Whirlpool

Most ISPs that I know of have a pretty decent amount of data that is unmetered, such as downloads of various Linux distros, some multimedia, file mirrors, etc.

Apart from IPGN, does Primus have any file mirrors or other unmetered data and if so, what is unmetered?

At the moment not even iPGN is unmetered...
However the new BRAS servers have been installed so we are hoping to see unmetered content and maybe some live usage monitors :D

Really looking forward to this. Hopefully something comparable to Internode or GA.

Unmetered steam downloads would be sweet.

I want unmetered data as well.

I dont care what it is, as long as it's unmetered.... and free

i asked this question a long time ago ... and they still havent done anything about it

The servers have just been updated, so in a way they have done something about it ;)

I think ill prefer my "mass download" spree at the end of each and every month rather than unmetered data.

Soon, very soon.

Anyone care to make any suggestions as to what kind of stuff they'd like to be available as free data?

Please keep the suggestions legal and realistic.

Cheers,

Rory

ItZa writes...

"mass download" spree

You'll have to say goodbye to that pretty soon, unfortunately.

Anyway, I wasn't saying "I want it", I was trying to figure out why Primus doesn't do any or there is some, where is it hiding? Most ISPs have file mirrors at the very least, which was good with Optus, since they had a file mirror for just about everything. I think Primus might do some as well... just need some confirmation.

linux distros, game update, maybe some game servers which we can join which are unmetered..

errmmm yeah pretty much like what GA and Internode do :) follow in their footsteps :)

Linux Distros and Game Demos would be cool.

Rory McMahon writes...

what kind of stuff they'd like to be available as free data?

well free pipe for people on dslams would be possible (however im not on one)

Rory McMahon writes...

Please keep the suggestions legal and realistic.

Mainly a file mirror for tucows or something would be best for me.

Peering in general would be good too, but I'm not sure if that's classed as realistic =P

Other than that, just the usual, common linux distros, the main updates for the most popular games and programs and preferably anything already on the Primus servers such as IPGN, updates, webmail, other Primus PWS, etc.

Rory McMahon writes...

Anyone care to make any suggestions as to what kind of stuff they'd like to be available as free data?

Game updates and demoes, some game servers, and unmetered Steam data would be great, if possible.

Thanks.

Rory McMahon writes...

Anyone care to make any suggestions as to what kind of stuff they'd like to be available as free data?

If you can manage to mimic internodes file mirror (games.internode.on.net) where they have all the new game demos and patches, that alone would be #1 in my books :D

Nukkels writes...

Mainly a file mirror for tucows or something would be best for me.

We used to run a Tucows mirror, back in the day.

Some of the things I was thinking of was, a download mirror, Lingo, IPGN (our gaming network), etc.

can't IPGN get a battlefield 2142 server css is old and stale.

Lots of people actually play battlefield2142 :) another Aussie server which is ranked will help out alot and the server will most likely be nearly full 24/7.

:) would be worth looking into ;)

charliem writes...

If you can manage to mimic internodes file mirror (games.internode.on.net) where they have all the new game demos and patches, that alone would be #1 in my books :D

MOre to the point, in many cases, just having peering agreements with the people that do. i.e. why have two tucows repositories that both such lots of data across the pacific. Just have one, and allow access for free from other ISPs. (of course, some back scratch works best. i.e. Primus hosts steam, and Internode hosts game servers or somesuch.

q

Thatt'l work too ^^

I just want to see iprimus offer the exact same thing as internode.

I love the internode games page... It's just that the DLs count but with internode ppl it doesn't so can iprimus please make the exact same page :P!

Thanks.

I just want to see iprimus offer the exact same thing as internode.

I love the internode games page... It's just that the DLs count but with internode ppl it doesn't so can iprimus please make the exact same page :P!

Thanks.

Linux Distros...They are just too big for the little caps we have, Iv'e been dlling them at the end of the month or just buying the disks.

Game Demos & Patches...Once again they are getting pretty big. This could be an addition to iPGN.

File Mirror....Maybe a file mirror where we might be able to request files to be hosted. I think telsta has one like this.

Steam....I admit if i didn't have to pay for bandwidth as well I'd use steam a lot.

iPGN & or Steam Servers....Would be sweet to game all night and not have to worry about quota :D

Last but not least Whirlpool :D ..... you are not allowed to miss this one :D

+1 to everything BeekStake said. Spot on.

c??y? writes...

just want to see iprimus offer the exact same thing as internode.

can iprimus please make the exact same page :P!

