem from TelstraClear at $10.95 a month.

The previous split charging for international and domestic traffic has been abandoned, with all data charged at the same rate.

Compared to Telecom's recently announced new Jetstream ADSL plans, TelstraClear's plans are theoretically between eight to 50 times faster in download speed and four to 10 times faster for uploads.

Cable network users share the bandwith on each segment, so the actual performance depends on how heavily it is used.

Pricing for Telecom's Jetstream plans ranges from $39.95 for 1 gigabyte monthly data allowance, to $49.95 for 3 gigabytes to $69.95 for 10 gigabytes (if you don't put all your phone calls through Telecom, a penalty rate of $10 a month applies to the Jetstream plans). A Telecom phone line is also needed for Jetstream, at about $39 a month.

Unlike Telecom, TelstraClear charges for usage over the monthly cap in large blocks. For Highspeed1G, you pay $4.95 per 100 megabytes over the cap, and for Highspeed 5G, it is $9.95 for each 500 megabytes excess data.

Lightspeed 10G users pay $14.95 per gigabyte.

Once you go over 600 megabyte excess for Highspeed 1G, 3 gigabytes for Highspeed 5G and 6 gigabytes for Lightspeed 10G, the cost per MB is 4.95c, 1.99c and 1.5c respectively.*

Telecom charges 5c per megabyte for additional data on the 1 gigabyte and 3 gigabyte plans, but nothing for the 10 gigabyte one.

Customers on that plan will see their connection speed reduced to modem dial-up level instead, once the 10 gigabyte monthly cap has been used up.

* CORRECTION. In the original version of this report, charges per MB were incorrectly stated.