Optus has become the second major Australian telco to offer quota-free access to streaming video service Netflix, which is set to launch in Australia on March 24.
Alongside the Australian launch date announcement, iiNet, Australia’s second largest DSL broadband provider, announced that Netflix content would not count towards its customers’ download quotas.
From April 17, Netflix will be unmetered for Optus fixed home broadband customers, and will be available through the company’s second generation Fetch TV set top boxes. First generation Fetch TV box users will need to upgrade, at a cost of $135.
However, the unmetered offer won’t apply if the data is streamed through a mobile phone or mobile broadband device rather than from a fixed line service. The carrier warns Netflix on mobiles uses around 1GB of data per hour for standard definition and 3GB per hour for high definition.
Between March 24 and July 5, Optus will also bundle a six month subscription to Netflix for its home broadband bundle customers and post-paid mobile phone and post-paid mobile broadband services.
The offer is available for customers opting for a $60 plan or above (or $30 per month for post-paid mobile broadband), on a 24-month contract. A shorter three-month Netflix offer will also available to prepaid mobile and prepaid broadband customers who activate the included SIM.
Andrew Sadauskas is a former journalist at SmartCompany and a former editor of TechCompany.
