Telecom will approach the 'around 10%' of people whose DSL connections have actually slowed after the October 26 "unconstraining" of its network. Speaking at a press round table today, GM Consumer Products Stephen Crombie said the telco's retail arm would proactively approach customers who have been negatively effected by the new 'Max' plans - but you can jump the queue by actively inquiring if you think your broadband has actually got slower. Crombie said Telecom can perform a number of quick and easy tweaks that may speed the connection.
Turning all DSL taps on full was always going to mean that some lost out, said Crombie. By his rough estimate, around half of people were getting a faster connection, about 10% slower, and the rest about the same (for PC World readers' verdict see Geoff's blog here or our super uber Press F1 thread on the topic here. Read Juha's rebuttal of Crombie's comments here).
The Commerce Commission-enforced Max experience was never going to be good for everybody, Crombie said (contrary to expectations raised by the "Xtraordinaries"), because essentially the Max plans mean switching off the network management controls that evened out everybody's bandwidth. Now, those who live further from exchanges will suffer more.
Also new from Telecom: the first wave of the company's EVDO rev a network will roll out in December in Auckland's CBD, with other centres to be covered by mid 2007. Data pricing will be the same as the current EVDO rev 0 (that is, $49/gigabyte for the mainstay plan) but you will need to buy a new data card to take advantage of the new network's superior speed (3.1MB/sec download compared to rev 0's 2.4Mbit/s, and 1.8Mbit/s upload compared to Rev 0's 155Kbit/s).
The latest on DSL2+ is that this new technology - which will allow bandwidth of up to 25Mbit/sec - will now roll out from the first quarter of 2007. Telecom says delays have been caused by a decision to build new DSL2+ network instead of grafting it onto the existing network.
Also on the agenda was an as-yet-unnamed Telecom VoIP service, which will launch at some point next year and cost $15 a month. Major details still aren't decided, such as whether it will be a software or hardware phone-based service, or both, but Crombie thought Telecom had some built-in advantages over Skype, such as VoIP and regular calls being included on a single bill, and the generally higher level of trust (if not love) that home and small business people have in Telecom to deliver a consistant quality of service.
Lastly, there were two products of which we'll have hands-on reviews in February's PC World: Telecom's version of the new Windows-powered Treo (which we'll pit against Vodafone's GSM/GPRS take on the same device), and a proprietary desktop videophone (pictured) called the Ojo. To be priced around $750 on its November 20 release, the Ojo will only be able to video-call other Ojo devices (Telecom will sell them in pairs for $1399), and can only run over a DSL broadband connection, not a LAN. Still, in the demo the quality looked great, and the mobile-phone style interface looked very user-friendly. Calls will have to go through a US-based host that will charge a flat $US15 a month, and Ojos are also going onsale in the US, UK and other countries. Very Jetsons, but that proprietary angle may mean most prefer a lower-fi webcam with its ability to video call or message anybody.
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