Showing posts with label Velocity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Velocity. Show all posts
UDIA South Australia has recently sent out communication to its members informing them "that Telstra Velocity has withdrawn from the market of providing fibre to the developers". The reason for this has to do with the changes in relation to the heads of agreement struct between the government and Telstra last Sunday.
A proposed seminar for UDIA embers on 29th of June at Telstra house which had guest speakers from Telstra has also been cancelled. Further to this, through my contacts I have been informed that a number of the Telstra Smart Community Development Managers may be "searching Seek for a new job"
We live in interesting times.
A proposed seminar for UDIA embers on 29th of June at Telstra house which had guest speakers from Telstra has also been cancelled. Further to this, through my contacts I have been informed that a number of the Telstra Smart Community Development Managers may be "searching Seek for a new job"
We live in interesting times.
Telstra today announced plans to upgrade its Velocity fibre-to-the-home (FTTH) network to peak speeds of 100Mbps - five times faster than the current 20Mbps speeds.
Speaking at the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) National Congress in Brisbane, Holly Kramer, Group Managing Director - Telstra Product Management, announced to a group of property developers that the Velocity fibre optic solution for new housing developments will be upgraded by Christmas.
This announcement comes a month after Internode announced in February its launch of 100Mbps Internet services in conjunction with open access network provider OptiComm. They are already deploying up to 100Mbps speeds today in an estate in Queensland and will be rolled out to another 12 estates before the end of this year, so Telstra's claim during the announcement of "providing the fastest broadband in Australia" is not correct.
Geoff Booth, Group Managing Director, Telstra Country Wide explained that Telstra had connected some 3100 homes to the Velocity network already and had some 100,000 plus lots under contract; although looking at a number of these estates some are 3-5 years away from starting.
Ms Kramer went on to publicly apologise for the poor performance many residents have experience on service delivery when connecting to the Velocity network - this is the first time Telstra have admitted any such problems. She promised Telstra would improve the customer connection experience in future.
Telstra did not announce any pricing on the proposed Velocity 100Mbps services, only that "we will align our Velocity FTTH network with HFC both in terms of speed and customer offering". This would suggest that a 100Mbps Velocity service will only offer a 2Mbps upstream speeds as is the case with HFC. Residents are likely to have to wait until December before pricing on the new products are released while Internode and Opticomm are today delivering 100Mbps for only $99 per month.
Speaking at the Urban Development Institute of Australia (UDIA) National Congress in Brisbane, Holly Kramer, Group Managing Director - Telstra Product Management, announced to a group of property developers that the Velocity fibre optic solution for new housing developments will be upgraded by Christmas.
This announcement comes a month after Internode announced in February its launch of 100Mbps Internet services in conjunction with open access network provider OptiComm. They are already deploying up to 100Mbps speeds today in an estate in Queensland and will be rolled out to another 12 estates before the end of this year, so Telstra's claim during the announcement of "providing the fastest broadband in Australia" is not correct.
Geoff Booth, Group Managing Director, Telstra Country Wide explained that Telstra had connected some 3100 homes to the Velocity network already and had some 100,000 plus lots under contract; although looking at a number of these estates some are 3-5 years away from starting.
Ms Kramer went on to publicly apologise for the poor performance many residents have experience on service delivery when connecting to the Velocity network - this is the first time Telstra have admitted any such problems. She promised Telstra would improve the customer connection experience in future.
Telstra did not announce any pricing on the proposed Velocity 100Mbps services, only that "we will align our Velocity FTTH network with HFC both in terms of speed and customer offering". This would suggest that a 100Mbps Velocity service will only offer a 2Mbps upstream speeds as is the case with HFC. Residents are likely to have to wait until December before pricing on the new products are released while Internode and Opticomm are today delivering 100Mbps for only $99 per month.
Telstra's Velocity Smart Communities still having problems
2 comments Posted Wednesday, February 25, 2009Eight months after last reporting on problems in Telstra's Velocity Smart Communities I find myself again reporting about the same issues.
Whirlpool is being flooded with comments like this:
Lucky her, she gets Velocity. How's this though... after numerous phone calls over a couple of weeks, and being assigned a case manager, Telstra has told her that they can't connect her for months because they have no-one to do it!
It is a similar message through some 20+ posts, with residents complaining about the delays, the restriction of service provider (Bigpond only) and the pricing of services (a typical 20,000/1,000 with 25Gbyte quota costs $140 per month, the liberty account with 20,000/512 is $110, both only if you take a standard telephone service - they are another $10 more if you don't).
Last week I was at my friend's house in Heron Park (a Telstra Velocity estate), and he was telling me about the ongoing problems with the Telstra installations and his neighbours getting the run around; the same problems he had last year.
Now TV antenna's and satellite dishes are appearing in the estate despite the covenants preventing the installation. The Free to Air TV and Foxtel signals are supposed to go over the Velocity network, but you only get the ONT (the Fibre termination box which coverts the signals) installed if you order other services from Telstra (like the phone or Internet).
Up in Brighton I have been told delays in installations are still occurring, as is the case in Bluestone, Mt Barker. In one estate I have been informed the developer has received a letter from Telstra cancelling their agreement to supply Fibre to the Home stating "we are withdrawing the Velocity product from your area". I will admit I have not seen this letter, but I am chasing it down to see it first hand.
