In a historic move, Telecom (NZX: TEL) is taking a second stab at an un-capped data plan with its new $59.95 a month Big Time plan, launching July 7.

Ralph Brayham, Director of Home services for Telecom Retail, says the new plan is aimed at two types of customers: those who want price certainty, and power users who want to be able to download unlimited amounts of data without worrying about punitive charges for blowing their cap.

However, the new Big Time plan comes with a catch: “We will unashamedly be shaping data,” says Mr Brayham.

That means that during peak internet use times (usually 3pm to 10pm) Telecom will give priority to people on “speed plans” (that is, every customer not on a Big Time plan). As a result, Big Time customers could see reduced peformance as Telecom manages its overall network traffic.

Big Time customers will be given a discrete, separate slice of bandwidth. If 10 use it, they’ll each get 10% of the bandwidth. If 100 are using it during a peak time, 1% - which in practical terms would mean slower or “throttled” performance.

Back to the future
This is Telecom’s second time around with an all-you-can-eat data plan.

Two years ago, its Go Large plan was taken offline after the Commerce Commission said Telecom had failed to highlight the fine print. Telecom paid Go Large customers $130 to $160 compensation each to head off a Fair Trading Act prosecution.

Go Large was described in advertisements as "unlimited Internet usage at maximum download speeds." This time, Telecom is being completely upfront about data shaping, and its potential to slow Big Time connections.

Customers on Telecom's Total Home package will get Big Time for $10 more than your current plan. Big Time is open to residential customers only.

Catching up with the rest of the world
While Telecom's all-you-can-eat plan will be unique in the New Zealand market, it would no be considered that radical in most locales.

A recent OECD survey on uncapped broadband put New Zealand among four countries in last-equal position. In most OECD countries, ISPs routinely feature only all-you-can-eat data plans. Data limits are almost non-existent.

Go moves to full-speed/full-speed
Separately, Mr Brayham announced that the 200,000 customers on Telecom's Go plan - it's most popular - would be automatically upgraded from full-speed upload/128Kbit/s download speed to full-speed/full-speed in a gradual process beginning in July. The transition is expected to take several weeks.

More local copies of overseas web content
Mr Brayham also said that Telecom had ramped up its local caching efforts, so that files such as viral YouTube videos and big Microsoft and Apple updates will be offered via a local server, speeding service and lowering international data costs.

Telecom won't put any figures on the caching upgrade, but says it has been one of the keys to topping several performance metrics in broadband performance surveys carried out for the Commerce Commision by Epitiro.

Caching should help Big Time customers. A big file - say, Apple's iPhone OS 3.0 update - would only be shaped if they happened to be the first to download it. After that it would be cached.

Faster species of DSL spreads
Mr Brayham said Telecom had now shipped more than 250,000 ADSL2+ modems to customers, but deferred questions about the possible launch of faster VDSL2 plans to Telecom Wholesale - which has previously indicated VDSL2 plans will have a $20 surcharge.

Vodafone and Orcon have complained that VDSL2 should be viewed as just another DSL service under the Telecommunications Act, and should therefore be charged at no premium by Telecom Wholesale. This represents a problematic situation for the Commerce Commission, which has used the potential of "premium services" (without actually naming VDSL2) as one of the justifications for regulating relatively high pricing for access to Telecom's roadside cabinets.


Source: NBR

Pretty sure I'm still paying $49 a month for Go Large here. Although the shaping is horrible.

Yeh im not too sure how this will function during peak times, will have to wait and see. I will possibly join this if the speeds arent too bad during those peak hours.

Lol I'm still on the original Unleashed plan with Hashbox which broke NZ's internet

HashBox Wrote:Pretty sure I'm still paying $49 a month for Go Large here. Although the shaping is horrible.

People say the service for this plan has improved since the time when Telecom stopped selling it, but that it's still a bit slow during peak times. Do you know how it compares to other people's internets?

I think the general speed of it is slowly improving, for general web browsing (port 80). But I know that my torrenting speed isn't anywhere near what others get. I guess this is the shaping in action.
I haven't noticed a huge difference in speed on/off peak though.

I have noticed that occasionally it gets REALLY slow near the end of the month. It's like they're lowering the speed because of the amount we've transferred even though they shouldn't be. I think the last day of last month the speed was so crappy it was practically cutting out. Hmm actually it was pissing with rain around this time so I can probably attribute it to that. It does still slow down a bit though.

I have never gotten good torrenting speed. Never goes above 30kbps. But I figured it was due to Pine Street's line quality and Chris Berry being upstream of me lolz. Also I figured that because I'm on a plan with no set speed, I would get whatever is left over from the people with fixed speed plans

Quote:But I figured it was due to Pine Street's line quality

Buddy, I get 100kB/s max using flashget to HTTP from Microsoft, torrents get me up to 50kB/s if im lucky.

My router syncs at 800kb/s

Plus I only down TV shows and the odd music every now an then, its probably thanks to you that I get 300+ping to B-Net

Im on Xnet River, Full speed down / 128 up

Lol yeah my WoW latency is like 500ish. Makes melee classes hard as to play lol tryna predict where they going to run. Any of you heard of Gisborne.Net? I'm going to try them out sometime soon

I love Telstra Cable internets. My flat mate dls torrents and he gets 500kb/s avg and when I dl from msoft or adobe i get over 1000kb/s.