The Virgin experience

Seeing an ad for free broadband by Virgin Broadband on The Advertiser late last week, I was very eager to try out the service. Being left in the dark by Telstra, it was a breath of fresh airto finally be able to be back and running (well, sort of), in the world of broadband Internet.

My application

So how was my experience? First and foremost, Virgin really responded pretty fast with my online application. After about 3 days of the filing of my application, I received an email stating that their package (broadband modem and documents), would be in my hands in a couple of days. But if only I got to hear the courier knock on our door earlier that day, I would have actually received the box before I got the email. Now, how cool was that? Telstra should learn from Virgin on how to communicate and deal with customers.

The package

Friends knew the night before that I could barely sleep thinking about the time when the courier would come knocking on our door, and if I would actually be able to hear it. He didn’t knock really hard, as compared to most people doing deliveries here in Adelaide. But both Kitchie and I were able to hear him. The first thing I noticed was the difference in size of the box, which was about the size of a small child’s shoe box, compared to that of BigPond‘s that to me, resembled an old IBM horizontal CPU casing.

I received and signed for the package, and immediately checked out the contents. Everything seemed to be in order, but I wasn’t able to do any of the setup for I started having a headache due to lack of sleep, and I decided to go back to bed.

Installation

I plugged in the broadband modem and turned it on. The advertised phrase “You’re turning me on…” on its side made me smile a bit, and I couldn’t wait to get online. I went through the activation and setup process, and everything worked just fine. At first I thought I would only get the mid-speed UMTS, but after having set up everything, I was glad to see that HSDPA was available in our area.

The verdict

Well, so far so good. I have been reaching both download and upload speeds mentioned on the service. But since I only got it yesterday and the service is fairly new, I can’t really say yet. I will have to wait and see if the number of subscribers in the area will affect network access and broadband speed.

For friends and colleagues wondering if they should get it for themselves, my opinion is this… if you’re in an area like me where Telstra does not give squat about upgrading your phone line (if you have one), and you’re restricted to dial-up access with costs each time you access and the monthly dues are basically the same as broadband, then go right ahead. My bill reached about $70 the past month for line rental, calls and dial-up Internet access. Virgin on the other hand, offers services for $60. You do the math.

Related posts:

1. Disconnected, and losing hope
2. Disappointed
3. Options?
4. Telstra, Bigpond… pure BS
5. Three cheers for public wi-fi

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