Good luck if you are moving into a Velocity Smart Community.
Whirlpool is being flooded with comments like this:
Lucky her, she gets Velocity. How's this though... after numerous phone calls over a couple of weeks, and being assigned a case manager, Telstra has told her that they can't connect her for months because they have no-one to do it!
It is a similar message through some 20+ posts, with residents complaining about the delays, the restriction of service provider (Bigpond only) and the pricing of services (a typical 20,000/1,000 with 25Gbyte quota costs $140 per month, the liberty account with 20,000/512 is $110, both only if you take a standard telephone service - they are another $10 more if you don't).
Last week I was at my friend's house in Heron Park (a Telstra Velocity estate), and he was telling me about the ongoing problems with the Telstra installations and his neighbours getting the run around; the same problems he had last year.
Now TV antenna's and satellite dishes are appearing in the estate despite the covenants preventing the installation. The Free to Air TV and Foxtel signals are supposed to go over the Velocity network, but you only get the ONT (the Fibre termination box which coverts the signals) installed if you order other services from Telstra (like the phone or Internet).
Up in Brighton I have been told delays in installations are still occurring, as is the case in Bluestone, Mt Barker. In one estate I have been informed the developer has received a letter from Telstra cancelling their agreement to supply Fibre to the Home stating "we are withdrawing the Velocity product from your area". I will admit I have not seen this letter, but I am chasing it down to see it first hand.
Good luck if you are moving into a Velocity Smart Community.
My best friend recently moved into a Telstra Smart Community estate and I have been helping him get his telephone, Internet and TV services online. I have already posted an article on smart wiring his home, but I recently did a little more analysis on the $1,500 rebate that most Smart Community residents receive.
At first look the $1,500 - plus a $100 voucher for a Digital STB - sounds like a great deal, giving you 12 months to spend it on any Telstra service including PayTV and mobile phone. But after reviewing the first and second month bills which included all connection fees I have reconsidered the value of this package.
For my friend to move into his new home it has cost him so far:
$299 to connect his home telephone
$260 in Digital STBs for his analog TVs (Telstra only does Digital)
$349 for a Telstra WiFi Router
Now you may say $349 for a router is expensive (and that it is), but Telstra don't like BYO routers. I quizzed him over this, and he told me at no time did the Bigpond rep. offer him an option on the router; it just came with the Bigpond Velocity pack.
So before even getting started with downloading a single web page or making a call it has cost him $808 ($908 but he used the $100 voucher for a STB). He then got his $1500 rebate in the second month as per the Smart community rebate agreement.
This left him in credit for $692, which will pay for less than five months of telephone line rental and a typical 20Mbps Liberty account – provided he does not make any calls.
When you break it down, the $1,500 rebate is not that attractive, particularly when compared to the packages offered by the other FTTH providers. Most of those include a $0 connection fee and no obligation 6 months free Internet and Telephony. You also get digital and analogue Free to Air TV, so no need to buy those Set Top Boxes.
At first look the $1,500 - plus a $100 voucher for a Digital STB - sounds like a great deal, giving you 12 months to spend it on any Telstra service including PayTV and mobile phone. But after reviewing the first and second month bills which included all connection fees I have reconsidered the value of this package.
For my friend to move into his new home it has cost him so far:
$299 to connect his home telephone
$260 in Digital STBs for his analog TVs (Telstra only does Digital)
$349 for a Telstra WiFi Router
Now you may say $349 for a router is expensive (and that it is), but Telstra don't like BYO routers. I quizzed him over this, and he told me at no time did the Bigpond rep. offer him an option on the router; it just came with the Bigpond Velocity pack.
So before even getting started with downloading a single web page or making a call it has cost him $808 ($908 but he used the $100 voucher for a STB). He then got his $1500 rebate in the second month as per the Smart community rebate agreement.
This left him in credit for $692, which will pay for less than five months of telephone line rental and a typical 20Mbps Liberty account – provided he does not make any calls.
When you break it down, the $1,500 rebate is not that attractive, particularly when compared to the packages offered by the other FTTH providers. Most of those include a $0 connection fee and no obligation 6 months free Internet and Telephony. You also get digital and analogue Free to Air TV, so no need to buy those Set Top Boxes.
I have just spent the day smart wiring my best mate's new home which is located in a Telstra Velocity Estate - saving him the $3,000 it would have cost if he followed the advice given to him by the Velocity help line.
John [not his real name] is a typical home owner, quite intelligent, but not really a technology kind of guy. He understands the TV and can actually set the timer on his VCR and schedule a recording, but I just thought I would ask him to tune in the TVs and watch what happens. Ghee I can be a b@*S@** sometimes. I did this because I wanted to understand what the average user would do when they find out that Telstra only reticulates the digital television signals.
With his Velocity welcome pack - which was quite impressive I might add - John had received a little booklet titled "Free to Air TV trouble shooting Guide for Telstra Velocity customers". While it contains some helpful tips, it lacked a little detail particularly in regards to the analogue TV signal; that Telstra does not reticulate them over the Velocity network. It talks about Set Top Boxes and retuning, but John could not understand why his VCR would no longer work.
