News | AusBBS

Keep up to date with news at AusBBS. The News Page includes media releases issued by the company. For media releases and related news follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

For media enquiries please contact us on info@ausbbs.com.au

AusBBS Releases PAYG Naked DSL - Announcement, March 11, 2013

AusBBS Releases Comprehensive Range of Naked DSL Plans

Announcement - March 11, 2013

AusBBS is pleased to announce the release of a comprehensive range of Naked DSL plans. The Naked DSL services will be available to customers on metro exchanges. Plans include competitive cap rates and a Pay As You Go offering which, combined with the removal of line rental charges, offers a new level of flexibility for Naked customers.

Prices on casual contracts start at $50 /mo for PAYG, $52.95 /mo for a 50GB cap, $61.95 /mo for 200GB, $79.95 /mo for 500GB and $102.95 /mo for 1TB.

The AusBBS Naked DSL range can be viewed at ausbbs.com.au/Naked-DSL .

AusBBS PAYG Internet - Why pay for data you are never going to use.

Keep up to date with important NBN developments by following AusBBS on:

AusBBS (www.AusBBS.com.au) is an Australian owned business designed to leverage the capacity of the NBN to develop Australia''s first fully cloud based ISP. Lower operating costs will be reflected in lower access prices, to be passed on to all customers as they connect to the NBN.

Social Media Drives NBN ISP Pricing - Press Release, November 12, 2012

Social Media Drives NBN ISP Pricing

PRESS RELEASE- November 12, 2012

Crowdsourced feedback has persuaded cloud based ISP AusBBS (Australian Broadband Services Pty Limited) to update its Pay As You Go Internet pricing announced just last month.

The company is using social media to gauge the response to its NBN offering and intends to respond rapidly to customer needs.

“Our original PAYG pricing targeted average Australian users needing around 35GB per month,” explained AusBBS CEO, Rob Appel. “We assumed heavier users would prefer to stick with data caps but social media feedback told us otherwise. Dedicated internet users found in places like Whirlpool, or on Lifehacker were not impressed with the original higher rates for heavier use. We recognise these users are important opinion leaders who will be early adopters of the NBN as it rolls out across Australia and we welcome their interest in our innovative pricing approach.”

The company launched Australia’s first pay as you go (PAYG) post paid internet plans in October. Customers can select the speed of service they want and only pay for the data they actually use. AusBBS plans have now been revised so the base price includes the first 10GB of usage, up from just 1GB at launch. After that data costs have been radically adjusted to 85c per GB up to 25GB and then 40c per GB up to 100GB and just 1c per GB after that.

Updated NBN PAYG access fees are $42.95 for 25 Mbps , $52.95 for 50 Mbps, and $62.95 for 100 Mbps (ADSL2+ PAYG available for $29.95). All AusBBS PAYG plans include the first 10 GB of usage, with additional data charged on the same tiered rates.
As part of the revision AusBBS has dropped NBN 12 Mbps plans due to insufficient interest in sub ADSL2+ speed.

“The new pricing opens up AusBBS PAYG Internet to a broader target,” said Appel. “The vast majority of the population are using significantly less than 100GB so the new plans offer almost everyone a competitive pay as you go alternative to traditional caps. And with the 1c rate above 100GB, occasional usage blow outs will not lead to bill shock.”

“Online feedback is an invaluable tool for a challenger brand like ours. We are delighted that high end users have shown interest in our plans and we are pleased to adapt our pricing to accommodate their needs,” explained Appel.

PAYG Internet allows customers to save when their usage is light in any month. If a customer uses more data one month they don’t get penalised, or need to change plans, to get a higher data allowance, they simply pay for what they use.

AusBBS PAYG Internet - Why pay for data you are never going to use.

Keep up to date with important NBN developments by following AusBBS on:

NBN rollout creates Ultra Flexible Pricing - Press Release, October 9, 2012

AusBBS (Australian Broadband Services Pty Limited), has launched live customer trials that include Australia's first post paid, pay as you go (PAYG) internet plans.

"We are breaking the 80/20 rule," said AusBBS CEO Rob Appel. "ISPs know that around 80% of their subscribers will use only 20% of their data cap and price accordingly. Our goal is to be honest with subscribers by allowing them to pay for what they actually use."

AusBBS has introduced a new fully outsourced business structure however end users are likely to be most interested in its product line up.

"If you are searching for an ISP you have surprising little choice at the product level. Most fixed line ISPs just offer a set range of speeds and data allowances (cap plans). Consumers find it hard to guess how much internet they actually need and often people end up paying for far more than they actually use. In fact many cap plans boast huge data allowances, way beyond what most of their customers will ever use. That is the key to profitability with data caps. If every customer used their full allowance the ISPs would run at a huge loss."

