Gotalk goes with Telstra for ADSL2+, launches 3G mobile plan

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Friday, 20 February 2009 17:43

IT Industry - Strategy

Although Gotalk has long worked with Optus to resell ADSL services, it has now announced a wholesale broadband deal with Telstra, “targeting” regional Australia, including Tassie - along with a separate new 3G mobile plan that has one whopper of a video call charge, although international calling is the big drawcard.

In what has surely put a smile on the dial of Telstra Wholesale, Gotalk has become Telstra’s latest wholesale broadband customer.

Although Gotalk says it is targeting “regional” Australia, the deal, which begins March 2, gives Gotalk access to 1400 exchanges with ADSL2+ infrastructure and another 1300 exchanges with ADSL at 8Mbps – on a nationwide basis.

Thus it is promoting an ADSL2+ service “from $39.95 per month”, although there’s no detail in Gotalk’s press release or its site as yet on precisely how much data download is included in the plan.

Gotalk’s site does list ADSL2+ plans and prices, but as there’s no $39.95 plan listed, these plans must be referring to its existing ADSL2+ plans, and not its new ones.

However Gotalk says its “regional customers will get ADSL2+, plus they will be able to purchase additional blocks of download data to top up their plan limit, and access previously unnavailable generous offpeak allowances.” 

Gotalk’s CEO, Steve Picton said that: “This is particularly exciting news for regional Australia, much of which has been starved of competition in the past.

“Gotalk is gearing up for what is expected to be high demand for its new services, and has also established bandwidth dedicated to Gotalk customers between Tasmania and mainland Australia, including a dedicated backhaul between Tasmania and mainland Australia.

“This means that Gotalk customers won’t be subjected to the slow speeds in Tasmania which have attracted much adverse criticism in the past,” concluded Picton.

More information on plans and prices when they become available, which should be around the March 2 timeframe the service is due to launch.

Details of Gotalk’s “3G My Cap” mobile plan on page two, along with what looks to be the most expensive per 30 second rate for video calls I’ve ever seen in my life… but what is also meant to be great value international call rates from a mobile phone - please read on.