October iiNews

letter from the editor

Welcome to October iiNews.

The weather is slowly clearing and summer (I'm assuming) is almost upon us. Here at iiNet we've been busy spring cleaning our product range and hiring extra personnel to help us to improve our quality of service.

We've recently launched our new suite of dialup plans which include an hourly plan as well as a truly unlimited hours plan for those searching for a more flexible dialup connection to the Internet. The new dialup plans allow you to take full advantage of our great bundling discounts. You can find out more in our news section below.

In September we kicked off our new "How cool iis That" advertising campaign. The campaign is part of our commitment to releasing Internet services of the highest quality - in essence, products that are just plain cool. We're highlighting that not all broadband is the same - with broadband2 you get a next generation broadband connection starting at 1500kbps for the same price as many others are charging for last generation 256kbps broadband.

And finally, to tie in with the upcoming holiday season (not a word about Christmas yet) this month we're going to look at some of the best online holiday destinations. The Internet is not only a great way to find out more about what you're in for before traveling, but it's also an excellent source for last minute holiday deals.

Thanks and enjoy!

Mark Welker
iiNews Editor

general news

new dialup plans
We recently unveiled our new dialup product range designed to provide customers with a high quality, high value dialup Internet experience with increased features, flexibility and great iiphone bundle discounts. The new dialup range provides the choice of an hourly plan with 60 hours use per month, and an unlimited hours plan.

All dialup plans now include:

Both the hourly and unlimited plans can be bundled with iiphone to receive a $10 discount on monthly dialup fees, making an hourly dialup plan just $9.95 per month!

The unlimited plan also has the addition of Web Accelerator, which increases dialup surfing and downloading speeds by five times over standard dialup. Web Accelerator is available anywhere a phone line is connected, requires no new hardware, is easy to install and is free with unlimited plans.

Customers on existing dialup accounts can upgrade to a new dialup plan from toolbox.

ii VoIP/ADSL 2+ Belkin modems arrive!
After delays in international shipping we are now happy to inform you that our new ii VoIP/ADSL 2+ Belkin Modems have arrived in our Australian depot and were being dispatched from Friday (14th October 2005) to customers that have ordered these units.

The new Belkin range represent the latest in Internet technology, offering ADSL2/2+ compatability and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) functionality built in. Not only can they handle the fastest speeds we deliver, but for broadband customers bundled with iiphone, the new units are ready to deliver our free VoIP service, iinetphone.

For some it has been a long and highly anticipated wait for these units to arrive, and we thank those who ordered early for their patience. We are sure that the final product will be more than worth the wait!

special offers

There's no better time to upgrade from dialup to broadband2. Right now we're offering:

Read the full terms and conditions, find out more about our broadband2 or sign up today. Please note that this is a limited time offer.

support & services

customer service update
iiNet is committed to recruiting quality staff for our Customer Service Centres and making sure that they are trained to the highest possible level. Before taking calls and responding to emails, Customer Service Representatives complete a rigorous three week induction course. This includes technical trouble shooting, product knowledge, needs based selling and listening skills, among others. We built our reputation through great products and consistently high standards of customer service, and we intend to keep it that way!

Each staff member's training schedule includes practical activities, role playing, class room learning, online learning and one-on-one mentorship with a senior staff member. We have a training team in each of our Customer Service Centres working under the direction of a Training Manager who makes sure that staff are trained to a consistent standard.

Additional training and coaching is provided to our staff intensively within the first three months and throughout their time with iiNet. All of our new Customer Service Centre staff are also enrolled in a Certificate III in Customer Contact - a specific Call Centre qualification, which is delivered with the assistance from West Coast TAFE.

customer feedback
Internet first timer, Janet from WA, had this to say after battling with her first computer setup:

"I'm sad to say that I didn't catch the names of the two technical support staff that were very helpful on Saturday 10 September and Tuesday 13th September. They were patient and understanding when I explained this was my first computer, took time and didn't rush me and walked me through steps to solve the problems I was having. In this day and age to find a company that takes time and has patience with their customers is rare and almost EXTINCT. 5 star rating."