"The most recent ACMA report showed an average usage per subscriber of 25GB. Even with usage growing rapidly, the average user is a long way from 100GB, 500GB, and 1000GB cap tiers set by traditional ISPs. Caps are better suited the top 10% heavy users and offer little in the way of flexibility."

"In a typical household, usage can change dramatically over time, sometimes the kids are on school holidays and usage goes up, sometimes the entire family goes away and there is no usage at all. With traditional ISPs the family will continue to pay the same data allowance fee no matter how often they are using the internet and, in fact, with many providers they might get a nasty bill shock if they go over their data allowance," explained Appel.

AusBBS aims to shake up the market by launching a range of flexible plans designed to allow average users to pick the speed they want and then simply pay for what they use. Starting at $39.95 for the NBN 12 Mbps plan, which includes the first GB of usage, users pay 85 cents a GB for the first 10 GB used and then just 40 cents for each additional GB. Usage prices are the same for all plans, no matter what the speed.

NBN 25 Mbps plan starts at $46.95 per month and the top speed plan (NBN 100 Mbps) starts at $59.95, with all plans including the first GB.

In addition to the NBN optical fibre services AusBBS has today launched PAYG and cap plans for ADSL2+ in NBN scheduled areas. Voice services offering substantial savings are also available for the trial.

"These plans are significantly different from what is on offer from the other providers. While we are offering a range of capped plans, suitable for heavy users, to provide our customers with a real choice, we expect our pay as you go plans to be the most popular. We are combining the flexibility of the prepay market with a pricing structure normally reserved for fixed contract customers," said Appel.

A trio of internet veterans are behind the new service, Rob Appel, Ian McGregor and Andy Kent. All three having been employed as senior executives with OzEmail, Australia''s first major ISP, which dominated the local market in the late nineties.

"Some people wonder why we want to launch another ISP at a time when the market appears to be saturated," said McGregor, Director, AusBBS.

"We realised a while ago that the NBN changes everything, it is a disruptive infrastructure adjustment, offering to level the playing field throwing the ISP market wide open. By engineering our business from the ground up, and fully exploiting the potential created by the NBN, we have been able to deliver a high quality, low cost solution to anyone who can connect to the new fibre network," continued McGregor.

AusBBS, hailed as Australia''s first fully cloud based ISP, has leveraged the power of the NBN to outsource many of the functions normally provided in house by traditional ISPs. This business model allows AusBBS to access economies of scale normally associated with large and established companies from day one.

It is still early days for the NBN rollout so AusBBS will offer ADSL2+ cap and PAYG plans with the guarantee of seamless and cost free transition to the NBN as it becomes available.

AusBBS PAYG Internet - Why pay for data you are never going to use?

NBN in the cloud - Press Release, April 23, 2012

NBN in the cloud

Australian Broadband Services (AusBBS) secures funding and commences systems build

AusBBS has secured first round funding for the development of Australia’s first virtual ISP to operate exclusively over the NBN. The Company has now commenced its platform build designed to deliver high speed data and voice services with the lowest possible cost structure. The step reflects ambitious plans to incorporate cloud solutions for many of the functions usually managed in house by established ISPs.

Stage one funding has been provided by sources close to AusBBS founder and CEO Rob Appel, enabling the company to launch its initial product range in the second half of 2012 as the NBN rollout picks up momentum.

The National Broadband Network promises to deliver super-fast internet access across the country, leveling the playing field for data and voice service providers. The founders of AusBBS are incredibly excited by the potential applications and opportunities that the NBN represents.

“We will be the first ISP to fully leverage the speed and capacity offered by the NBN, harnessing it to develop a very low cost business model, allowing us to offer cheaper and simpler internet access to all Australians. We will outsource the majority of our needs to specialists all over the country to ensure a top class service at a competitive price,” explained Rob Appel, CEO.

“The NBN will create a highly competitive environment in which new entrant ISPs can compete for the first time in many years. AusBBS will be among a new generation of ISPs structured to take advantage of non discriminatory wholesale pricing and passing on genuine benefits to customers.”

“By leveraging the power of the cloud to outsource most of our needs we can securely make available the applications and information our suppliers need, wherever they happen to be. Our overheads will be significantly reduced using this model, allowing us to offer competitively priced access plans to all Australians, wherever the NBN reaches,” concluded Appel.

The NBN plans to cover over 3 million premises throughout Australia by 2015.

