Internode goes on the Fritz!

NBN-ready gateway entree for new services.

Brown box looks promising.	Inside, a WLAN USB stick, DECT phone and the Fritz!Box await unboxing.	A closer look at the AVM gear.
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National ISP Internode has started sending out the first of hundreds of Fritz!Boxes it brought into the country last month.

The national ISP that bought out the first shipment aims to use the radical, retro-futuristic-styled German internet gateways to introduce its customers to next-generation services.

The Fritz!Box combined broadband internet, digital enhanced telephony, voice over IP, wireless and wired LAN (802.11n and Gigabit Ethernet, respectively) and media streaming.

Internode managing director Simon Hackett said the decision to corner the early-adopter market on the Fritz!Box took nearly a year of thrashing out with vendor AVM.

"I've been looking for years for the ultimate kitchen sink device - something with everything in a single box for a residential or SOHO customer," Hackett said.

Delivery of the Fritz!Box missed the critical back-to-school annual upgrade cycle because the complexity of the device stymied the communications regulator that had to approve its use in Australia, said PC Range distributor general manager Stewart Goodier.

Goodier forecast about 10,000 units will be sold in the next six months as Australians geared up for the National Broadband Network and changeover to IPv6.

The biggest selling point was the device's "future-proof" nature, Hackett said. It connected to ADSL networks and to the NBN, when it was available, using the first Ethernet port.

And it worked with Internode's IPv6 network out of the box without configuration, he said.

Hackett said it had a print server; voice PABX (two analog ports), DECT cordless phones, IP multicast IPTV for FetchTV, iPhone integration and T.38 fax support including fax/email conversion.

The list of features and robustness of the device will also lower Internode support costs, Hackett said.

Internode will continue to resell devices from other makers such as Billion and Netcomm, he said.

The devices retailed for $299 to $399 depending on options and features.