John is not a complete technophobe, as he did have a High Definition Set Top Box working in his previous home. But he had to ask (when he plugged it in) "why are all the channels were missing?" His first thought was I had stuff up on the smart wiring. I informed him "you have to retune the STB" because the channels have been shifted to another band. He could not understand this, and was annoyed by having to go through the retuning and setting his favourites list again - an arduous task on some STBs.
What became very frustrating for John was getting his old TV for his 5 year old daughter working. She watches ABC like most kids in the morning, but also has a great catelogue of DVDs and VHS cassettes. The only way we could get this to work was to have the STB plugged into the VCR, which in turn was plugged into the TV. To watch TV, his 5 year old has to turn on the TV and select AV; turn on the VCR and select AV; and then turn on the STB. This is not a simple task for a 5 year old - and not something Dad wants to be doing at 6am on a Saturday morning.
John also became very annoyed that he had to purchase a STB for every TV in the house. While Velocity customers are provided with a $100 vochure to purchase a new STB, the average houshold in Australia has three television sets. Without the analogue signal you need an STB on each set.
Now some will argue that Analogue is dead and gone and I should move on, but the reality is that analogue will be here for another five years; why should people have to upgrade their TV or purchase an STB before that time. Sure have at least one Digital STB or TV in the house, but why toss out that old TV when it works perfectly ok for the kids. In the networks we design for our clients we always include the reticulation of the analogue TV signal (sourced from the digital channel). It costs less than $3000 to support the 5 analogue channels.
The one thing I cannot understand is why Telstra has shifted the Digital signals away from their ACMA specified channels.
For those who need help on the tuning of their STB or Digital TV to the VelocityTV network, the information below may be of assistance - because you wont find it anywhere on the Telstra web site or in a Velocity welcome pack.
John [not his real name] is a typical home owner, quite intelligent, but not really a technology kind of guy. He understands the TV and can actually set the timer on his VCR and schedule a recording, but I just thought I would ask him to tune in the TVs and watch what happens. Ghee I can be a b@*S@** sometimes. I did this because I wanted to understand what the average user would do when they find out that Telstra only reticulates the digital television signals.
With his Velocity welcome pack - which was quite impressive I might add - John had received a little booklet titled "Free to Air TV trouble shooting Guide for Telstra Velocity customers". While it contains some helpful tips, it lacked a little detail particularly in regards to the analogue TV signal; that Telstra does not reticulate them over the Velocity network. It talks about Set Top Boxes and retuning, but John could not understand why his VCR would no longer work.
John is not a complete technophobe, as he did have a High Definition Set Top Box working in his previous home. But he had to ask (when he plugged it in) "why are all the channels were missing?" His first thought was I had stuff up on the smart wiring. I informed him "you have to retune the STB" because the channels have been shifted to another band. He could not understand this, and was annoyed by having to go through the retuning and setting his favourites list again - an arduous task on some STBs.
What became very frustrating for John was getting his old TV for his 5 year old daughter working. She watches ABC like most kids in the morning, but also has a great catelogue of DVDs and VHS cassettes. The only way we could get this to work was to have the STB plugged into the VCR, which in turn was plugged into the TV. To watch TV, his 5 year old has to turn on the TV and select AV; turn on the VCR and select AV; and then turn on the STB. This is not a simple task for a 5 year old - and not something Dad wants to be doing at 6am on a Saturday morning.
John also became very annoyed that he had to purchase a STB for every TV in the house. While Velocity customers are provided with a $100 vochure to purchase a new STB, the average houshold in Australia has three television sets. Without the analogue signal you need an STB on each set.
Now some will argue that Analogue is dead and gone and I should move on, but the reality is that analogue will be here for another five years; why should people have to upgrade their TV or purchase an STB before that time. Sure have at least one Digital STB or TV in the house, but why toss out that old TV when it works perfectly ok for the kids. In the networks we design for our clients we always include the reticulation of the analogue TV signal (sourced from the digital channel). It costs less than $3000 to support the 5 analogue channels.
The one thing I cannot understand is why Telstra has shifted the Digital signals away from their ACMA specified channels.
For those who need help on the tuning of their STB or Digital TV to the VelocityTV network, the information below may be of assistance - because you wont find it anywhere on the Telstra web site or in a Velocity welcome pack.
| Channel Name | Tuning Position | Frequency |
| Seven | C28 | 529.5Mhz |
| Nine | C29 | 536.5Mhz |
| Ten | C33 | 564.5Mhz |
| ABC | C34 | 571.5Mhz |
| SBS | C35 | 578.5Mhz |
A group of about 50 angry residents from "The Green" in Brighton, Western Australia recently demanded a meeting with their developer and Telstra over extensive delays in getting connected to Velocity - Telstra's Fibre to the Home product.
According to one of the attendees, the meeting - which was held on the 30th of June - turned out to be "more of a lynch mob with lots of angry people yelling abuse." He said, "one resident has been waiting since December last year for their connection."
The outcome from the meeting is that existing residents were promised their connection within the next 2 weeks (by 14th of July) and those without a TV service would be given a temporary antenna at Telstra's cost. Anyone who had already paid for their own antenna would be reimbursed by Telstra provided they showed proof of purchase and only after Telstra had investigated the installation.