Um, if you think Node is so good, why not just go with them instead of Primus?

Because they are too expensive and im with primus for 2 years?

Yeah, I know Node is pricy, but how else do you expect to get all the good stuff? When they say the downloads are 'free', really it's costing you another $10 a month to have access to that...

I think Primus would be very foolish to offer exactly what Internode has. Offer the same thing and you'll get the same kind of customers they have - leechers.

Nukkels writes...

I think Primus would be very foolish to offer exactly what Internode has. Offer the same thing and you'll get the same kind of customers they have - leechers.

So true...
The last thing we need is leechers.
The low quotas are enough to keep them away :)
But yes Node was once quite cheap....then the leachers came....nuff said.
I think Node hosts alot of useless stuff on their servers, like those obscure linux distros noone has ever heard of. When I posted distros above i probaly should have included that we only want the popular ones i.e Ubuntu, Suse, Fedora, Slackware, Debian, Gentoo. Maybe even mirror some of the Debian repository (major updates mainly)

I'm getting to the point where I'm just rambling :(
To tell you truth people will always ask for more than they have, i just hope nobody bites the hand that feeds them.

BeefStake writes...

Linux Distros...They are just too big for the little caps we have, Iv'e been dlling them at the end of the month or just buying the disks.

Totally - Easy as, and heck, I'd organise that just for myself anyway :P

Game Demos & Patches...Once again they are getting pretty big. This could be an addition to iPGN.

Yeah another easy one. Only thing with the IPGN stuff is that it's all in Melbourne, because of Interstate transit costs we'd probably have to put servers in every state to make it free for everyone.

Steam....I admit if i didn't have to pay for bandwidth as well I'd use steam a lot.

I'd love to do steam, I'll look into it.

Last but not least Whirlpool :D ..... you are not allowed to miss this one :D

I don't think there's much point to this, it's not like browsing Whirlpool would really use up much of your cap :P

Looking really forward to this stuff...it's been a long time coming :)

Sam.

Is it possible to make all stuff on iTunes un-metered incl. podcasts etc? That'd be fantastic :)

And how about Youtube too :)

Cheers,
Sam.

Sam writes...

Is it possible to make all stuff on iTunes un-metered incl. podcasts etc? That'd be fantastic :)

And how about Youtube too :)

We can only make stuff that doesn't cost us money (or is cheap) free, so if it's located in Australia, or can be located in Australia, its do-able, but stuff that's overseas and can't be made local can' t be made free as International Transit costs are REALLY expensive.

Don't forget that we are a business, and do need to make money.

Sam writes...

podcasts

Definitely a good one. More specifically what about Austereo and JJJ, etc so that Aussie radio streaming and podcasts can be free. I'd download podcasts but I just don't have the downloads every month...

Don't think youtube is realistic somehow =P

And what about file mirrors, Rory? You didn't say anything about that... I guess coz that wouldn't be so easy.

Rory McMahon writes...

Only thing with the IPGN stuff is that it's all in Melbourne, because of Interstate transit costs we'd probably have to put servers in every state to make it free for everyone.

Well, it's not like HDDs cost very much. 500GB for $130. To a big(-ish) company like Primus, big deal.

Rory McMahon writes...

I don't think there's much point to this, it's not like browsing Whirlpool would really use up much of your cap :P

I was joking :P

But yeah i think most of the steam stuff is peered over PIPE, It may or may not be easy to do but i think it is realistic.
Like you said Linux distros are easy, my even save u a bit of money to host them. considering they compose most of my D/L limit and the rest of the traffic is local (aus).
Didn't know iPGN was in Melbourne....
I checked out iPGN before but they didn't seem to have much happening.

Nukkels writes...

Well, it's not like HDDs cost very much. 500GB for $130. To a big(-ish) company like Primus, big deal.

Setting up a SAN is more complicated than buying storage capacity :P

BeefStake writes...

I checked out iPGN before but they didn't seem to have much happening.

Yeah, it was started by a few staff members who were into gaming, they've all moved into positions that are much more demanding, so iPGN doesn't get the attention it used to.

If we can renew customer interest in iPGN then it'll definatly be worth while re-vamping it and adding more game servers.

