Need a guide to the Broadband maze?
ADSL, Wireless or Satellite? We can help you.

BROADBAND GUIDE @ LOCAL
High-speed Internet or 'broadband' allows users to access the Internet at higher speeds than those available through “dial-up” Internet services. Whereas dial-up Internet requires the full use of a telephone line and is generally only capable of a maximum speed up to 56 kbps in ideal conditions, broadband technologies supply at least 10 times that speed and do not block the telephone line.

When shoosing an Internet Service Provider, price should not be the only determining factor - speed, data allowance, reliability and above all, customer service are also important considerations. Cheap prices are not much use if you suffer frequent outages and can't even contact customer service to get something done about it. For more detailed information, check out the results of the Whirlpool Australian Broadband Survey 2008, where once again Westnet leads for customer service satisfaction by a substantial margin.
There are 3 main Broadband technologies available in our region:

ADSL
ADSL (Asymmetrical Digital Subscriber Line) is available to most residents of the major population centres in our region within 4.5 km. of an ADSL enabled exchange. It is worth shopping around as there are a variety of plans and special offers, some of which include free connection and a modem and some do not.

If you are serious about quality Internet, then chuck the free 'cheapie' modem included with your plan in the bin and buy yourself a Linksys or similar quality modem from $89.95

Click here for more information about ADSL Broadband or request a free availability check.

Bigpond Next G relocatable and mobile Wireless Broadband

Next G wireless Broadband is a quality product offering the widest coverage in Australia. Recent reductions in pricing and increases in data limits have made it a more attractive option.

Click here for more information about Next G wireless Broadband or request a free availability check.

Westnet 3G relocatable and mobile Wireless Broadband

Westnet will soon be offering a reliable and more affordable 3G wireless Broadband service - current estimated launch date is "end of March 2009".

Two-Way Satellite Broadband
Good value two-way Satellite Broadband plans with a genuine $0 installation and a monthly payment from $39.95 per month are available from Westnet. This service is subsidised by the Australian Government 'Broadband Guarantee' program (ABG) and is subject to a qualification check by the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy based on your location and the availability of other services such as ADSL. Westnet is an approved provider under the ABG program and has been rated the No 1 ISP in Australia by a recent PC Authority survey (Dec 2007) and AC Nielsen Consulting Surveys from 2003 - 2004.

Click here for more information about Satellite Broadband or request a free Broadband Availability check. Download Flyer with 'Half-price for the first six months July offer from Westnet.

VoIP Internet Telephony
'Voice over Internet Protocol'  or VoIP, is a technology that enables you to make telephone calls using a Broadband Internet connection instead of a regular (or analogue) phone line. Quality is on a par with a mobile phone, but costs are very cheap. For example, MyNetPhone offer plans with untimed national and local call costs of 10c and a Global Saver plan for $15,95 per month that includes 100 untimed local, national or international calls to many popular locations

Click here for more information.

A word of caution about the reliability of the different forms of Broadband. The Internet and the various different options for delivering the service to your premises are highly complex systems and therefore prone to a degree of unreliability. The speed of ADSL is dependant on the quality of the phone lines, wireless Broadband towers can get struck by lightning, fibre optic lines can get cut accidentally, satellite Broadband can suffer a software glitch, all can suffer from excessive traffic or bottlenecks in other parts of the Internet. If your business is dependant on the Internet as a means of communication, it pays to have a backup system, even if it is just a cheap $9.95 dialup account. Next G Broadband also provides a viable backup option.

Campaign for improved Broadband services

Paul Computers has been a vigorous advocate in the campaign to bring ADSL Broadband services to our region in 2003. However, ADSL is only available in the main population centres, leaving many people in our rural region on the wrong side of the digital divide. To ensure access to affordable Broadband services to everyone in our region, we promote a range of wireless and satellite Broadband products for our customers.

Call us on (07) 5427 0132 for free advice