Telstra had previously provided residents a temporary telephone service in lieu of their permanent fibre based telephone, but they "had not been offered an alternative broadband service up until now". At the meeting Telstra relented to the residents demands and offered to provide - to those who wanted it - a temporary internet service delivered over NextG wireless.
With the two weeks expired as of tomorrow a number of ONTs have been installed, but according to the residents they don't appear to have active services. After two telephone calls to the Velocity helpline, on Thursday my contact was still waiting for his temporary antenna, but it had been "promised to be installed today [Thursday]". He said "no ONT had yet turn up yet [on his house]; looks like this week might be a busy week for Telstra".
Moving on from Brighton another Telstra Velocity estate in the southern Perth suburb of Harrisdale - Herron Park - is also having issues with installations. My contact at this estate (who also happens to be my best friend) has been given the run around. He ordered his service four weeks ago and was promised an installation time on the morning of the 8th of July. In accordance with the ACMA Customer Service Guarantee, all Telecommunication companies must give a 4 hour appointment window and met that appointment or pay [a nominal] compensation to the home owner.
On Wednesday [9th July] he called the specialised Telstra Velocity help line to find out what was going on; he is moving in this weekend and needs to ensure he at least has a telephone service. Telstra told him they "don't know why the appointment was not kept" and blamed their contractor [name supplied] as the responsible party. "We [Telstra] will have [the contractor] contact you to arrange another appointment time".
On Thursday he made another call to the Velocity help line for an update and this time was given a name of a different contractor. He was then promised the sub-contractor actually doing the install (for which he was given the name) would call him. Telstra did inform him that there were "three homes in the estate with active services".
As of today, he is still waiting for these calls and still waiting for his service. Hopefully these delays are just minor glitches as Telstra ramps up its installation teams.
According to one of the attendees, the meeting - which was held on the 30th of June - turned out to be "more of a lynch mob with lots of angry people yelling abuse." He said, "one resident has been waiting since December last year for their connection."
The outcome from the meeting is that existing residents were promised their connection within the next 2 weeks (by 14th of July) and those without a TV service would be given a temporary antenna at Telstra's cost. Anyone who had already paid for their own antenna would be reimbursed by Telstra provided they showed proof of purchase and only after Telstra had investigated the installation.
Telstra had previously provided residents a temporary telephone service in lieu of their permanent fibre based telephone, but they "had not been offered an alternative broadband service up until now". At the meeting Telstra relented to the residents demands and offered to provide - to those who wanted it - a temporary internet service delivered over NextG wireless.
With the two weeks expired as of tomorrow a number of ONTs have been installed, but according to the residents they don't appear to have active services. After two telephone calls to the Velocity helpline, on Thursday my contact was still waiting for his temporary antenna, but it had been "promised to be installed today [Thursday]". He said "no ONT had yet turn up yet [on his house]; looks like this week might be a busy week for Telstra".
Moving on from Brighton another Telstra Velocity estate in the southern Perth suburb of Harrisdale - Herron Park - is also having issues with installations. My contact at this estate (who also happens to be my best friend) has been given the run around. He ordered his service four weeks ago and was promised an installation time on the morning of the 8th of July. In accordance with the ACMA Customer Service Guarantee, all Telecommunication companies must give a 4 hour appointment window and met that appointment or pay [a nominal] compensation to the home owner.
On Wednesday [9th July] he called the specialised Telstra Velocity help line to find out what was going on; he is moving in this weekend and needs to ensure he at least has a telephone service. Telstra told him they "don't know why the appointment was not kept" and blamed their contractor [name supplied] as the responsible party. "We [Telstra] will have [the contractor] contact you to arrange another appointment time".
On Thursday he made another call to the Velocity help line for an update and this time was given a name of a different contractor. He was then promised the sub-contractor actually doing the install (for which he was given the name) would call him. Telstra did inform him that there were "three homes in the estate with active services".
As of today, he is still waiting for these calls and still waiting for his service. Hopefully these delays are just minor glitches as Telstra ramps up its installation teams.
Media Release - 21 May 2008
The combination of bayside living in a natural environment with comfort and convenience will underpin FKP Property Group’s new masterplanned community at Point Cook, to be known as Saltwater Coast.
Just 20 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, Saltwater Coast is adjacent to Sanctuary Lakesand surrounded by coastal wetlands offering spectacular city and bay views. FKP Property Group’s General Manager for Land, Mr Chris Eaton, said Saltwater Coast aimed to provide residents with the perfect balance of tranquillity and convenience.
“Saltwater Coast is all about access,” said Mr Eaton. “Access to the bay beaches, Point Cook Coastal Park and historic Point Cook Homestead, access to the Melbourne CBD and access to facilities and amenities that make life easier every day.”
Plans are being developed for the neighbourhood centre that will lie at the heart of Saltwater Coast, with potential features including a primary school and child care centre, retirement village, shopping centre, sporting facilities and a community centre.
It will also be the first Telstra Velocity™ community in the Point Cook area, meaning residents will automatically have access to a communications package offering multiple fixed telephone lines, high speed internet access via fast residential broadband, and an integrated network that can deliver digital free to air TV, FOXTEL from Telstra and a free community intranet. Residents will also receive a $1500 Telstra credit on services, conditions do apply.
