Introduction
Like a surprising number of now-successful internet service providers, Westnet began as a company with its office in a bedroom. Rapidly growing with the internet boom of the late ‘90s, Westnet has no been acquired by ISP iiNet, which operates a separate internet service.
Westnet offer Broadband ADSL, ADSL2+, Satellite and Dialup internet. They also provide web hosting and telephone services to their customers.
Internet Services
Westnet offer perhaps more plans for standard ADSL broadband than any other Australian company. To list all of these plans would leave little space for anything else, so here just a few: At the speed of 512 kbps up and 128 kbps down, Westnet have a pre-paid download limit of 3 GB a month, with an off-peak bonus of a further 3 GB, for $44.95 a month. At the same speed with 7 GB pre-paid and 10 GB off-peak, they’ll charge $54.95. For the highest speed available for broadband internet, 8164/384 kbps.
Off-peak refers to times when server load can be lower, and hence further downloads can be made. That is to say, if you’ve decided to go with Westnet’s 7 GB on / 10 GB off plan, you can download up to 7 GB during peak times and a further 10 GB at off-peak periods. Westnet also offer the option of having your speeds restricted once the download limit is reached, or spending $6 per gigabyte of extra downloads with no speed limit being put in place.
Westnet also provide 20 MB of free web space, mirror 1400 GB of files that can be downloaded without affecting the monthly download limit and run a total of 160 gaming servers.
It’s worth noting that Australia is considered to have some of the poorest Internet access in the developed world. Those from other countries are surprised to learn that very few plans are available to consumers that provide an unlimited monthly download capacity.
Pros and Cons:
Pros:
- Wide range of plans
- Low level of complaints regarding customer service
Cons:
- Relatively expensive
- When considering monthly download limit, speed limit and price, Westnet is not the best value for money
Conclusion
While Westnet offers one of the widest ranges of deals of any Australian ISP, their prices are slightly more expensive than some of the other brands. It’s worth considering whether one of these plans may be suited perfectly to your online needs. Otherwise, compare Westnet’s prices with those of Optus, Telstra and the smaller (usually more competitive) internet providers.