We recently did massive extensions to our Melbourne datacentre, so there's much more room to put servers :)

Nukkels writes...

JJJ

That would be awesome!

Sam.

Sam writes...

JJJ

That would be awesome!

Sam.

Amen

Game demo/patches are great because if you wanna try out a game or something then can be 2gb+ which takes a big dent out of your qouta. Also could be some good advertising if they hosted a good range of software for download. :D

Windows Updates ?

yes that would be cool. how about a primus website with all the latest computer software updates? that would be awesome.

charliem writes...

Windows Updates

That may be possible, iirc Microsoft file mirrors are hosted in the Melbourne NOC

Stuff that isn't directly in our control would be harder, especially things like that (windows updates, google, etc) that dynamically change download locations to suit network conditions and the location of the end user.

Having to download SP2 eveytime I have to format or get a new system up and running can chew through bandwidth...sadface.

charliem writes...

Having to download SP2 eveytime I have to format or get a new system up and running can chew through bandwidth...sadface.

CD costs less than 30 cents.

Did one a few years ago and still works ;)

charliem writes...

Having to download SP2 eveytime I have to format or get a new system up and running can chew through bandwidth

We have a few boxes of SP2 cd's around somewhere, if they weren't lost in the move I'll send you one if you like :)

Any updates on this?

ie. When it will be implemented and which data will come under unmetered content.

Cheers.

Thank you Primus!

Depending on how quick this is up, you may just stop me from switching to Internode.

Also, if it isn't too much of a hassle could you round those top ups down [ie. 1gb down to $5] that way it would match Internode be nice and even and would probably still make you money.

For unlimited: a giant mirror full of linux distros, game demos/videos/patches, movie trailers, a decent internet radio? and eBay Australia?

If you can have this up before the end of the year you have just saved yourself a customer. :P

I know that Beefstake has already started a thread, but I think this is something that should be added to this thread too:

A usage meter. If such a thing, whether web-based or a client app (or a FF toolbar addon or whatever) comes into play with all the new changes, can I put in a request that it shows the separate usage of: Metered downloads (both on and off peak), unmetered downloads, uploads and VOIP usage.

Would be nice to get a usage meter actually made by an ISP, but for that we gotta wait for live stats. Should be nice when it happens though :D

Any news on this as of yet? maybe a rough ETA? (not likely but worth a try :-) )

how about utorrent :)

Rory McMahon writes...

Please keep the suggestions legal and realistic.

Your suggestion is neither. It may however be a troll...

uTorrent or torrents in general cannot be mirrored and synced...
Besides 99.9% of torrents are comprised of material in which the copyright can be quite questionable, hence ruling it out as a possibility anyway.

BeefStake writes...

torrents in general cannot be mirrored and synced...

True, but you can cache bittorrent and other P2P, I've been reading the blog of one of the guys at Extel who've been talking about their trialling of a PeerCache system, which has apparently been a huge benefit to their network performance and reduced their costs considerably.

Besides 99.9% of torrents are comprised of material in which the copyright can be quite questionable, hence ruling it out as a possibility anyway.

Well the legality is fairly simple, we've done extensive legal examination of the associated issues. Basically as long as you maintain a policy that complies with the copyright safe harbour (Copyright Amendment act) which is easy.

Basically you get infringement notices in various forms, (often not the correct forms) but ones that do comply with the safe harbour provisions, you just follow the rules in the safe harbour. Which for caching is to just remove the offending content in a particular time frame, heck you could probably automate the process.

Though I doubt it'd be possible to make it free, but it does make p2p faster :)

I have just come back to primus after being on IInet for 3 years. It would be really good to see some streaming radio feeds available like iinet have done here

forum-replies.cfm?t=358162

If thats possible that would be very cool.

Mundza writes...

It would be really good to see some streaming radio feeds available like iinet have done here

Totally, streaming radio is on the list.

Rory McMahon writes...

Totally, streaming radio is on the list.

Yeah... you work on Christmas day?

Caching P2P would be awesome...but useless 4 me if you choose to mirror Linux distros as that is all I use Bitorrent for.
But still if i did choose to torrent something I'm sure I would appreciate the speed :)

On a slightly off-topic but revelant issue I still dont seem to have live monitoring/shaping :( Meaning that all this cool unmetered stuff could be a while away yet...

Mr Worthless writes...