In total, Saltwater Coast will comprise between 2,500 and 3,000 homes and will feature approximately 52 hectares of open space and parklands in addition to the surrounding wetlands and natural vegetation.
More information on Saltwater Coast can be obtained at www.saltwatercoast.com.au or by calling 1300 357 000.
About FKP Property Group
With more than 30 years experience in the Australian property industry, FKP Property Group (FKP) is one of Australia’s leading diversified property and investment companies. FKP successfully operates an integrated business model which includes
retirement, property investment and funds management, land development, property development (incorporating residential, retail, industrial and commercial) and construction across Australia and New Zealand. FKP is an ASX top 200 company.
Issued by FKP Limited ABN 28010729950 www.fkp.com.au
Just 20 kilometres from Melbourne’s CBD, Saltwater Coast is adjacent to Sanctuary Lakesand surrounded by coastal wetlands offering spectacular city and bay views. FKP Property Group’s General Manager for Land, Mr Chris Eaton, said Saltwater Coast aimed to provide residents with the perfect balance of tranquillity and convenience.
“Saltwater Coast is all about access,” said Mr Eaton. “Access to the bay beaches, Point Cook Coastal Park and historic Point Cook Homestead, access to the Melbourne CBD and access to facilities and amenities that make life easier every day.”
Plans are being developed for the neighbourhood centre that will lie at the heart of Saltwater Coast, with potential features including a primary school and child care centre, retirement village, shopping centre, sporting facilities and a community centre.
It will also be the first Telstra Velocity™ community in the Point Cook area, meaning residents will automatically have access to a communications package offering multiple fixed telephone lines, high speed internet access via fast residential broadband, and an integrated network that can deliver digital free to air TV, FOXTEL from Telstra and a free community intranet. Residents will also receive a $1500 Telstra credit on services, conditions do apply.
In total, Saltwater Coast will comprise between 2,500 and 3,000 homes and will feature approximately 52 hectares of open space and parklands in addition to the surrounding wetlands and natural vegetation.
More information on Saltwater Coast can be obtained at www.saltwatercoast.com.au or by calling 1300 357 000.
About FKP Property Group
With more than 30 years experience in the Australian property industry, FKP Property Group (FKP) is one of Australia’s leading diversified property and investment companies. FKP successfully operates an integrated business model which includes
retirement, property investment and funds management, land development, property development (incorporating residential, retail, industrial and commercial) and construction across Australia and New Zealand. FKP is an ASX top 200 company.
Issued by FKP Limited ABN 28010729950 www.fkp.com.au
In an article by Jennifer Eliot of the Cairns Post, a customer in a Telstra Smart Community estate located in the suburb of Trinity Park has experienced a five week delay in getting their Velocity connection.
Sharon Wilson, who recently moved into a rental in the Cairns suburb and manages the accounts of the family's Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery, said internet access was vital to the running of the business.
The company, which opened in February, made the decision to manage its accounts in Cairns because despite being only 9km from Mareeba, the factory had no broadband access.
"For weeks I have waited for calls and information on when they can connect us," she said.
"They just don't call you back and they generally have no understanding of what it is like to be without services."
Ms Wilson's father, Scott Dixon, described the delay as inexcusable and said Telstra should have all infrastructure in place before its Smart Communities were opened up. "They needed a part to hook us up but they ran out and they couldn't tell us when another one would be available," he said.
"But it is not good enough, we have a business to run and we need internet access.
"Not having access has caused a lot of pain and anxiety and a lot of time has been wasted trying to deal with Telstra and have the problem solved."
Mr Dixon said Telstra needed to take "ownership" of problems and not bog customers down in a complaints process that failed to provide a timely and positive outcome.
A Telstra spokeswoman said yesterday the hold-up was regretted and contractors would connect the Wilsons' phone, internet and television today. "We have done everything in our power to rectify the problem and we apologise for the delay," she said.
Customers should be aware that under the ACMA's Customer Service Guarantee Standard a Telecommunication provider is required to connect your home or business to a telephone service with 5 working days from receipt of application.
If this does not occur the Customer Service Guarantee requires the provider to:
a) Make an offer to supply an interim or alternative phone service until the service is fully optional. If such a offer is made, the cost of calls must be at the standard telephone service rate (e.g. fixed 18c for a local call); or
b) Automatically pay the customer compensation for each working day that connections are delayed beyond the maximum CSG timeframes at a rate of $14.52 for the first 5 working days and $48.40 for each working day thereafter until the service is connected.
Once an interim service offer is made or the customer refuses the offer the compensation does not apply.
Sharon Wilson, who recently moved into a rental in the Cairns suburb and manages the accounts of the family's Emerald Creek Ice-Creamery, said internet access was vital to the running of the business.
The company, which opened in February, made the decision to manage its accounts in Cairns because despite being only 9km from Mareeba, the factory had no broadband access.
"For weeks I have waited for calls and information on when they can connect us," she said.
"They just don't call you back and they generally have no understanding of what it is like to be without services."
