Exetel attacks “intentional confusion” by offering just one NBN plan

In a big departure from the norm, Exetel has scrapped all of its NBN internet plans in favour of what it calls “One Plan”, a single tier at a set $80 monthly price.

Exetel’s One Plan comes with 500Mbps download speeds and 50Mbps uploads. However, to get those speeds, customers need to have either a Fibre To The Premises (FTTP) or a Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) connection. NBN Co has made it easier and cheaper to upgrade to FTTP technology, but not everyone in Australia has access.

Existing Exetel customers can stay on their existing plans, which is one option for those without FTTP or HFC connections. Alternatively, Exetel is owned by Superloop, which still has a full suite of different NBN plans.

Australia’s telco industry copped a fair whack from Mehul Dave, Superloop’s Group Executive, Consumer, saying NBN providers have “way too many plans and too much jargon”, resulting in “confusion disguised as control.”

“If you see through all the plans and promo periods and that whole game of intentional confusion and you just want fast, reliable internet – this is for you,” Dave said. “It’s 80 bucks. 500 Mbps. No gimmicks.”

It’s a similar sentiment to that shared by SpinTel CEO Liam Bal, who claimed that Australians spend too much money on internet. SpinTel’s response was to sell NBN plans at a lifetime discount, rewarding customers who stick with the telco.

What does Exetel’s One Plan include?

Beyond the simple pricing and 500Mbps download speeds, Exetel also includes a few other quirks with its new One Plan approach.

Customers can refer a friend to each receive a $1 recurring discount as long as they remain connected. If 500Mbps doesn’t cut it, there’s also the option to spend $1 to “Warp Speed” for a day, temporarily increasing the download speed to 1000Mbps.

Possibly the most useful feature for most people is “Hibernate”. If you’re going away and don’t need home internet, turning on Hibernate saves $1 per day it’s enabled. It doesn’t switch the internet off entirely; instead, it slows the speeds down to 12Mbps/1Mbps, meaning internet access remains available in a pinch.

At $80 per month, the Exetel One Plan is one of the cheapest NBN plans in Australia with download speeds above 250Mbps. SpinTel comes close at $84 per month, while many NBN 250 plans cost more than $80 after introductory discounts end.

Exetel’s modular approach may come as welcome news to Australians feeling the effects of increased NBN prices as the new financial year kicks off.

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