Yeah... you work on Christmas day?

No, I'm on leave from 21 Dec 07 to the 4th Jan 08.

To me Whirlpool isn't really working, I've been a whirlpool regular long before I became a rep, long before I even worked for Primus.

I post on here because its just something I do in my free time. Being an ISP rep just made sense considering how much time I spend on here, and seeing as I already publish websites and correspond with customers via email, there is no reason not to have me represent Primus on forums too.

BeefStake writes...

On a slightly off-topic but revelant issue I still dont seem to have live monitoring/shaping

They're still working on it, shouldn't be too much longer till the new system is finished, when I get back to work next year I'll get an update from the dev team in Sydney.

Cheers,

Rory

Rory McMahon writes...

Totally, streaming radio is on the list.

Cool,

Here i was thinking streaming radio was a long shot :-)
When would we be likely to see these offerings available ?
Will we be able make suggestions as to what radio stations we would perfer (/me opens a can of worms :-))

Many thanks

Mundza writes...

Here i was thinking streaming radio was a long shot :-)
When would we be likely to see these offerings available ?

Maybe a few for different genres. I could DJ one if its going to be ShoutCast. Although theres the issue of copyrighted content and as a big company you would have to make sure you take care of that.

Mundza writes...

Will we be able make suggestions as to what radio stations we would perfer (/me opens a can of worms :-))

you sure can!

(whether or not anyone pays attention to your suggestions is an entirely different story, but you're more than welcome to suggest some!)

None of that Pop crap please. (Heavy/Death) Metal would be nice :)

does any one know when or if the umetered data was going to happen or take effect? someday in the new year?

jaker writes...

Unmetered steam downloads would be sweet.

With Internode, we get unmetered usage on all aus steam content servers :D

Patrick482 writes...

With Internode, we get unmetered usage on all aus steam content servers :D

How nice for you *cough* *off topic*

;)

Unmeetered steam content is right up there on the list of "Things we'd like to make Unmetered"

Haha. Perhaps we should have a Primus vs. Internode tournament on CS or something. Just for fun. What a way to liven up the community.

Mr Worthless writes...

Perhaps we should have a Primus vs. Internode tournament on CS

LOL

Rory McMahon writes...

LOL

Not sure if you were laughing at me or with me. I am pretty sure we would get dominated as 75% of Internode are hardcore gamers.

Subaru Bloke writes...

does any one know when or if the umetered data was going to happen or take effect? someday in the new year?

I asked this question and it was dodged also.

Primus rep are you able to give a rough time frame ??
3 months ? 6 months ? 12 months ??

Thanks

Mr Worthless writes...

Not sure if you were laughing at me or with me.

I duno, maybe both? ;)

I am pretty sure we would get dominated as 75% of Internode are hardcore gamers.

Probably, though we have a few old CS die-hards here.

I hardly ever game myself, some of us have better things to do with our time ;P~

Mundza writes...

Primus rep are you able to give a rough time frame ??
3 months ? 6 months ? 12 months ??

Still don't know, its in the works, shouldn't be much longer. I could make up a time frame for you if you like, but I'd prefer to stick to "soon" because I could over or undershoot the time frame by quite a lot.

The Sydney dev team often just suddenly complete projects and release them without actually announcing anything.

I game alot. Not so much on the PC though I am more of a console gamer.

Mr Worthless writes...

I game alot. Not so much on the PC though I am more of a console gamer.

I have a DS Lite, that's about the extent of my regular gaming ;)

Plus a couple of games that run under Wine as I run Linux on my Laptop :)

I do have Steam with HL+CS:S but I'm not very good.

Rory McMahon writes...

Still don't know, its in the works, shouldn't be much longer. I could make up a time frame for you if you like, but I'd prefer to stick to "soon" because I could over or undershoot the time frame by quite a lot.

The Sydney dev team often just suddenly complete projects and release them without actually announcing anything.

I understand.
As with everything if you mention a date people will hold you to it :-)
Is there any point in suggesting what radio stations we would like to have ??
Or just wait untill things are up and running then make requests ???

I am really into Call of Duty 4 at the moment. Really nice game. I am not good at PC gaming altogether. Maybe because I get 9fps in CS. Not so much into the Nintendo scene just because it is more towards the kids.

Mr Worthless writes...

