By Nadia Cameron
ARNnet
Following hot on the heels of competitor Optus Mobility Pty Ltd., Telstra Corp. Ltd. has announced it has signed up its 100,000th cable broadband customer to the BigPond network.
The figures, released on Monday, come only weeks after rival cable provider Optus announced that it had recorded its 100,000th cable customer across the OptusNet cable broadband service.
According to Telstra, the BigPond broadband cable network has experienced a growth rate of 70 per cent in the 12 months from May 2002 to May 2003. Asymmetric digital subscriber line (ADSL) services have increased at a rate of 84 per cent.
By comparison, Optus said cable subscriptions had grown 67 per cent over the past 12 months, with sales of more than 1,000 per week.
Telstra’s announcement of its 100,000th cable customer coincided with the sixth anniversary of the launch of the Australian telco’s broadband cable network.
Telstra broadband chief, Justin Milne, said more than 35,000 customers had joined the cable network in the last 10 months.
He attributed the growth to Telstra’s strong broadband awareness drive over the past 12 months, including its introductory offer of A$100 (US$65) off the cost of installing any of its broadband services in March.
This campaign saw sign-ups increase by 30 to 40 per cent over three months, he said.
Both service providers said the introduction of bundled services, including fixed phone line, pay TV and Internet services, had also played a significant role in increasing their subscriber numbers over the past few months.
Telstra spokesperson Kerrina Lawrence said Telstra would continue to present customers with new sign-up deals and promotional campaigns on a month-by-month basis.
Telstra now boasts more than 300,000 broadband subscribers across its wholesale and retail divisions, including satellite, ADSL and cable customers.