AusBBS (www.AusBBS.com.au) is an Australian owned start up designed to leverage the capacity of the NBN to develop Australia’s first fully cloud based ISP. Lower operating costs will be reflected in lower access prices, to be passed on to all Australians as they connect to the NBN.

AusBBS Engages Utilibill Cloud Billing - Press Release. May 7, 2012

Australian Broadband Services Engages Utilibill Cloud Billing
Australian Broadband Services (AusBBS), the NBN generation ISP, with a cloud based business model, has signed a platform agreement with leading provider Utilibill.

AusBBS has contracted billing and provisioning specialist Utilibill to develop, customise and host its virtual ISP platform. The agreement with Utilibill covers delivery of all the billing and associated software tools needed for account provision, customer support, invoicing, payments and credit management. The secure cloud solution supports NBN data and voice services to be offered by AusBBS in its upcoming launch and will be accessed by the company’s customers and staff across Australia.

“This deal with Utilibill is a great example of the AusBBS cloud based business model in action, with cost savings delivering us a competitive advantage,” explained AusBBS CEO Rob Appel.

“Traditionally, ISPs have invested massively upfront to develop and build systems to invoice and manage their relationships with customers. In 2012 AusBBS can access mature and flexible systems from day one and only pay for the services as they are needed.”

The customised platform will host a trial launch of NBN data and voice services in coming months and subsequently the full AusBBS product range roll out in 2013. By outsourcing solutions for many of the functions usually managed in house by established ISPs AusBBS aims to make significant savings, using the power of the cloud to securely make available the applications and information IT suppliers need and allowing the company to benefit from their existing economies of scale.

"We dedicated a large part of 2011 to perfecting our cloud billing technology and we are excited to be recognised and selected for our expertise by NBN front runner AusBBS," said Morgan Duncan, MD of Utilibill.

"Utilibill is customising a specific product suite for AusBBS building an intuitive interface for their customers. The platform went into a rigorous testing stage this week and will be further customised in the lead up to the AusBBS launch in the coming months. From the minute customers sign up they can expect best-in-class billing and support systems."

The NBN plans to cover over 3 million premises throughout Australia by 2015.

Utilibill (www.utilibill.com.au) is an Australian owned, cloud based SAAS provider, its focus is BSS/OSS CC&B billing, provisioning and customer management for Utility providers. Utilibill provides end to end services for over 100 retail Telco, Electricity and embedded network providers and has recently announced its business expansion into the retail energy and embedded networks space. The company is also beta testing the first Utilibill Virtual appliance which enables customers to choose their performance by means of modifying Disk, RAM and CPU allocations.

For more information contact:

Rob Appel
e. rob@ausbbs.com.au
m. +61 (0)412 566 251
w. www.AusBBS.com.au
ABN 97 150 723 354

Morgan Duncan

e. morgan@utilibill.com.au
m. + 61 (0) 419 202 994

w. www.utilibill.com.au

ABN 37 114 791 954

AusBBS selects Nextgen's NBN Connect - Press Release. May 20, 2012

Australian Broadband Services (AusBBS) selects Nextgen's NBN Connect for national data and voice service roll-out.

AusBBS will utilise Nextgen Networks, NBN Connect product, to enable the delivery of data and voice services nationally. Nextgen infrastructure will give AusBBS a presence at all NBN points of interconnect immediately as they come online, allowing AusBBS to sell into all NBN connected premises. The deal includes wholesale data and voice rates that will allow AusBBS to compete with the established ISPs without the costs associated with owning and operating telco infrastructure.

“We are partnering with a network access provider that can fully leverage the potential of the NBN. With over 19,000 km of fibre in the ground NextGen has already established a presence at the NBN’s existing points of interconnect and is ready to connect to the others as they come on line. What this means for AusBBS is that our services will be available to all households across Australia as soon as their area is connected to the NBN, allowing us to effectively compete with the established players from day one,” explained Rob Appel, CEO, AusBBS.

“NextGen were the obvious choice for AusBBS as they offer industry-leading product features and performance specifications and promise the most efficient, cost effective and optimum time-to-market options to deliver services over the NBN”, said Appel. “In our view Nextgen’s involvement in the Regional Blackspots Program creates an additional strategic advantage in the aggregation of NBN services.”

Wholly owned by the Leighton Group, Nextgen Networks recently completed the Federal Government’s $250 million Regional Backbone Blackspots Program (RBBP) which involved establishing more than 6,000 kilometres of fibre optic infrastructure. The network connects more than 100 regional locations and also serves as a foundation for the NBN.

“As a successful challenger in the carrier business we are delighted to partner with the latest challenger in the ISP market. By working together with AusBBS we believe we will find synergy in our strengths, allowing us to deliver real choice to all Australians connecting to the NBN, particularly in regional areas,” said Nextgen Managing Director, Phil Sykes.