Ms Wilson's father, Scott Dixon, described the delay as inexcusable and said Telstra should have all infrastructure in place before its Smart Communities were opened up. "They needed a part to hook us up but they ran out and they couldn't tell us when another one would be available," he said.
"But it is not good enough, we have a business to run and we need internet access.
"Not having access has caused a lot of pain and anxiety and a lot of time has been wasted trying to deal with Telstra and have the problem solved."
Mr Dixon said Telstra needed to take "ownership" of problems and not bog customers down in a complaints process that failed to provide a timely and positive outcome.
A Telstra spokeswoman said yesterday the hold-up was regretted and contractors would connect the Wilsons' phone, internet and television today. "We have done everything in our power to rectify the problem and we apologise for the delay," she said.
Customers should be aware that under the ACMA's Customer Service Guarantee Standard a Telecommunication provider is required to connect your home or business to a telephone service with 5 working days from receipt of application.
If this does not occur the Customer Service Guarantee requires the provider to:
a) Make an offer to supply an interim or alternative phone service until the service is fully optional. If such a offer is made, the cost of calls must be at the standard telephone service rate (e.g. fixed 18c for a local call); or
b) Automatically pay the customer compensation for each working day that connections are delayed beyond the maximum CSG timeframes at a rate of $14.52 for the first 5 working days and $48.40 for each working day thereafter until the service is connected.
Once an interim service offer is made or the customer refuses the offer the compensation does not apply.
I have noticed quite a few google search requests on Bigpond Velocity plans hitting my blog, and speaking to several people recently they have expressed how difficult it has been to find out anything on Velocity, particularly their rate card. You cannot find it easily by navigating the Telstra or Bigpond web sites. So I have decided to provide some of the links to Telstra's web pages on Bigpond to help people find what they are looking for.
There is the Telstra Smart Community website which provides general information on Telstra's implementation of smart communities. Contains links for developers and consumers.
On that site you will find the Telstra Home Cabling document which is a basic guide on how you should wire up your home to get the best out of your Velocity service. There is also a detailed technical specification for your builder or cabler.
And here is the Bigpond Velocity Rate card which provides information on products and pricing on the available services.
If you need any further consumer advice, there is always the dedicated Velocity Helpdesk number 1800 204 128. I hope this helps.
I have also posted a full list of Australian FTTH providers
There is the Telstra Smart Community website which provides general information on Telstra's implementation of smart communities. Contains links for developers and consumers.
On that site you will find the Telstra Home Cabling document which is a basic guide on how you should wire up your home to get the best out of your Velocity service. There is also a detailed technical specification for your builder or cabler.
And here is the Bigpond Velocity Rate card which provides information on products and pricing on the available services.
If you need any further consumer advice, there is always the dedicated Velocity Helpdesk number 1800 204 128. I hope this helps.
I have also posted a full list of Australian FTTH providers
Telstra's much heralded FTTH solution "Velocity" seems to be hitting a few snags lately. Beside the previously reported problems on the Gold Coast with their older BPON technology, their newer GPON technology has not yet been deployed anywhere and they are no longer deploying the BPON in new estates.
Several developers who have signed with Telstra for the Fibre based Velocity are finding residents moving into a brand new "Smart Home" with a standard copper connection. The problem with this is the copper cannot deliver the promised free to air and pay television signals, thus people are having to put up antenna's and satellite dishes. Sort of defeats one of the benefits of fibre, having a clean roof policy.
Rumour has it (from a source inside Telstra) that the new Alcatel GPON solution is not yet fully type tested with their voice network. The older BPON solution was based on ATM and used V5.2 (TDM) interconnects for the voice (the same as the old ASAM technology used in the FTTN nodes). The new GPON solution is not ATM based and must use a packet technology (such as SIP) to transport its voice.
An estate near me - Heron Park - is a "Smart Community" and proudly boasts Telstra Velocity on its brochures and signs, but the first 5 homes are without service. In fact there is not even any copper cable installed in the ducts and the homes have been pre terminated with a standard Telstra copper NTD box.
Today I visited a Telstra Smart Community called Brighton in Western Australia - 10,000 homes. This was previously an E-Wire/BES estate, but was taken over by Telstra with the signing of a deal with Satterley. There are now approximately 50 homes in the new stage of Brighton (The Green) waiting for a Telstra Velocity connection.
One affected resident recently contacted me about his issues with the lack of service. He said this in response to questions regarding his phone service, "They offered me an interim service straight away. When the courier delivered it he told me he had delivered 18 that same day in our area". He further added "The wife hates it though as it's a clunky old T400 with a great big lead to a wireless sticker patch that goes on the window...the reception isn't that great, kind of like a bad mobile". When asked about what other interim services had been offering (such as Broadband or TV), his response was "no offer of anything other than the interim phone from Telstra. The developer Satterley don't want to know about it; I did ask about a temporary antenna and they told me I would have to pay for it myself. They gave me a number for of a guy who is doing most of the internal work who is charging a set fee $550 to put in the three points. The antenna was additional". He did add he had "received a $100 voucher for the set top box which can be used at [various stores]"
Great idea to launch a product without the technology ready. This is extremely unusual for Telstra who normally do an enormous amount of type testing before a product launch. Perhaps it had to do with their expectation of the NBN and any deal they sign before new legislation comes in mandating Open Access is protected.
