From Sept. 21, 2011 existing and new customers to Telstra BigPond will receive higher data limits on their broadband plans. The most important change to BigPond’s offerings is the inclusion of a 500GB plan on all of its fixed broadband connections. This is a significant increase in quota size, as the previous largest plan only contained 200GB on BigPond cable, ADSL, or super-fast ‘Ultimate Velocity’ cable connections.

Australian families are starting to use a lot of different internet-enabled devices in their homes, like laptops, tablets, smartphones, PCs, online gaming consoles and internet-connected TVs. Therefore, we have asked for higher data quotas, and it looks like BigPond is catching on.

The cheapest way to get one of BigPond’s fixed line broadband plans is to sign up to a bundle on a 24-month contract. When you combine your fixed line telephone and your fixed line broadband on one bill, BigPond offers a $20.00 discount off of the broadband’s stand-alone internet price. (Stand-alone broadband is when you have your telephone line rental with a different provider other than Telstra.) This discount is called the ‘BigPond Broadband Benefit’.

If you choose to take the bundle option, you can now get 5GB for $29.95, 50GB for $49.95, 200GB for $69.95, or the new 500GB plan for $89.95. You then need to add the cost of the Telstra phone line rental, which is around $30 per month.

Note: If you are one of the few rare people in eastern Melbourne who can receive the BigPond Ultimate Velocity cable service, with speeds of up to 100Mbps, for an added $10 per month ($99.95) you can get the 500GB plan.

Telstra BigPond Mobile Broadband Data Increases

As well as changes to its fixed line plans, BigPond has decided to add 1GB to a number of its Mobile Broadband plans for the same price. Telstra has also increased its largest plan from 12GB to 15GB for an extra $10 a month on the current price. For $29.95 a month you can now get 4GB, $39.95 gets you 8GB, and $79.95 will get you the 15GB plan. These prices are only for 24-month contracts, and take into consideration the $20 discount is only available to those who have multiple Telstra products. You can still get a 1GB plan for $19.95 a month, providing you get the same multiple product discount.

Note: If you are already a BigPond customer you will not be automatically transferred to a new plan option, and you will need to start a brand new 24-month contract if you want the $20 BigPond Broadband Benefit.

There are no excess data usage fees on these BigPond plans. Fixed line broadband customers’ connections will be slowed down to dial-up speed on the 5GB and 50GB plans when you reach your monthly quota, while 200GB and 500GB connections are slowed to 256kbps. All BigPond mobile broadband plans listed here are slowed down to dial-up speed when you reach your data limit.

Note: BigPond will only give you the $20 plan discount if your combined cost for multiple Telstra products is at least $89 per month.