Not sure if you were laughing at me or with me. I am pretty sure we would get dominated as 75% of Internode are hardcore gamers.

yeah, but i'm 100% more awesome than them

are we talking primus vs. internode customers or staff here? :D

Mundza writes...

Is there any point in suggesting what radio stations we would like to have ??

Not really, we'll probably just try and find existing ones we can make free.

Personally the only music streaming I ever do is last.fm

Fantastic site, I highly recommend it.

If I can ever figure out some way of being able to make that site free traffic, be sure I will, though its fairly unlikely.

As a linux user i sure would be interested in getting un metered data, at the moment im using iinet&Internode mirrors, be nice if primus had the same. However i would love to see primus start giving us off peak downloads like most of the other ISP, when i first started on my present plan i thought it was great value for money now its only just so. Cheers Kea

Kea writes...

off peak downloads

+1 would be sick

you don't look well.

Kea writes...

However i would love to see primus start giving us off peak downloads

That will happen soon, the same work upgrades going ahead to allow for unmetered data will also enable us to do off peak data.

We already have a couple of plans which advertise off-peak data but don't actually do it because Marketing jumped the gun a little on this.

Come to think of it they probably jumped the gun and released plans advertising peak/off-peak data to try and speed up the process of getting the upgrades to support things done!

That will happen soon, the same work upgrades going ahead to allow for unmetered data will also enable us to do off peak data.

Great news any notion i may have had in moving on are now on hold: Question how long is soon!! or should i ask how long is a piece of string. Cheers

I'd like to see more plans. Primus have a very small plan range. Take Internode or TPG for example. They have heaps.

Honestly, why do you need more plans?

- el cheapo plan with 500MB downloads at 256kbps or 512kbps for $10-15 /mo

- next step up with 2GB downloads at 512kbps for like $20 /mo

- average user plans with 5GB downloads, speeds at 1.5Mbps, 8Mbps and 24Mbps (priced from $30-40 /mo)

- heavier user plans with 10GB downloads, speeds at 1.5Mbps, 8Mbps and 24Mbps (priced from $45-55 /mo)

- serious user plans with 10GB or 20GB, speeds at 8Mbps and 24Mbps (priced from $60-70 /mo)

- hardcore leecher plan with 40GB downloads at 8Mbps and 24Mbps (priced at $90 /mo)

---------------------

I don't download the exact same amount every month, so having a plan with 6.3MB of downloads is pointless. And speed costs Primus nothing (except installing DSLAMS and fibre, but there's another thread to whinge about that hehe), just the amount of downloads. So giving people 5 different speed options is plenty - too many IMHO.

As long as it's clear what you get for your money and it's competitive, it doesn't really matter, and less plans keeps it more simple.

Mr Worthless writes...

I'd like to see more plans. Primus have a very small plan range.

We used to have more, I'm personally glad we cut them right down, it was getting too confusing.

Too many plans gets too complicated IMHO. Though there are a few spots where there could stand to be another plan or two.

I'd imagine we'll probably release a new set of plans when unmetered data becomes available, and we'll probably focus heavily on off-peak data offerings.

This is of course only a guess, I haven't seen any new plans being prepared or anything like that.

Nukkels writes...

So giving people 5 different speed options is plenty - too many IMHO.

I agree, I'd prefer to see only one 256 plan (the el-cheapo plan) and everything else be 1.5+ (i.e. best possible speed starting at 1.5Mbit)

If only the Telstra Wholesale price for 8Mbps ADSL1 was a lot lower, then we could just do away with the whole on-net/off-net plans and just have a single group of plans.

Kea writes...

or should i ask how long is a piece of string. Cheers

Twice that of half its length. ;)

Also with the unmetered and offpeak downloads, say im capped during on-peak times, do I have to power cycle my modem during off-peak times to get full speed?

And if I'm capped on both times, when I download unmetered data, will it automatically go at full speed?

-Giordano- writes...

And if I'm capped on both times, when I download unmetered data, will it automatically go at full speed?

well unmetered data wouldn't count towards your monthly data allowance so there fore it should technically automatically go at full speed (speed depending on what your plan is, ie, 256 or 512 etc)

-Giordano- writes...

Also with the unmetered and offpeak downloads, say im capped during on-peak times, do I have to power cycle my modem during off-peak times to get full speed?

as for this one, i'm not sure, has I've never had off-peak quota before,

Rory McMahon writes...

