I am currently using Club Telco. ADSL2+ (??) Cost is $30 per month, 15GB per month with no contract. I am a pensioner so cost is very important to me. I live in Frankston South, about 4.5 km from the Mt. Eliza exchange. My internet connection is most unsatisfactory, best speed down is around 1.5 mbps, mostly it is around 380 kbps, often it drops out entirely. I have complained to Club Telco without satisfaction. Are you able to offer me a solution at around the same cost? I only need around 8 to 10 GB per month. My son in Brisbane uses TPG and is very happy with it. Thank you.

It sounds like you are in a pretty difficult situation. Club Telco is already one of the cheaper ADSL providers in Australia, and it looks like you need to increase your line speed, thus raising your monthly cost even more, unless you can get ADSL2+, which is a very competitive market.

We doubt you are getting ADSL2+ from Club Telco at Mt. Eliza. Most probably you are on an ADSL1500 speed, as no provider would offer an ADSL2+ service (up to 24,000kbps) and legally provide speeds as slow as 380kbps.

All of the broadband providers in your area are using the Telstra infrastructure, so if you change to another company’s ADSL1 service you may have to pay more money. Let’s hope you can get ADSL2+ through at least one company. As you are on a pension ADSL1 may not be a viable option, but you should be aware there is a government assisted broadband scheme for pensioners that can at least knock a little bit off of your monthly bill.

TPG (1300 106 571) doesn’t have ADSL2+ at the Mt. Eliza exchange, so the best they can do is offer an ADSL 8000kbps speed plan. The cheapest one costs $49.95 a month, with 50GB (split 10GB in peak and 40GB in off-peak).

As far as ADSL2+ options go, it’s always cheaper to get a bundle plan, renting both your broadband and landline telephone from the single provider. As you currently need around 8GB to 10GB a month, you may find that with a faster speed (ADSL8000 or ADSL2+) you could need a little more data. This is because a faster speed allows you to do more online in a shorter amount of time, as well as increasing the ability to watch videos etc. without having to wait a long time for them to buffer.

Here are a few good options for ADSL2+ bundles at the Mt. Eliza telephone exchange:

Currently SpinTel has a special offer for ADSL2+ including home phone bundle and 10GB (no off-peak times) of data for $39.95 a month. If you need more data, there is the SpinTel 20GB $49.95 ADSL2+ plan including phone line rental. These are great deals if available at your local phone exchange. Call SpinTel on 1300 381 277 for more information.

The iPrimus $29.95 ADSL2+ Starter Plus 40GB plan gives you 20GB in peak and 20GB in off-peak. This is bundled with the iPrimus $29.95 landline telephone rental. You’ll be paying what you are paying now, but for a much faster speed, and for more download data. Call iPrimus on 1300 137 794 for more details.