Internode announces Ultra bumper bundle

Stephen Withers
Monday, 17 November 2008 11:05

IT Industry - Strategy

There's been plenty of talk about naked DSL, but Internode reckons it has the answer for those who need to keep an analogue line yet want the cost savings associated with VoIP and the convenience of a single bill.

In what appears to be first for the local industry, Internode's new Ultra plans combine a conventional phone line, ADSL2+ broadband, and a VoIP service.

Prices start at $69.95 per month with 5G of downloads (uploads are unmetered) and $10 in NodePhone2 (VoIP) call credits. Fixed IP addresses are available at extra cost, and the company also lists plans for business customers that include priority access to the help desk.

"Ultra offers [Internode customers] the best of both worlds," said managing director Simon Hackett.

"The traditional dialtone-based phone line remains a necessary evil for many people who require it for back-to-base home security monitoring and analogue devices such as fax machines. Ultra also lets you retain your current telephone number."

That last element is a significant part of the bundle. Changing phone numbers is a chore best avoided wherever possible, and the majority of VoIP providers are unable to port numbers. Perhaps more significantly, if you do get a new phone number that's associated with a VoIP service then it is very likely that you won't be able to take it with you if you subsequently decide to take your custom elsewhere.

And having to maintain two or three accounts (phone, Internet and VoIP) is a burden that some of us would prefer to shed. Apart from the nuisance of having to pay multiple bills, there may be additional costs involved such as bank fees or credit card surcharges.

Ultra is available in metropolitan areas throughout Australia, company officials claimed.

Internode recently reduced the minimum price of its Naked DSL plans by $10, and cut a similar amount from many of its ADSL plans.