[LINK] naked dsl

stephen at melbpc.org.au stephen at melbpc.org.au
Mon Mar 2 23:43:12 AEDT 2009


Question.. with naked-dsl looking to perhaps be the norm for fixed-phone
lines, i hope our gov has got the maintenance of these lines bolted down.

i can't imagine TinyCo ISP jumping out of bed to fix a fire damaged line.


Asher Moses March 2, 2009 - 8:00AM

http://www.theage.com.au/news/technology/biztech/last-rites-for-the-
landline-as-optus-joins-the-naked-dsl-
brigade/2009/03/02/1235237909055.html


Optus today joins iiNet and several smaller telcos in offering "naked 
DSL" packages that allow people to connect to ADSL broadband without 
paying for a fixed line.

With mobile plans now offering hundreds of dollars worth of calls for 
less than $50 and some tech-savvy Australians making calls over their 
internet connections, the need for a landline has reduced dramatically.

IDC telco analyst Jason Leung said there was evidence Australians were 
moving away from landlines for their voice communications.

"Telstra's recent results showed significant declines in local, national 
and international voice revenues and minutes," he said.

"There has also been a consistent decline in PSTN [landline] services in 
operation over the last three years."

Cable and wireless broadband have never required a phone line but for 
those on ADSL broadband plans, a landline was necessary until November 
2007 when the third largest ISP, iiNet, launched Australia's first naked 
DSL plans.

Several smaller ISPs such as iPrimus and Internode have since launched 
naked DSL plans.

The top two ISPs, Telstra and Optus, have held out because they did not 
want to cannibalise their landline business but, witnessing iiNet's 
success with its naked DSL plans, Optus has decided to enter the market.

Announcing its first half results last week, iiNet said its 50 per cent 
profit rise was largely due to naked DSL.

The company has accumulated 50,000 naked DSL customers since launching 
the product and this was growing at a rate of 1000 customers a month. 
iiNet managing director Michael Malone said naked DSL now contributed 
around $40 million in yearly revenue.

Optus acting managing director Michael Smith said his plans had an edge 
over iiNet's because Optus was able to bundle mobile phone plans with the 
naked DSL offer.

Optus is selling a 7GB plan for $59.99 a month but this drops to $49.99 
if people sign up to an Optus mobile plan. There are also 15GB and 30GB 
plan options.

But iiNet offers 16GB (8GB during peak times and 8GB off-peak) for $59.95 
and throws in free access to its iiTalk broadband phone service, which 
allows customers to make as many local and national calls as they want 
for free, with mobile calls charged at 29c a minute.

Users of the iiTalk service can keep their old number and use a regular 
handset, but this plugs into their broadband connection instead of the 
traditional wall socket.

Smith said he did not believe broadband phone services offered the 
quality of service provided by landline and mobile services. He said 
landlines would be around for some time to come.

"I don't think they'll ever die, I think over time they'll just ease 
away," he said.

Today Optus also announced "month to month" plans, allowing people to 
sign up to Optus broadband without committing to a 24-month contract.

--

Cheers,
Stephen



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