Telstra unleashes new broadband prices

Discounts for longer contracts and bundling.

Telstra has made good on chief executive David Thodey’s recent promise to revise its fixed-line broadband internet plans, introducing a bevy of options for new and current users to consider.

The telco also rebranded its entry-level product speeds of 1.5 Mbps ADSL1 and 8 Mbps cable as ‘Turbo’ and ADSL2+ and cable plans with speeds between 17 and 30 Mbps as ‘Elite’, according to a tweet by the BigPond team.

The cheapest pricing on the broadband plans appeared dependent on how many services Telstra customers bundled together under a single bill.

Users could save $10 per month by signing on for 24 months instead of 12 months. If they signed for two years and bundled at least one other “eligible Telstra service” in, they could save “up to $20 per month.”

Telstra also said it was introducing new “high usage plans of 100 GB and 200 GB to satisfy the growing demand for movie downloads and more family members connecting at the same time.”

A 12-month, ADSL2+ plan with 100GB would cost $129.95 per month. For 200GB, expect to pay $179.95 per month, Telstra indicated.

The telco said there were no excess usage charges on most plans, with speeds throttled to 64 Kbps if the user reached their quota limit. Only the entry-level 2 GB plan charged for excess usage, at a rate of 15c per MB.

The acting group managing director of Telstra Consumer, Glenice Maclellan, said the plans “catered for the changing way Australians were using broadband for communication and entertainment at home."