Internode extends ADSL2+ reach but can you afford it?

Stephen Withers
Tuesday, 26 August 2008 13:16

Opinion and Analysis

The big drawback is that NakedExtreme is only available from a limited number of exchanges. Adelaide, Sydney and Canberra are fairly well covered, but Brisbane, Melbourne and Perth look very patchy. Look for your exchange on Internode's NakeExtreme coverage table.

By using their own DSLAMs to provide naked DSL service rather than the usual Spectrum Sharing Service which must also carry conventional phone signals over the copper wire, Internode and other ISPs can offer ADSL2+ over a greater area.

"A Spectrum Sharing Service restricts the distance we can deliver broadband to about 4.1km from the local telephone exchange – any further and our customer connection attempt is rejected with the declaration 'Transmission Loss Too High'," explained Internode MD Simon Hackett.

"That message occurs if the line produces a signal attenuation over its length exceeding the allowable limit for a traditional analogue voice service. Since NakedExtreme uses an Unbundled Local Loop service, it doesn't need to co-exist with analogue telephony, which means we can deliver broadband much further from the exchange."

How much further? Internode doesn't have a hard limit - it would probably vary according to cable quality - but Hackett added "we have succeeded in connecting broadband customers living as far as 7.5 km from the exchange."

According to a graph on Internode's web site, the theoretical maximum distance over which the service can match ADSL's 1.5Mbps performance is around 5.3 km.

Mind you, that same graph shows the speed dropping to zero at around 6.8 km, which is a fair way short of the 7.5 km that's been proven to work.