Several developers who have signed with Telstra for the Fibre based Velocity are finding residents moving into a brand new "Smart Home" with a standard copper connection. The problem with this is the copper cannot deliver the promised free to air and pay television signals, thus people are having to put up antenna's and satellite dishes. Sort of defeats one of the benefits of fibre, having a clean roof policy.
Rumour has it (from a source inside Telstra) that the new Alcatel GPON solution is not yet fully type tested with their voice network. The older BPON solution was based on ATM and used V5.2 (TDM) interconnects for the voice (the same as the old ASAM technology used in the FTTN nodes). The new GPON solution is not ATM based and must use a packet technology (such as SIP) to transport its voice.
An estate near me - Heron Park - is a "Smart Community" and proudly boasts Telstra Velocity on its brochures and signs, but the first 5 homes are without service. In fact there is not even any copper cable installed in the ducts and the homes have been pre terminated with a standard Telstra copper NTD box.
Today I visited a Telstra Smart Community called Brighton in Western Australia - 10,000 homes. This was previously an E-Wire/BES estate, but was taken over by Telstra with the signing of a deal with Satterley. There are now approximately 50 homes in the new stage of Brighton (The Green) waiting for a Telstra Velocity connection.
One affected resident recently contacted me about his issues with the lack of service. He said this in response to questions regarding his phone service, "They offered me an interim service straight away. When the courier delivered it he told me he had delivered 18 that same day in our area". He further added "The wife hates it though as it's a clunky old T400 with a great big lead to a wireless sticker patch that goes on the window...the reception isn't that great, kind of like a bad mobile". When asked about what other interim services had been offering (such as Broadband or TV), his response was "no offer of anything other than the interim phone from Telstra. The developer Satterley don't want to know about it; I did ask about a temporary antenna and they told me I would have to pay for it myself. They gave me a number for of a guy who is doing most of the internal work who is charging a set fee $550 to put in the three points. The antenna was additional". He did add he had "received a $100 voucher for the set top box which can be used at [various stores]"
Great idea to launch a product without the technology ready. This is extremely unusual for Telstra who normally do an enormous amount of type testing before a product launch. Perhaps it had to do with their expectation of the NBN and any deal they sign before new legislation comes in mandating Open Access is protected.
Last week, the FTTH Council Europe held its annual conference in Paris. One of the biggest guests was supposed to be European Commissioner Viviane Reding, but unfortunately she was unable to attend due to business commitments. However she sent a very clear message to Europe’s incumbent operators via a Video broadcast to the event: "there’s no way you’ll get away with building closed FTTH networks". The commissioner has clearly shown in her dealings with the region’s mobile carriers, that she is one tough (and smart) operator.
Perhaps our own ACCC can take a left out of her book and start looking into Telstra's practice of signing developers to exclusive agreements using the Velocity Smart Community package. While Telstra is at least rolling out FTTH in some parts of the community, it is their practice of a closed network that does not impress my clients (developers) nor the residents who move into the estate to later find they are locked into Bigpond Internet at ADSL2+ speeds but at prices which are twice as much.
She went on to further say, ”Several operators have announced their fiber plans ...[and]... this great migration to fiber is a challenge. Some carriers want [regulatory] exemptions for their fiber rollouts, but regulatory holidays are not on the agenda. There will be no sliding back to monopolies". Again, this applies to not only the Telstra Velocity product, but also the resently announced introduction of ADSL2+ by Telstra at the 900 exchanges.
Reding also praised Europe’s impressive broadband growth rate in recent years. With nearly 100 million broadband customers at the end of 2007, the region’s broadband connection total has grown three-fold during the past three years, “and that’s due to market forces promoting competition". But Europe can still do better, especially with regard to the speed of connections, as the average speed of a broadband connection in EU member countries is just 1 Mbit/s, and Europe needs better upload speeds so it can participate in the user-generated content revolution, added Reding.
And that’s where the growth of residential fiber access will make a difference.
Perhaps our own ACCC can take a left out of her book and start looking into Telstra's practice of signing developers to exclusive agreements using the Velocity Smart Community package. While Telstra is at least rolling out FTTH in some parts of the community, it is their practice of a closed network that does not impress my clients (developers) nor the residents who move into the estate to later find they are locked into Bigpond Internet at ADSL2+ speeds but at prices which are twice as much.
She went on to further say, ”Several operators have announced their fiber plans ...[and]... this great migration to fiber is a challenge. Some carriers want [regulatory] exemptions for their fiber rollouts, but regulatory holidays are not on the agenda. There will be no sliding back to monopolies". Again, this applies to not only the Telstra Velocity product, but also the resently announced introduction of ADSL2+ by Telstra at the 900 exchanges.
Reding also praised Europe’s impressive broadband growth rate in recent years. With nearly 100 million broadband customers at the end of 2007, the region’s broadband connection total has grown three-fold during the past three years, “and that’s due to market forces promoting competition". But Europe can still do better, especially with regard to the speed of connections, as the average speed of a broadband connection in EU member countries is just 1 Mbit/s, and Europe needs better upload speeds so it can participate in the user-generated content revolution, added Reding.
