MyNetFone

On-demand video streaming services have changed the way we watch television. Gone are the days of waiting a whole week for the next episode of your favourite program - you can now binge-watch entire seasons in one sitting.

While most streaming services offer a fixed monthly price for access to their content, if you aren't on an unlimited plan it's important to be aware of how much data you’re churning through. With an almost infinite number of television hours at your disposal, you can exhaust even a generous download quota long before the month is over.

Market frontrunners Netflix, Stan and Presto all use different amounts of data per-hour depending on what quality of video you choose. Here's how much data each one guzzles through in an hour:

According to the Netflix help centre, the rule of thumb for data consumption is:

• Low definition – 0.3 Gigabytes per hour
• Standard definition - 0.7 Gigabytes per hour
• High definition - 3 Gigabytes per hour
• Ultra-High definition – 7 Gigabytes per hour

The Presto support centre reported:

• Standard definition – 1.3 Gigabytes per hour
• High definition – 3 Gigabytes per hour

While Stan Help was slightly more frugal with:

• Low definition – 0.57 Gigabytes per hour
• Standard definition – 1.13 Gigabytes per hour
• High definition – 2.89 Gigabytes per hour

Assuming your video-streaming service is set to High-Definition, you can budget: 2.25GB for an episode of House of Cards, 6.75GB to watch Star Wars: The Force Awakens or 36GB for the complete director's cut of the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

Netflix and Stan allow you to manually adjust the definition level of the video you're streaming and thereby reduce data consumption. Presto is a little less flexible and does not allow you to adjust the video quality. Instead it's determined by the device you're using and the strength of your home internet connection.

While video-streaming can consume a lot of data, it’s important to keep in mind it’s not the only activity your household uses the internet for. If you've got multiple connected devices in the one house, maybe it's time to upgrade to one of our unlimited NBN or DSL internet plans? With MyNetFone you can upgrade your broadband plan at any time with no additional fees.

Have you got an appetite for data?

Check out our unlimited NBN or DSL broadband plans or speak to one of our sales staff on 1300 731 048.

The NBN's multi-technology deployment strategy will see a variety of methods used to connect all Australians to the National Broadband Network. The deployment method for each residence is pre-determined by NBN Co and will vary depending on where you live.

While all NBN connections will make use of super-fast fibre optic cabling, some connections will also utilise existing copper infrastructure or 4G wireless technology to make the final leg of the journey.

Here are the four types of NBN connection currently supported by MyNetFone:

Fixed Wireless NBN

A fixed wireless connection will be used for premises where direct access to the NBN is too difficult or uneconomical. In these instances, fibre will be rolled out to 2,600 NBN towers which will transmit data the remainder of the journey wirelessly. Each premises using the technology will have an antennae fitted to the roof by an approved NBN installer to receive the incoming signal. The number of premises being serviced by any given tower is ‘fixed’, so there’s always a consistent data allocation for every fixed wireless connection. This ensures every user has much faster and more reliable broadband.

Fibre-to-the-Premises NBN

Fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) connections will see brand new fibre optic cables connecting your premises directly to the NBN. As the connection extends all the way to your premises, a device is required to be installed inside your home by an approved NBN installer. An authorised representative over the age of 18 will have to be home during installation. 

Fibre-to-the-Basement NBN

Fibre-to-the-Building (FTTB) connections are used for multi-dwelling premises like apartment blocks. NBN Fibre is deployed to a common point, usually inside a building’s communications room. The internal copper wiring inside the building is then used to complete the final leg of the connection to each individual dwelling. As FTTB utilises existing copper infrastructure already in the building, residents do not have to be present during installation.

Fibre-to-the-Node NBN

 Fibre-to-the-Node will be the most common type of NBN internet connection. Installation involves rolling out fibre optic cables to a common node in the area. The node will most likely take the form of a street cabinet installed by NBN Co. From the node, existing copper infrastructure will finish the connection to each individual premises. Residents do not have to be present during the installation of a FTTN connection.

You will receive notification in the mail a few weeks before NBN installation is about to commence. It’s important to be aware of when NBN coverage will reach your address, as the existing copper network will be disconnected 18 months after NBN availability.

If your place is ready for the National Broadband Network, check out our competitive NBN plans here or speak to one of our helpful staff on 1300 731 048.

Check if your premises is NBN-ready by searching your address on the NBN rollout map.