Thanks for your feedback Janet - your input is much appreciated by our Customer Service staff.

iinews feedback channel
Jenifer in the ACT had some further suggestions for last month's education theme:

"I like your themed issues, makes it easier to find items later on when the messages are filed. Perhaps you could create a new section in your Favourites page on the website where you list all the contacts you have in the themed newsletters under topic headings.

Re: your Education theme - many Internet users - like me- are at the older end of the spectrum, so could be interested in the University of the Third Age. You can now do some of their courses online - see their site at http://www3.griffith.edu.au/03/u3a/"

Thanks for your feedback Jenifer. We're constantly updating our website with information that's relevant to our customers, and we're always happy to incorporate customer feedback into this process.

Richard in WA had a question about our DSLAM updates:

"I am one of the iiNet customers who has upgraded to broadband, however was unfortunate to be either too early, or too late to be migrated from Telstra to iiNet DSLAMS. I therefore am stuck on 1.5Mbps for the foreseeable future.

I can probably understand why you cannot speculate when my and other people's broadband will be migrated, however maybe to ease people's frustrations why not elaborate on why you can't speculate?

On a positive note, please know that your newsletter is very innovative and informative. It represents to me as a customer that you are genuinely interested in interpersonal relationships and the service you provide. Well done and keep innovating to new levels!"

In answer to your question Richard, initially, some of our customers missed out on the first phase of being migrated over to our DSLAMs. This was because these exchanges were the first to receive our DSLAM architecture and the available DSLAM ports filled up very quickly. The good news is that the second phase of this migration is already underway in many locations (find out exactly where by visiting our DSLAM rollout schedule). As soon as we have the necessary information to confirm the dates for this migration process, we will post them to our website. There are so many variables in the process; each exchange has its own unique factors which make it very difficult to pin down an exact date early on, or how many ports we are able to deploy. We are currently working on further initiatives to do our best to give further clarity to DSLAM port availability.

virus alert

top 5 viruses reported to Sophos in September

1. W32/Netsky-P
2. W32/Mytob-BE
3. W32/Mytob-AS
4. W32/Zafi-D
5. W32/Netsky-D

List provided by Sophos.

Remember, all iiNet plans come with industry leading Sophos Brightmail email anti-virus and anti-spam protection that is automatically kept up to date with the latest virus threats. However, to fully protect your system we recommended that you use iiNet's email anti-virus in conjunction with a personal anti-virus product such as those here.

tech knowledge

DSLAM expansion news
The end of September saw us connect our 40,000th customer to our own DSLAM network. For us, this is a significant achievement and a reflection of the efforts and commitment of the company as a whole, with everyone contributing in some way to this incredible milestone.

We're committed to a constantly expanding DSLAM network and to returning to activated exchanges to improve port availability. It's sometimes an anxious wait to get connected to our DSLAM network and as news comes to hand, we update our DSLAM rollout schedule with our progress.

tech tips
Thanks go to Kerry in Administration and Jeffa in Provisioning for this month's tips.

Include your invoice number, customer number or full email address when sending in cheque payments. Without these details, payment processing can be delayed which may cause unnecessary interruption to your Internet service. An easy option is our convenient direct debit and credit card payment methods that can be automatically deducted from your nominated account.

Changed your password recently?
If it has been a while since you last changed your password, it may be a good idea to do so soon. Changing your password every now and then helps protect you from unauthorised use of your account. A minimum of six characters is required for new passwords and should be a mixture of numbers and letters, you can even add capital letters to make it more secure .

broadband speeds faq
Do I have to purchase a bundle to get speeds up to 12000kbps on iiNet DSLAMs?
Yes. At this time the only way we can offer the incredible speeds of the broadband2 DSLAM plans is to bundle them with iiphone or an iibusiness pack .