I'd imagine we'll probably release a new set of plans when unmetered data becomes available

Will this effect current plans? I actually like having a wide array of choices to choose from. What would really be cool is if you had something like a custom plan generator where you could choose how much downloads you want and what speed and then have it give you a price for it.

If only the Telstra Wholesale price for 8Mbps ADSL1 was a lot lower

I am on 1.5mbit and that is perfect for me. 8mbit is an overkill. I can have 3 xboxes playing on Xbox Live at the same time and still be streaming YouTube videos without buffering.

EDIT: Wrong quote.

-Giordano- writes...

Also with the unmetered and offpeak downloads, say im capped during on-peak times, do I have to power cycle my modem during off-peak times to get full speed?

It would presumably be instant, you wouldn't need to reboot.

Subaru Bloke writes...

well unmetered data wouldn't count towards your monthly data allowance so there fore it should technically automatically go at full speed

Exactly, I believe that's how we'll do it.

Mr Worthless writes...

Will this effect current plans?

I'm really not sure if they'll want to add these new features to existing plans, I think it'll be more likley that new plans will be created and the existing ones phased out (made unavailable to new customers)

What would really be cool is if you had something like a custom plan generator where you could choose how much downloads you want and what speed and then have it give you a price for it.

That would be cool, but it wouldn't be worth the work that would be required to get that to work with our systems. It would be a huge effort, practically a complete re-write of several systems that have been years in development.

I am on 1.5mbit and that is perfect for me. 8mbit is an overkill.

I could never go back to 1.5Mbit :P I'm on 6Mbit (got drop-outs at 8Mb because I'm about 2.6K from the exchange)

The main thing is having a good upstream that makes the difference for me, its got to be at least 512k up.

Any updates on when we might start seeing this?

DarkKaos writes...

Any updates on when we might start seeing this?

Not sure sorry. I'll let you when I have updates.

Rory McMahon writes...

The main thing is having a good upstream that makes the difference for me, its got to be at least 512k up.

amen! :)

~800kbit upstream is a godsend, uploading an album with 1000 photos in it no longer takes a week :D

Upload data is currently unmetered, is this still going to be the case when the new system comes online?

A bit OT I know, but why is the upload speed always so slow? Even on 'unlimited' speed ADLS2+ plans it's pretty slow.

Particularly on slower plans like 512kbps and 1.5Mbps, it seems kinda stupid to be limiting the upload speed since they're not counted towards the monthly limit, and they're hardly gonna be all that fast if you uncap it...

Nukkels writes...

Upload data is currently unmetered, is this still going to be the case when the new system comes online?

Don't know.

A bit OT I know, but why is the upload speed always so slow? Even on 'unlimited' speed ADLS2+ plans it's pretty slow.

What do you mean? Seems fast to me. I just uploaded a file at 100kBps seems pretty typical.

Particularly on slower plans like 512kbps and 1.5Mbps, it seems kinda stupid to be limiting the upload speed since they're not counted towards the monthly limit

The speeds are limited on those plans by the ADSL Profile, these are standard profiles and can't be changed (they're fixed profile types) Usually these are only used on the Telstra wholesale network, which we have no control over, you basically pay for what speed profile you want.

Where as on the Primus DSLAM network we can set the speed to whatever we want. We've tweaked the current profiles to make them stable and reliable through extensive testing both in lab and field environments.

As a result, the upstreams on some profiles are a little conservative, but they are still fairly high and close to the maximum possible upstream for the profile types.

If you really want high upstream you want either a SHDSL connection or an ADSL2+ Annex M profile. That is until we get VDSL/VDSL2+ ports, of which I don't believe there are any current plans.

Also note that none of the high upstream options can support voice, you've got to get them on a naked ULL. Which we currently only do for corporate/business customers (but this might change)

Also back on the subject of charging for uploads, you'll find the main reason why this is becoming more and more common is because of the amount of data that goes over really expensive links, like Telstra (they charge everyone else for data in BOTH directions ) and optus does something similar.

Rory McMahon writes...

What do you mean? Seems fast to me. I just uploaded a file at 100kBps seems pretty typical.

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. 1500 down and only 100 up? Or worse yet, 512 down and only 64 (or is it 128? Couldn't find that info anywhere...) up? Yeah Telstra is a pain, but they only charge for the amount, not the speed - are you really that limited by their profiles?