Netflix has substantially more subscribers than Stan and Presto, but another advantage is its number of paid subscriptions. As the 3-month-trial period is coming to an end, a much higher proportion of Netflix users are paying for the service than for Stan and Presto. 

You’ll never guess what Facebook has done this time. The answer will shock you…

It’s hard to think of a time when Facebook wasn’t littered with these kind of sensationalist headlines vying for our cursor’s attention. In a climate where clicks mean dollars, clickbait has wedged its way to become an annoying yet accepted part of social media. Now, Facebook is fighting back.

A dedicated team has reviewed tens of thousands of headlines to identify those that intentionally mislead, exaggerate and withhold information. Think: “Her reaction was priceless,” and “what happens next is hard to believe.”

They used these common phrases to build a filter to reduce the amount of clickbait that would appear in the news feed. Facebook will then penalise any repeat offenders so that all of their content rates lower. The change comes after feedback from consumers, concerned with the amount of misleading headlines in their news feed.

“People have told us they like seeing authentic stories the most. That’s why we work hard to understand what type of stories and posts people consider genuine, so we can show more of them in News Feed,” said Facebook research scientist, Alex Peysakhavoich in Facebook News.

Facebook plan to continually develop their algorithm to improve user experience and will implement the clickbait filter over the coming weeks.

The latest report from the International Telecommunications Union estimates that only 47% of the population will have access to internet by the end of the year.

The report also highlights the huge divide between first and third world nations. Europe is the most connected region with 84% of its occupants online, while Africa is the least connected, with only 15.4%.

Percentage of Individuals NOT Using the Internet

“Access to information and communication technologies, particularly broadband, has the potential to serve as a major accelerator of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Global interconnectedness is rapidly expanding, however more needs to be done to bridge the digital divide and bring the more than half of the global population not using the Internet into the digital economy,” said ITU Secretary-General Houlin Zhao.

Wealth is not the only distinguishing factor between broadband users, with far fewer women than men using the internet globally. The internet user gender gap grew from 11% in 2013 to 12.2 % in 2016, though the ITU points out the disparity is significantly greater in developing countries. The regional gender gap is largest in Africa, at 23%, and smallest in the Americas, at 2%.

The NBN has connected over 2.7 million premises to date, and averages a further 40,000 new connections per week. With the launch of FTTN/FTTB, the amount of new connections is expected to increase even further towards NBN Co’s target of 8 million connected premises by 2020.

So what are you waiting for?

MyNetFone customers are already enjoying the benefits of our ultra-fast broadband speeds, competitive prices and all while being supported by our 100% home-grown Australian support team.

Our residential support staff are all based in our Sydney or Melbourne offices. We mentor them closely to ensure our customers are being managed by professionals with an in-depth knowledge of our services. MyNetFone has a strong history of sourcing staff locally, supporting and developing skills right here in Australia.

Speak to one of our helpful sales staff on 1300 731 048
or learn more about our competitive NBN plans here.

Switching to the NBN is also a chance to re-evaluate your broadband needs and an opportunity to escape from traditional Telco.

When choosing an NBN provider, there are several important questions to ask yourself:

How fast is the NBN? The NBN is available in a range of different Tiers, each Tier is determined by the download speeds they provide. The price of your plan will increase with the download speed, so it’s important to choose the right Tier for your household data needs. MyNetFone offers three Tiers: Fast, Superfast and Ultrafast.

Fast NBN delivers speeds similar to that of a regular ADSL connection and is suitable for 1-2 connected devices. Superfast NBN delivers speeds faster than an ADSL connection and is suitable for 2-4 connected devices. Ultrafast NBN delivers the fastest download speeds possible and can cater for multiple connected devices requiring high bandwidth.

How much data do I need? Think about how much internet quota you currently use, and look for an NBN plan that provides more than that. It is important to plan ahead, as once you start using the fast NBN internet, you are likely to find that you do more than ever online and your data usage may increase.

What will happen to my landline? While NBN is an internet network, it is important to consider what effect it will have on your phone line. With new-generation providers like MyNetFone, you have the option of disconnecting your copper landline and switching to an internet-based phone service (VoIP). VoIP is delivered over your internet, so you don’t need to pay line rental – but you can still use a regular phone handset and make calls anytime you want. In fact, VoIP can save you up to 60% in call costs and up to $400 a year in line rental. 