What do faster speeds mean to me?
File sharing, gaming, music downloads, and video-on-demand all require bandwidth (faster speeds) to work well. And over the next year we can expect many new online applications and services, all demanding faster connection speeds. With broadband2 you pay no more to enjoy all the benefits of a super fast Internet experience.

What sort of speeds can I expect on an iiNet DSLAM?
If you're on an eligible DSLAM and you choose to bundle your broadband account with iiphone full service or iibusiness pack, we can offer ADSL speeds starting from 1500kbps and up to 12000kbps. Reaching higher speeds will depend on the distance you are from your exchange and the quality of your line. Additional factors to be aware of include signal strength, the number of joins in your line, and factors within your home such as unfiltered devices and lengthy phone cords. In addition, you may require new hardware to access speeds up to 12000kbps.

Do I need special equipment or hardware to get ADSL2 speeds?
An ADSL 2/2+ compatible modem or router is required to access speeds up to 12000kbps (ADSL2 speeds) on our DSLAMs. You can purchase ADSL 2/2+ compatible hardware supported by iiNet at any time through toolbox. You'll find all the information you need to choose on the setup options page of our website.

ii people

magdalena staff profile
Name: Magdalena
Title: Associate Programmer

How long have you been with iiNet and what roles have you had?
I started working at iiNet in March 2005. Since then, I have been part of the User Interface (UI) team under the Applications department.

What does your current role involve?
Although I'm in the UI team, I'm not involved too much on the front end developments (those customer applications such as Toolbox and Sign-up), except for minor web fixes and improvements to our project management system. Most of the time I'll be doing various back-end work requests - that is, working on the behind the scenes engine that keeps all our sites running smoothly. Day to day I'll be doing anything from hardware billing tweaks to minor one-off work requests originating from all corners of the company. Right now, I'm working on automating the add-on and removal of optional phone products that customers request via Toolbox.

What were your expectations coming into ii and how have they changed since arriving?
Working in such a cutting edge tech company, I expected iiNet to have a stressful working environment. But it turned out that the environment is a perfect mixture of serious accomplishments and dry jokes, and the stress level here is just about right for me.

What's been your most memorable or satisfying experience at iiNet?
Well, the most intense moment I had was probably the interviewing process. The first one took 45 mins with three people interviewing me and the second stage with a further two people. Then comes the staff birthday celebrations, and my first ever deployment (DLINK contract options) - it's a minor work request, but the hours of intense testing was unforgettable. And oh, the Tuesday head and shoulder massages never fail to impress!

customer profile
Name: Bob Ferguson
Account type: broadband2 starter, bundled with iiphone
Customer since: August, 2005
Location: Carey Bay, NSW

What was it that initially attracted you to iiNet?
My daughter and son in law in Sydney have been with iiNet for a long time and have always been very happy with their service. I took their recommendation and then went online and compared prices, speeds and so on. Basically I found out that for the same money as other Telcos were charging, with iiNet I could get three times the speed, far more downloads, off/on peak quota limits and 24/7 support.

Since becoming an iiNet member, how have you found your Internet experience?
Excellent, no complaints at all. I'm especially delighted with the speed, after 8 years of dialup I had almost got used to sitting and waiting. Now with broadband2 and a 1500kbps connection it just makes my whole Internet experience faster.

What do you use the Internet for mostly?
Mostly email, keeping track of my financial records. Also being an avid traveler I do a lot research into our trips. Usually I start with Google when I'm researching, but I often look at the online newspaper travel sections, in the New York Times and Washington Post.

