Getting connected - plans and costs

There are several different sorts of broadband connection available. They may not all be available in your area so check with you chosen ISP:

ADSL, ADSL2+

• ADSL connections are available in most areas of Australia and work through standard telephone wires. As long as the wires connect to your house you can usually get ADSL even if you don’t have a landline telephone—that’s called ‘naked ADSL’.
• The speed of your connection depends on how far you are from the local exchange and the number of users sharing the same connection at the ISP.

Cable

• Cable connections are only available in a few areas of capital cities, but are generally faster than ADSL connections

Optical fibre

Optical fibre broadband is gradually being rolled out across Australia through the federal government’s National Broadband Network (NBN). It will provide the fastest possible internet speeds. For more information or to find out if your community will be in the first stages of the rollout go to the NBN Rollout Map.

Wireless 3G

Wireless 3G broadband uses the same technology as mobile phones. Although it’s much slower than the other types of broadband, it does have the following advantages:

• It’s portable, so you can use it with laptops when you are away from your desk
• It will work wherever there is a 3G mobile phone connection, so it may be available in some areas where the other types of connection are not.

The amount of data you need depends on how you plan to use the internet. Some types of files or features use a lot of data. These include:

• downloading music, photos, movies and software
• automatic software updates
• streaming video (such as YouTube)
• online games

While everybody’s usage will vary, here are some guidelines to help you decide how much data allowance you need.

Light user—up to 3 Gb per month

• under 10 hours web browsing a week
• less than 50 emails per week
• only occasional on-line shopping or banking
• occassional downloading of music or video files

Medium user—up to 15 Gb per month

• up to 30 hours web browsing per week
• up to 200 emails per week, some with attachments
• on-line banking and shopping several times a week
• 10 music downloads a week
• occasional short streaming video several times a week
• some VoIP use, with webcam

Heavy user—30 Gb or more per month

• up to 60 hours web browsing per week
• 300 emails per week, many with attachments
• on-line banking and shopping several times a week
• regular on-line gaming or PS3/XBOX on-line use
• 20 music downloads a week
• regular streaming video
• regular VoIP use, with webcam