Internode has announced it will no longer follow Telstra's restrictive rules about ADSL line length in areas where it has its own ADSL2+ DSLAMs installed in exchanges.
Internode says it will now be able to offer ADSL2+ broadband to people living up to 7.5KM from a Telstra exchange.
Previously, the maximum line length imposed by Telstra was about 4.1km. Internode says the change will allow it to cover an area around the exchange of more than 176 sq km, compared to 52 sq km under the old rules.
The extended reach is only available on Internode's dial-tone free NakedExtreme plans, which use ADSL over raw copper without Telstra also piping a phone service down the same line.
As a result, Internode isn't subject to the signal interference limits that are mandatory if a phone service is being offered on a copper line.
The NakedExtreme services will come with Internode's NodePhone VoIP service, which doesn't have a monthly rental fee, though unlike iiNet, Internode charges for calls made rather than giving away calls to landlines free of charge.
The NakedExtreme service is available nationally, with the exception of Tasmania, where Internode says there is a lack of affordable connectivity across Bass Strait for broadband providers.
The Internode NakedExtreme service is priced at $10 above the cost of the equivalent Internode Extreme ADSL2+ service, however, it does not require a voice line rental fee, so customers will save $10 — $20 a month by using it rather than a conventional ADSL service.
NakedExtreme is an extension of Internode’s launch earlier this year of Naked ADSL2+, a dial tone-free broadband service based on Optus Wholesale broadband infrastructure. By contrast, NakedExtreme uses Internode’s own DSLAM equipment installed at telephone exchanges.
Internode Managing Director Simon Hackett said NakedExtreme could deliver broadband at much greater distances because it threw off the shackles created by cohabitation with a voice service. “We have addressed one major type of broadband blackspot with NakedExtreme,” he said.
“To date, ADSL service providers have delivered broadband using a Spectrum Sharing Service, which co-exists with an analogue telephone service across the copper access network. As well as mandating additional line rental costs for the customer, 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’.
“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.
“To date, we have succeeded in connecting broadband customers living as far as 7.5 km from the exchange. With that increased radius, we can increase the coverage area by more than three times compared with the previous 4.1km broadband delivery limit, so we see great potential to fill in many of the blackspots that exist in metropolitan areas.”
It should be noted, however, that customers who live far from an exchange won't get more than a couple of megabits of speed on their ADSL2+ service, unlike citydwellers who typically get 13-15Mbit/s and can get up to about 21Mbit/s in good circumstances.
The full details are available at Internode's NakedExtreme page.