Also for those who are not and a Primus DSLAM, are they going to see all the features we've been asking about? Or just some of them, due to Telstra restrictions?

Nukkels writes...

Or worse yet, 512 down and only 64 (or is it 128? Couldn't find that info anywhere...) up?

Sure its 512/128

^{But you know... I have ADSL2+ now.... I dont live in Adelaide ;)}

Nukkels writes...

Yeah, that's exactly what I mean. 1500 down and only 100 up? Or worse yet, 512 down and only 64 (or is it 128?

You've got them a little mixed up.

The ADSL1 Profiles go like this:

8Mbps / 640kbps
6Mbps / 640kbps
2Mbps / 512kbps

1.5Mbps / 256kbps
512kbps / 512kbps
512kbps / 128kbps
256kbps / 64kbps

There are older profiles on the DSLAMS with 1Mbps upstream on the 8 and 2 Mbps profiles, but they were found to be less reliable (some users got dropouts) so they're not set as default profiles anymore.

The default profile for ADSL2+ is 24Mbps / 1Mbps this is pretty standard across all Internet providers, though ADSL2+ can dynamically change its speed to what the line can handle which ADSL1 doesn't do so well.

We also have some troubleshooting profiles for ADSL2+ for people who have poor quality (or far from the exchange) lines that dropout a lot. They typically limit the upstream and downstream a little while also making some other aspects different.

Also for those who are not and a Primus DSLAM, are they going to see all the features we've been asking about?

I presume you mean those who are not on a Primus DSLAM ?

Well they probably won't be offered free data plans because it costs a lot more to get the data to the customer when they're on Telstra Wholesale.

As for speed on Telstra, they offer the usual ADSL1 speeds and now also have an 8Mbps profile (though I believe the downstream is a little lower) we haven't yet brought this speed profile into our plan structure, but it will probably happen sometime soon, though I expect it'll be more expensive than the Primus Network equivalent.

Cheers,

Rory

The Telstra 8mbit profile is 384kbit upstream from memory :(

This thread started in November its now Febuary and we still have no idea when unmeterd data&off peak will be available. As i recall this topic was also mention early in 2007!!! how long does it take to say, offer existing customers off peak and then impliment the data side of things. Cheers

Kea writes...

how long does it take to say, offer existing customers off peak and then impliment the data side of things. Cheers

With Primus it seems to go something like this:

First you count the number of light bulbs that need changing. The marketing department tells people how bright it's gonna be with all these light ons.

Then you have a meeting every day until everyone agrees what to do, then you have more meetings every day until the number of people to change the light bulbs is decided. Once those minor details are confirmed, which will take 3-4 months, someone makes a phone call to a 3rd party, who promises them a date it will be done by.

Then Marketing comes back and promises even more features to the customers because they are starting to get disgruntled about how long it's taken so far. After a few months of waiting for the 3rd party, they finally decide to call a 2nd 3rd party who say that it can be done in a week. After another month of waiting, Primus have to announce that they can't offer everything they were promising at first, because they don't have enough customers. They don't tell you that those customers have left due to waiting for services, then finding a better deal elsewhere.

When they finally do get it up and running, the competition is offering twice as much, twice as fast, with even more features and the 4 customers left with Primus think what they now have is great coz they don't have to share bandwidth with anyone.

EDIT: Sorry to go from a lightbulb analogy to the ADSL2+ analogy, but you get the picture =}

Kea writes...

how long does it take to say, offer existing customers off peak and then impliment the data side of things. Cheers

it takes some major network changes to be able to implement these things :~(

there's other projects which have been taking priority recently, so the people needed for this project are wayyyy too busy already :(

it is possible instead of unmetered download, have the capped speed abit higher?? instead of the 64kbit maybe 128 or even 256 =P hahaha

wayyyy too busy already

Well IMHO primus are going to loose customers, other providors have been offering off peak for over 12months. There are lot of options out there at the moment and most of them look better than what im paying for with primus. Im in no rush to move but im sure as hell thinking of it. Cheers

Kea writes...

wayyyy too busy already

I cant go into why but lets just say Naked DSL and other products which I cant mention due to Marketing not having a release yet.

Things like Naked DSL and the systems behind it is alot more important than peak/off peak.

Well IMHO primus are going to loose customers, other providors have been offering off peak for over 12months.

