Local ISP to offer three plans ranging from AU$50 to AU$180 a month at single gigabit speeds.
The South Australian government has chosen local internet service provider EscapeNet for its Adelaide fibre-optic network that will facilitate speeds of up to 10Gbps across the city.
Businesses will be able to choose from a trio of options under the current plans available. The lowest-tier is a « micro-business » AU$50 a month plan that offers 200GB of data, with the option of unlimited data on the plan available for AU$100 a month. The third option is a AU$180 a month plan that has a 1TB monthly cap, with excess data sold at AU$55 for 500GB.
All plans offer 1 gigabit upload and download speeds, and have a one month minimum contract term.
« We are pleased to see local internet provider, EscapeNet, secure the contract to deliver the state government’s AU$7.6 million GigCity Adelaide network, » SA Science and Information Economy Minister Kyam Maher said in a statement.
« For the first time, we will see businesses, startups and entrepreneurs access ultra-fast internet that is cheaper and less restrictive than current available plans on the market, which only offer half the speed. »
In the South Australian Budget announced last week, AU$2.9 million was set aside over four years to extend the network into new precincts.
The Ten Gigabit City Project uses an existing fibre-optic network jointly owned by the state government and universities, and began with a AU$4.7 million allocation in the 2016-17 state budget.
Businesses looking to get on the Adelaide network need to speak to a precinct manager.
Throughout the rest of the country, the company responsible for rolling out the National Broadband Network has said previously there is a lack of demand for gigabit plans.
Speaking last month with the American Chamber of Commerce, NBN CEO Bill Morrow said a lack of uptake for 1Gbps plans is not due to NBN’s pricing model .
« The reality is that very few Australians have a use for gigabit speeds today. The fact is, the very few applications that demand this amount of data simply aren’t at scale yet, » Morrow said.
« In our own uptake patterns, people are gravitating to speeds that meet their needs; 83 percent of all our activated homes have opted for 25Mbps or less. In other words, only 12 percent have chosen the top tier.
« And contrary to what some may think, this is not due to price premiums imposed by NBN; those higher speeds are only slightly more, at AU$8 per month over the billing period, which is around AU$2 per week. »
Of the technology options available to NBN, only fibre to the premise is currently capable of 1Gbps.
