Feel a need for speed? You'll envy Melbournians living in Lightning Broadband enabled apartment buildings. They can now access new internet connectivity plans offering an astounding 500 Mbps - download and upload - and with unlimited data.
The new plans (300/300, 400/400 and 500/500 Mbps) are significantly faster than the ISP's previous fastest plan, which was an already very zippy 200/200Mbps.
"While 200Mbps is more than enough to satisfy the most demanding applications, some of our customers said they wanted even faster - so we delivered," says Lightning Broadband CEO Jeremy Rich.
"As far as we're aware, these are the fastest apartment broadband plans currently available in Australia."
It's an interesting move by the non-NBN ISP. NBN Co recently axed 100 Mbps fixed wireless plans, stating that it was hard to find applications that warranted the need for it.
Regardless, if there's something the evolution of the internet has taught us, it's that as speeds improve, people will quickly make use of it.
While no single application may currently require a crazy-fast speed of 500 Mbps, it can be useful in a household with multiple users who may all be streaming different high definition videos at the same time or engaging in other data-intensive activities.
Additionally, as the Internet of Things (IoT) is increasingly making its presence felt, it means multiple other devices may be accessing the web simultaneously, all sucking up bandwidth.
Lightning Broadband has been taking Melbourne's medium to high density residential internet connectivity sector by storm since its launch. The company’s apartment building portfolio is now in the double-digits, a feat it achieved in just over a year.
Lightning Broadband enabled apartment buildings include:
- Ascent St. Kilda
- Atherton & Atkinson, Oakleigh
- 107 Cambridge St, Collingwood
- 24-28 Stanley Street, Collingwood
- The Elsternwick
- Regent Residences – Richmond
- Ripponlea Village – Elsternwick
- Coventry Haus – Southbank
- 74 Eastern Road – South Melbourne
- 35 Ormond Rd, Elwood
- The Coach House – Windsor
- Reflections – North Melbourne
- 95 Wellington Street, St Kilda
- William – Carnegie
It's very simple for residents in buildings already provisioned for Lightning Broadband's fibre-backed high-speed internet to take advantage of the service.
"We can instantly activate an account within moments over the phone, and then our clients can be online straight away after plugging in and configuring their compatible router, which is a simple task," says Mr. Rich.
One of the very attractive aspects of the company's FTTB (Fibre To The Building) service is developers and body corporates are able to have the necessary infrastructure implemented at zero up-front cost; whether it's for a new development or retrofitting an existing building.
With fast internet now a must-have, Lightning Broadband provides developers the opportunity of making their buildings stand out in what's becoming a crowded market.
The company also offers direct fibre connections for businesses, offering speeds of 1,000/1,000 Mbps (500/500Mbps fixed wireless also now available), and residential stand-alone fixed wireless internet plans in its service areas, the fastest currently being 100/100 Mbps.