Yes but I dont think you will find alot of people who would leave Primus because of this... What would you rather.. the current situation of 60gb to use ANYTIME. Or to have 20gig to use between noon - midnight and 40gb between midnight - noon.

I know which one I would rather.

Yes but I dont think you will find alot of people who would leave Primus because of this... What would you rather.. the current situation of 60gb to use ANYTIME. Or to have 20gig to use between noon - midnight and 40gb between midnight - noon.

Mick i'm on the 512&5gig at$39, nearly all the other companies are offering anywhere between 5=15 off peak. Net space can offer me 512&15gig and 15 off peak at the same price. I'm ver happy with primus been with them a long time but they are no longer good value for money. Cheers

Kea writes...

I'm ver happy with primus been with them a long time but they are no longer good value for money. Cheers

Only been with Primus 2 years on this same plan, but it does seem that they are always behind the competition.

60gb to use ANYTIME. Or to have 20gig to use between noon - midnight and 40gb between midnight - noon.

Kea, I totally agree with your comment. Primus isn't offering 60GB for the same price as 20GB on and 40GB off, they're just offering the 20GB. I really believe it's getting to 'sink or swim' time for Primus.

I'm quite happy with my 60gb anytime.

I'd rather have my provider have a sustainable and reliable infrastructure than disconnect me one day because they couldn't pay for their equipments.

Australia is a very small market with too much competition. Different ISPs target different customer base. You as a consumer have the ability to choose. Perhaps other ISPs do offer more, but you need to consider value for money. I doubt the majority of people wouldn't jump ship just because another ISP offers additional few Gbs.

we seem to be talking about different plans here, i am on this plan
Serious 5 $39.95* $49.95 5GB
No off peak offered on this one, I cant up grade to the others as Primus have not yet fibred my exchange, when and if this happens i will get adsl2. Cheers

Kea writes...

I cant up grade to the others as Primus have not yet fibred my exchange

Do you know if you are connected to one of our ports? If so, a DSLPlus package might be of interest to you.

I don't think so Angus, but will check it out through chat and get back. Cheer

Kea writes...

Mick i'm on the 512&5gig at$39, nearly all the other companies are offering anywhere between 5=15 off peak. Net space can offer me 512&15gig and 15 off peak at the same price.

This is a Telstra Re-Bill plan so compleatly different as this plan has costs factored in for the Telstra Wholesale fees that Primus is charged.

Although you can still have this plan even if you're on a Primus DSLAM, we urge you to take up an 8000k or ADSL2+ plan as they are better value.

Nukkels writes...

Kea, I totally agree with your comment. Primus isn't offering 60GB for the same price as 20GB on and 40GB off, they're just offering the 20GB. I really believe it's getting to 'sink or swim' time for Primus.

I don't know what you mean by this? While the peak/off peak isnt enforced you get the whole 60gig to use ANYTIME.

In regards to sink and swim for Primus. You will find Primus is posting a healthy profit and we are building.

Primus has positioned itself as a competitor to Optus, Telstra, AAPT (The providers that offer the same services.. Telephony, Internet, VOIP, Mobile). I don't see Primus going the way of providers like TPG who offer these 150gb plans as then you have to look at the fact your network will choke under your users maxing out your network and opens you up to all sorts of problems.

How many ISP's have we seen on Whirlpool come on the market with these cheaps high use plans only to go under or have to increase prices... Anyone remember Wild??

Primus has ALOT of corporate MetroNET customers, all of these are paying premiums for a service and the last thing they need is an overloaded network.

Primus is a Telephony, Internet, Mobiles, VOIP provider and we position ourselves in the market as this.

Mic? writes...

we urge you to take up an 8000k or ADSL2+ plan as they are better value.

Then offer it to me. Go on, I dare you... fibre my exchange!

While the peak/off peak isnt enforced

Then enforce it. Or stop advertising it. A month before it comes into play notify all the customers and then advertise it.

Neither is available yet. But you keep insisting that Primus is offering these great services... When for the majority of people, you're not. Personally I think that Primus is treading a fine line on false/misleading advertising.

I agree that paying for reliability and the peace of mind knowing the ISP isn't going to go out of business next week is worthwhile. One of the reasons I'm with Primus. Now that I realise that Primus is catering to the big business market, I understand why residential areas aren't getting the services people are asking for - we're just not paying as much - and that makes a lot of sense from a business p