I see you're bundled with iiphone, what benefits have you found to using the iiphone service?
The best thing really about iiphone is that quality wise, it's no different from our previous provider - meaning that since swapping the line over we've had no interruptions. But what I'm really looking forward to about iiphone is using the VoIP service, iinetphone - which I'll be doing as soon as I get my new Belkin router.

online travel

Planning a holiday or just looking for some day dreaming material? This month we look at some great online travel destinations.

www.travel.com.au
For flight specials, holiday deals, hotel bookings and corporate packages, www.travel.com.au is a great first stop for looking at what's available when you are. Browse by destination, check out the time specific deals available or just plug in your departure and arrival dates and start costing your holiday.

www.smartraveller.gov.au
If you're going to travel, it's always a good idea to drop by www.smartraveller.gov.au before you leave to get up to speed on the latest government travel warnings, visa advice, destination specific travel information and Australian embassy locations.

www.lonelyplanet.com
There's no denying the usefulness of a Lonely Planet guide when you're on the move overseas or in Australia. www.lonelyplanet.com is the abbreviated online version of the popular book series and includes a host of information on what to do and what to see all over the world. The thorn tree forum provides a place to tell your own travel stories and to hook up with other travellers before you go.

www.artoftravel.com
www.artoftravel.com is a complete guide to travelling backpacker style around the world for just US$25 a day. Written by a 35 year old thoroughly bitten by the travel bug, the site contains everything from how to pack, what to wear and how to travel in foreign language countries. Great resource for those new to backpacking.

www.homesick.com.au
By far the most common illness experienced overseas, homesickness can be easily treated with an occasional dose of news from the homeland and a touch of Aussie culture. At homesick.com.au you can get that little bit closer to home with Australian news, global Aussie communities, or for that special someone; a homesick food pack with all the Aussie essentials.

www.australia.com
Why go overseas at all when you've got one of the biggest holiday destinations in the world right here at home. www.australia.com is your portal to travel and accommodation throughout Australia. Check out Australia's 30 great places and see how many you can tick off. And the best thing? No Visa required.

www.travelmate.com.au
Whether you're taking on the country by road, rail or plane, travelmate is a great resource for ideas, map information and hot travel deals. Particularly useful is the handy map maker - a tool that'll calculate how far you'll be going and the approximate time you'll arrive.

competitions

corpse bride Corpse Bride giveaway!
To celebrate the imminent release of Tim Burton's new animated adventure, Corpse Bride, Warner Bros Pictures have kindly provided us with 20 in-season double passes to the film to give away to our readers.

To be in the running for this prize, please email competitions with "Corpse Bride Competition" in the subject line, and provide your iiNet username, full name, and address by 5pm WST, October 27, 2005, along with the answer to this question: Name two good reasons to bundle iiphone with broadband2? (hint: you'll find the answer on our website).

Winners with the correct answer will be drawn at random and prizes sent by mail.

Hitchhiker's DVD giveaway!
To celebrate the release of Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy on DVD, our good friends at dstore - your online department store - have kindly passed on to us copies of the DVD to give away to readers.

To be in the winning simply email competitions with "Hitchhiker Competition" in the subject line, and provide your username, full name, and address by 5pm WST, October 27, 2005, along with the answer to this question: What is the "cool" slogan of our new advertising campaign (hint: you'll find the answer at the beginning of this newsletter).

Winners with the correct answer will be drawn at random and prizes sent by mail.

ii games

two minute review - FIFA 06 for Xbox
with Niaal Holder

FIFA 06 Last year I had the privilege of knocking about with a Brazilian lad, who told me "there are only two things in life: football and girls". Given that he'd befriended the city's compliment of females with clinical precision, by his reasoning I had to make up for my default bachelorhood by playing an intimidating amount of football in my free hours.

So I approach this month's review title with the same boundless anticipation you'd expect from a child licking the window on Christmas Eve, unaware Santa doesn't exist. This month, I am a windowlicker, and FIFA 06 for Xbox is my fat bearded geezer on the roof.

Every game should be christened without you so much as touching the instruction book. If you're well 'ard, you'll just set the instruction book alight and be done with it. This however, may not be so wise for FIFA 06 if, like me, you don't enjoy seeing England lose 6-0 to Faroe Islands in the opening stages of the World Cup.

As far as football simulators go, it turns out things have changed slightly. Now I need to control the player direction with one thumb, his ball control direction with another, and it seems that I need a third thumb to actually kick the ball. Hilarity ensues.