Will I lose my phone number? Switching to VoIP is a cost-effective & convenient option. But what happens to your phone number? With MyNetFone, we can move your phone number onto our network, so you can keep it forever – even if you move to a different address (even interstate!). However, not all providers can allow you to keep your phone number, so it is an important question to ask when evaluating your NBN & Phone provider options. 

How much will it cost? While price is a big factor in choosing an NBN plan, make sure you also consider what it gets you. Do you get plenty of NBN data quota? Does the NBN provider have a local support team or is it somewhere overseas? Are there excess usage charges which may end up costing you more? For example, MyNetFone NBN plans offer generous quota with no excess download charges, and a Sydney-based Customer Service & Support team who are happy to answer your questions.

If you haven't already, it's time to start making plans for the long weekend!

This coming Monday 13^th June is the Queen’s Birthday. For all states except Western Australia this date is a public holiday.

Please take note of our reduced operating hours:

Residential Support & Customer Service

No change to operating hours:

8am – 10pm AEST Monday 13th June 2016.

9am – 5pm AEST Saturday – Sunday.

Business Support & Customer Service

Operating at reduced business hours:

8:30am to 4:30pm AEST Monday 13^th June 2016.

Emergency support will continue to be available throughout the Queen’s birthday long weekend for all business customers with urgent matters.

Sales Teams

Both Business and Residential sales will be CLOSED Monday 13th June 2016, however will be operating at regular hours outside of this date.

Queen (related) Trivia!

Did you know?..

- Queen Elizabeth II is 90 this year!

- Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody film clip was shot in just four hours, cost only £3,500 to make and was released 41 years ago.

- A Queen bee can lay an egg a minute, 24 hours a day.

- In playing cards, the Queen's names are: Hearts - Judith, Diamonds - Rachel, Spades - Pallas and Clubs - Argine.

- Star Wars' Queen Amidala was played by Natalie Portman and Kiera Knightley. Hired for her resemblance to Portman, Knightley played the Queen's bodyguard and decoy.

The recent budget announcement has created some big opportunities for small business with an assortment of tax breaks aimed at supporting Australia’s smaller operations.

1.  Increased turnover threshold for small business. 

The maximum turnover a business can make while remaining eligible for small business benefits has increased from $2 to $10 million. This means a further 870, 000 organisations (employing 3.4 million people) fall within the small business bracket.

2.  Write-off assets up to 20k. 

Small businesses can reduce the tax they pay by instantly writing off assets up to $20,000 until June 2017.

3.  Reduced tax rate. 

The tax rate will be reduced from 30% to 27.5% from 1 July 2016, the tax rate will then be gradually reduced over the next decade until it reaches 25% - matching the average for countries in the OECD.

4.  Increased income tax discount for unincorporated small-business. 

The income tax discount for unincorporated small-businesses will be increased from 5% to 8% on 1 July 2016. Over the next decade the discount will gradually grow to 16%. The threshold for this discount will be increased from a turnover of less than $2million, to less than $5 million.

5.  Overall savings.

The changes are expected to save small businesses around $2.2 billion in total over the next four years. 

Small business is a clear winner in the 2016-17 budget and it’s never been a better time to start, grow or invest in your organisation. MyNetFone has 10 years of experience supporting small businesses with new-generation voice solutions.

 Find out more about MyNetFone's business phone systems.

We have some exciting news... 

MyNetFone have launched NBN Fibre to the Node (FTTN) and Fibre to the Building/Basement (FTTB), dramatically increasing the number of premises that can now take advantage of our competitive NBN plans.

Currently we provide NBN to customers with a Fibre to the Premises (FTTP) or Fixed Wireless connection.

MyNetFone will now be able to provide customers with NBN FTTN/B, which both use a mixture of new fibre optic cables and existing copper infrastructure to deliver ultra-fast internet.

Fibre to the Node

FTTN connects fibre optic cables to a common node in your neighbourhood. From there, existing copper cabling will be used from the node to each premises in the immediate area.

Fibre to the Basement/Building

FTTB connects fibre optic cables directly to a fixed point on a multi-dwelling building. The internal copper cabling will then continue the connection to each individual premises.

NBN Co predicts that 38% of premises will connect to the network using either FTTN or FTTB technology. The NBN recently hit a significant milestone with its 1 millionth customer connecting to the service, this is from a potential 2.5 million premises that currently have access to NBN. 

To find out if your premises is NBN-ready, contact one of our helpful sales staff on 1300 731 048.