And that’s where the growth of residential fiber access will make a difference.
According to several residential in the Genesis estate on the Gold Coast "for the second time in 4 weeks, Telstra's Fibre to the Home network (Velocity) has gone down for a period of over 24 hours"
A posting on Whirlpool by one of the residents called Sleeves claimed at "around 1:00pm Queensland time on Friday 8th of February, all internet and phone connectivity went down throughout the estate, although Foxtel continued to remain operational (as long as the STB was not rebooted). Telstra informed one resident that the service may not be up until Thursday 14th of February."
The topic on whirlpool [Telstra Velocity issues] also includes complaints about the cost and lack of options that a Telstra Smart Community offers the residents.
There have also been similar problems and complaints in other Telstra BPON based trial sites including Martha Cove in Victoria. The fact that such frequent downtime in a short timeframe on a network designed from the bottom up by Telstra does not inspire confidence that they will be able to do this effectively on a nationwide scale.
A posting on Whirlpool by one of the residents called Sleeves claimed at "around 1:00pm Queensland time on Friday 8th of February, all internet and phone connectivity went down throughout the estate, although Foxtel continued to remain operational (as long as the STB was not rebooted). Telstra informed one resident that the service may not be up until Thursday 14th of February."
The topic on whirlpool [Telstra Velocity issues] also includes complaints about the cost and lack of options that a Telstra Smart Community offers the residents.
There have also been similar problems and complaints in other Telstra BPON based trial sites including Martha Cove in Victoria. The fact that such frequent downtime in a short timeframe on a network designed from the bottom up by Telstra does not inspire confidence that they will be able to do this effectively on a nationwide scale.
Residents at Delfin’s masterplanned community, Laurimar, will have access to leading-edge telecommunications services delivered by fibre optic technology as a result of a Telstra Smart Community® agreement signed between two of Australia’s leading companies, Telstra and Delfin Lend Lease.
Located only 30km north of Melbourne, Laurimar, is a masterplanned community with a Town Centre, featuring a supermarket, primary school, shops, sports fields, recreation precinct and Sales and Information Centre with alfresco café currently under construction.
Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications carrier, has been appointed to provide connectivity services to residential precincts at Laurimar under plans to make it one of the most technologically advanced and “connected” new developments in Melbourne’s north. The fibre optic technology, known as Telstra Velocity™, will give new residents at Laurimar access to the full range of telecommunications and entertainment services such as BigPond high-speed internet, digital free-to-air television, FOXTEL™ Digital services and up to four fixed line telephone services via Telstra’s fibre optic network.
Located only 30km north of Melbourne, Laurimar, is a masterplanned community with a Town Centre, featuring a supermarket, primary school, shops, sports fields, recreation precinct and Sales and Information Centre with alfresco café currently under construction.
Telstra, Australia’s largest telecommunications carrier, has been appointed to provide connectivity services to residential precincts at Laurimar under plans to make it one of the most technologically advanced and “connected” new developments in Melbourne’s north. The fibre optic technology, known as Telstra Velocity™, will give new residents at Laurimar access to the full range of telecommunications and entertainment services such as BigPond high-speed internet, digital free-to-air television, FOXTEL™ Digital services and up to four fixed line telephone services via Telstra’s fibre optic network.
Satterley signs deal with Telstra for Smart Communities
0 comments Posted Wednesday, October 10, 2007Satterley Property Group, one of the largest developers in Western Australia, recently signed an agreement with Telstra to provide their Smart Community Velocity package based on Fibre to the Home technology.
So important was this agreement, which includes all Satterley developments of more than 300 lots, Telstra Chief Executive Sol Trujillo visited Perth to ink the deal with Satterley chief Nigel Satterley.
Residents at The Green at Brighton in Butler and Heron Park in Forrestdale will be among the first recipients to receive the full range of Telstra services delivered by optic fibre. Other estates, such as Dalyellup near Capel and Provence in Busselton, are likely to follow.
Mr Satterley said "As part of our agreement, fibre optic technology will be installed in each estate and homeowners who take up the offer will receive a $1500 rebate towards eligible Telstra services, including fixed line phone and high speed internet.”
While deploying Fibre to the Home in a community provides a great benefit, the downside of a Smart Community agreement is the residents who purchase homes in an estate are limited to Telstra products and services.
Telstra has a number of estates around Australia under Smart Community contracts.
So important was this agreement, which includes all Satterley developments of more than 300 lots, Telstra Chief Executive Sol Trujillo visited Perth to ink the deal with Satterley chief Nigel Satterley.
Residents at The Green at Brighton in Butler and Heron Park in Forrestdale will be among the first recipients to receive the full range of Telstra services delivered by optic fibre. Other estates, such as Dalyellup near Capel and Provence in Busselton, are likely to follow.
Mr Satterley said "As part of our agreement, fibre optic technology will be installed in each estate and homeowners who take up the offer will receive a $1500 rebate towards eligible Telstra services, including fixed line phone and high speed internet.”
While deploying Fibre to the Home in a community provides a great benefit, the downside of a Smart Community agreement is the residents who purchase homes in an estate are limited to Telstra products and services.
Telstra has a number of estates around Australia under Smart Community contracts.
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