It all works out quite nicely once you've learned to play with two thumbs and your nose. The player motion, continuity of play and AI passing intuition means that with a little practice, you'll start stringing together impressive plays from back to front, from footwork to finishing in less time than it takes to actually get off your lazy cheeks and learn how to do it in real life.

The audio-visual offering is formidable. The stadium atmosphere is lifelike, home crowds perk up with team chants and the attention to detail for the portrayal of a miserable European winter is simply spectacular. There's greater interaction between players as they tussle, claim throw-ins and argue with the referee. In short, if you watched from across the room, you'd be forgiven for thinking Faroe Islands just beat England in the group stage.

The highlight of the game for me, however, was the ability to include myself in the lineup. Choose the height, weight, age, shape, skills, preferred foot, shade of pasty British skin and you're just scratching the surface. Beyond this, you can actually construct your entire face, hairstyle, features and expressions to forcibly insert yourself into your club or country side, at the cost of one of the original first team players. I never thought much of that Rooney kid anyway.

If football makes you tingle, grab this game now without hesitation.

Available now at dstore.

ii flicks & tunes

album of the month
You Could Have it so Much Better - Franz Ferdinand

Franz Ferdinand Forget staggering under the weight of second album expectation, You Could Have it So Much Better from Franz Ferdinand is a dispatch from a band emboldened by success. Whichever way you swing, Franz's infectious beat rhythms and snappy guitar riffs put the dance back in "let's dance to rock and roll". Co-produced by the band and Rich Costey, the album features 13 brand new tracks including the first single 'Do You Want To'.

Available now at dstore.

dvd of the month
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Rated PG

Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy Earth is gone. Destroyed to make way for an interspatial highway, and sole survivor Arthur Dent (played by Tim Freeman from the British series The Office ) is left in his pyjamas, thumb out, searching the back roads of space for answers. Arthur sets out on a journey in which he finds that nothing is as it seems: he learns that a towel is just the most useful thing in the universe, finds the meaning of life, and discovers that everything he needs to know can be found in one book: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Based on a second-draft script written by Adams himself, who died shortly thereafter, the film rightfully earns its place in the storied HITCHHIKER'S lore.

See the competitions section above on how you can win a copy of the movie on DVD.

Available now at dstore.

Serenity customer movie review
Thanks go to Sue in WA for this month's review of the intergalatic adventure, Serenity .

Serenity - Rated M

What happens when the fans of a short-lived TV show make such a fuss that it becomes a major motion picture? Serenity happens.

Writer/director Joss Whedon's vision of the future is based on his much-loved TV series Firefly . Abruptly cancelled before it really had a chance to establish itself, the extraordinary outcry and massive DVD sales resulted in the unprecedented decision to rebirth Firefly as the futuristic action thriller Serenity .

Serenity is a transport ship - home to Captain Mal Reynolds and an eclectic crew, who engage in petty crimes and smuggling to eke out an existence on the edge of the 'verse. 500 years in the future, this small band of people find themselves dodging a bad galactic government known as the Alliance, and barbaric savages known as Reavers. There are no aliens in this future, because the humans are disturbing enough.

Serenity has plenty to offer: compelling characterisation, fast-paced action and snappy dialogue are set against a believable, well thought-out future. The ensemble cast give excellent performances and special effects enhance the movie without detracting from Whedon's vision.

Highly recommended - take a friend.

site scan

www.inthemix.com.au
inthemix.com.au specialises in covering the latest in dance music featuring national & international dance music news, event and music reviews, online ticket sales, forums
and photo galleries.

www.puzzle.jp
If you know what either sodoku, edel or kakro is, then this site is for you. The site releases at least three new number puzzles every day and there are seven different puzzle types to choose from.

www.abc.net.au/broadband/
ABC Broadband showcases the ABC's best broadband content - the latest breaking news, the best online documentaries and avant-garde animation - all available on demand.