Last year Nextgen unveiled a wholesale product suite for ISPs of all types to access the NBN. The suite, ‘NBN Connect’, is aimed at both small and large ISPs and combines the company's national fiber network and its points of presence (PoP) in a large number of Australia’s data centers with direct connection to NBN Co’s fiber, wireless and satellite access. Nextgen can provide access to competitive wholesale pricing for small ISPs as it aggregates data volume across multiple clients, including large telcos, corporations and government agencies.

“In addition to data and voice services this partnership offers AusBBS the opportunity to collaborate with Nextgen’s network of content and hosting clients in the creation of new types of value added services for our end customers," added Appel.

AusBBS is on track to launch a trial service, of its fully cloud based ISP, in the second half of this year, having already announced a partnership with Utilibill for billing and CRM services.

The NBN plans to cover over 3 million premises throughout Australia by 2015.

Keep up to date with important NSN developments by following AusBBS on:

AusBBS (www.AusBBS.com.au) is an Australian owned business designed to leverage the capacity of the NBN to develop Australia’s first fully cloud based ISP. Lower operating costs will be reflected in lower access prices, to be passed on to all customers as they connect to the NBN.

Nextgen Networks (www.nextgennetworks.com.au) owns and operates the 3rd largest long haul optical fibre network in Australia with established fibre routes from Brisbane to Perth. It is a specialist transmission services provider to telecommunication carriers and service providers, corporations and government. It does not sell services to consumer or residential customers.
Nextgen is wholly owned by Australia's largest project development and contracting group, Leighton Holdings Limited.

AusBBS Appoints Former OzEmail Colleagues to Board - Press Release, July 9, 2012

Australian Broadband Services (AusBBS) Appoints Former OzEmail Colleagues to Board

AusBBS, the NBN Generation ISP, has announced the appointment of Ian McGregor as non executive Chairman and Andrew Kent as non executive Director and technology strategy advisor.

Both appointees are internet veterans having played key roles as senior executives, alongside AusBBS Founder Rob Appel, in the formative period of ISP success story OzEmail. OzEmail was Australia's first major ISP, holding the number one position in the local ISP market until 1999 when it was sold to MCI Worldcom for AUD540M.

"I am delighted to welcome Ian and Andrew to the AusBBS Board," said AusBBS CEO, Rob Appel. "These appointments reunite a team with the skill range and experience to take up the challenge of creating a new ISP business model in the midst of the NBN roll out."

"Ian McGregor brings direct experience of the financial dynamics behind high growth ISP businesses," continued Appel. "His background as CFO at OzEmail during its listing on both the ASX and NASDAQ, and sale to MCI Worldcom, and more recently as CFO of Unwired, give him a unique insight into the creation of successful ISP models."

"Andrew Kent was the cornerstone of IT as CTO for OzEmail while its massive growth put strain on evolving technologies," said Mr Appel. "He has been at the bleeding edge of technological innovation throughout his career and current expertise in cloud based solutions will add enormously to IT strategy at AusBBS."

Ian McGregor has over 25 years of professional experience as a financial officer, business manager and Director of public companies. In addition to his role as CFO for OzEmail, Mr McGregor has been the CFO at UUnet, Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer of Broadcast Services Australia Limited, and the Chief Financial Officer of Unwired Group Limited. He currently holds the position of non executive Chairman at Australian Power and Gas Limited.

"I look forward to working with the Board to identify and capitalize on opportunities around the NBN. The establishment of a national optical fibre network in Australia will open up the market for new ISP business models," said Mr McGregor. "AusBBS is developing a unique approach to ISP cost structures that holds tremendous potential."

Andrew Kent is one of Australia’s leading internet architects, with over 25 years experience in technology and senior internet roles. As CTO of OzEmail and subsequently UUNet Asia Pacific, Mr Kent designed, implemented and managed some of the largest internet platforms and support staff teams in the country. Mr Kent has since been involved in the development of online messaging systems, cloud services and a broad selection of cutting edge internet appliances through his consulting company Spry Business Technology Solutions which will also provide high level IT strategy advice to AusBBS.

"I am excited to be involved with an early mover ISP at such a dynamic time in Australia's Telco market," stated Mr Kent. "The scope for high bandwidth content and applications in the context of the NBN and cloud based infrastructure will revolutionize internet services and AusBBS is well positioned to play a key role."

AusBBS has already announced Nextgen as its voice and data wholesaler and a partnership with Utilibill for billing and CRM services.

Keep up to date with important NBN developments by following AusBBS on: