Over the last week, I’ve been investigating ADSL2 ISPs. The lure of a 1Mbit upload rate is just too good to ignore.
Upgrading would mean changing my static IP address from my ADSL provider (who don’t offer ADSL2 at my exchange, and likely won’t for a long time), which I can handle. The one thing I have a problem is the excessive amount of time I’ll be without ADSL of any sort while Telstra change my ADSL from their equipment to my new ADSL2 provider’s.
While on Telstra’s ADSL hardware, I can change ISPs with a phone call and a few hours’ wait while my account is swapped over – I just put in the new password and away I go. Apparently, if I want to change from Telstra’s ADSL hardware (which most ISPs wholesale) to another ISP’s hardware, this isn’t so simple. I’m forced to disconnect my ADSL completely, and wait two weeks while Telstra change my line over. I’m told there is no way around this!
Why this inconvenience? I think Telstra worried this delay is the only thing stopping customers from jumping ship from their ADSL through them and their resellers on to competing infrastructure.
Until Telstra, the ISP industry, or both get their act together, a lot of us are going to be stuck on ADSL1 for a very long time.