The hot topic for this week is broadband availability. On a personal level, my own ADSL application was rejected last week and I'm not too happy about the prospect of life without broadband. I am now considering moving house!

On the external front there have been several articles in the media recently about the urgent need for government to "play an active role in encouraging the adoption of broadband." An August 31 article in The Australian IT claimed Australia is two years behind comparable developed countries in broadband services and says that the Government should play a bigger role in funding the development of broadband.

In response to this our Managing Director, Michael Malone dropped a quick note to the Australian IT, including details of our DSLAM rollout and the following comments: "We'd like to see the government spend our money in support of the regulator by applying resources to ensure that Australia has a fair, competitive environment to allow iiNet and emerging Telcos to innovate."

The ongoing debate about government involvement can only elevate the broadband availability issue and hopefully assist those iiNet customers wishing to progress from dialup to broadband, like I do.

Until next time...

Joanne Large
iiNet Editor

AC Nielsen would like to hear about your Internet usage and what you think of your ISP. All participants who fill in the Australian Online Survey will go into the draw to win one of over 150 prizes, including a Nokia 6820 mobile phone. Other prizes include a Sony Cybershot 4.1 MP camera and 50 $100 Myer gift vouchers.

So visit the survey before October 5 and have your say.

Often you fill out a survey and don't hear any feedback, so we're making a point of publishing the key results of our recent products and services survey.

The Toolbox is a handy online interface that lets our customers track their accounts and purchase hardware. The survey results revealed that 45 percent of respondents' last visit to the iiNet website was to use Toolbox - this is great to know that Toolbox is helping almost half of the survey participants.

Those who use Toolbox find it useful for monitoring usage of their Internet and phone accounts, and most importantly to ensure they are on the right plan for their usage levels. Sometimes they will discover they should be on a different plan, which helps them make the best use of their service and often saves money. iiPhone users can track their most frequently called destinations and view their bill before it is due at the end of the month - meaning no nasty surprises.

However, in the same survey question just 7 percent of you visited the support pages the last time you went to the iiNet website. We hope to improve this in the future with the Support Central tool which should answer more of your support questions than our traditional support pages, as it is interactive and easier to search.

Overall, we greatly appreciated your feedback and we're working on improvements and enhancements to our products, support services and more.

On September 20 iiNet announced an agreement to acquire the Internet service component operated by Virtual Communities, a Melbourne-based retailer of bundled home computer and Internet services packages.

The acquisition adds 50,000 dial-up subscribers and about 2,500 broadband residential and business customers to our customer base. This brings our total customer base to over 400,000.

So while iiNet continues to grow nationally, we pride ourselves on being able to think locally, and continue to deliver the high level of service you’ve come to expect from us.

For more information about this news please visit the ASX press release.

This month the spotlight is on our Solutions Team - the unsung heroes who work with our clients to ensure optimal customer service. This team consists of nine staff who are dedicated to providing continuous quality improvement and customer relationship management.

The Solutions Team will be your first point of contact regarding feedback responses, such as those collected from the Customer Satisfaction Survey which we recently distributed. The feedback they collect is then acted upon to ensure that our internal processes are improved in order to deliver a better customer experience.

The Solutions Team provides an avenue for resolving client issues, so feel free to give them a call if you have an issue and they will endeavour to sort it out. Of course they love to hear good news too - compliments are always welcome!

For an inside look at our Solutions Team check out the Staff Profile.

In other customer service news, 20 new support staff commenced in the past fortnight. As the business has grown, so has the Customer Service Centre, so these staff should help increase the level of service. In addition to this we are currently undertaking a review of sales and helpdesk operations, which should also help to increase the level of support to our clients.

The iiNet DSLAM team is progressing at speed to build the new DSLAM infrastructure as quickly as possible. In the few short months that we have been working on this project we have migrated over 3,000 customers to our own network infrastructure.

Exchanges deployed in Western Australia to date are: Cannington, Pier, Doubleview, Tuart Hill, Hamersley and Wellington. In the ACT, Civic and Deakin have also been completed.

The next WA exchanges to be deployed are: Victoria Park, Bulwer, Subiaco, Maylands, Fremantle, Mt Hawthorn, Mullaloo and Nedlands. Looking around the country, North Melbourne in Victoria, Homebush in NSW and Davey in Tasmania are also due for completion soon.

To see how we are progressing with your exchange please visit our web site and choose your state and nearest exchange. In the meantime we will keep you posted with our progress.

Regards,

The DSLAM Team

Name: Jason Backshall
Title: Solutions Customer Consultant
How long have you been with iiNet? Almost two years

What does your role involve?
Primarily, I'm here to resolve disputes or disagreements which cannot be sorted at the front-line. This often involves liaising with various departments within the company, our suppliers, and even the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman on the odd occasion, so the role really allows me to stretch my wings, and be involved in as many areas of the company as possible.

What do you enjoy most about your job?
I like the fact that I speak with our customers on a daily basis, and ensure that they're happy with the service they're receiving. If they're not - there's an opportunity in waiting! It is especially satisfying when I can turn a negative and sometimes complicated situation into a positive and have a happy and satisfied customer as the end result.

Where do you think iiNet will be in five years time?
Obviously developments such as VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) and our own DSLAMs will allow us to diversify our product portfolio. A stronger focus on the requirements of businesses should allow us to become a leading player in the corporate and education markets.

Name: Peter Christian
Account Type: bliink 256 lite
Customer Since: 2001

What is your primary use of the Internet?
I use it for almost everything I do. From checking out insurance quotes to looking up the RAC crash test rating for the car I'm buying.

I work in law, so I use it at work to look at law sites which show recent and old cases. The site I visit the most would have to be AUSTLLI, which contains supreme and high court cases, including the legislation and regulations surrounding each area. Without the Internet our jobs would be very laborious!

What is the biggest benefit of having the Internet?
I haven't had to consciously pay a bill for a really long time! You can pay everything online these days, and you can set up automatic deductions through online banking and BPay. I even pay my iiNet bill automatically each month!

Why did you choose iiNet?
There are a few reasons: they were recommended to me, are West Australian and were the best choice at the time. Without doubt they are still the right choice. I still recommend iiNet to all of my friends, as I tell them: you can't go past iiNet - at the end of the day, the fly-by-nighters will let you down.

1. How are mobile phone calls charged by iiPhone?
   Mobile calls are charged a 20 cent flag fall and then are charged 33 cents per minute. The first 30 seconds are charged out and then it is billed per second after that.
   
2. Do I need a second phone line for ADSL?
   In most cases the answer is no, although if a customer has a PABX system they will need a standalone copper line. The main benefit of ADSL is that customers can be connected to the Internet and also make and receive phone calls at the same time.
   
3. Why does it say 6gig quota for wiink?
   There is a six gig quota for wiink before a customer is shaped. The customer is allocated 200MB which they are not charged for, then they are charged 15 cents per MB until they reach a maximum charge of $59.95 per month. After this the customer is shaped when they reach 6gig.

Nudie Juice!
If you haven't tried a nudie juice yet you are truly missing out! With over 10 super healthy crushies and juices, it's hard to choose which one to try first.

So...thanks to our friends at nudie we are giving two lucky customers from either Sydney, Melbourne, Perth or Adelaide the chance to win a month's supply (that's one per day) of the freshest and best juice you can get! (Please note that this prize must be collected from the nudie head offices in the cities mentioned above).

To win one of our great prizes please email competitions@iinet.net.au with 'Nudie Juice' in the subject line and answer this question: what are three flavours of nudie juice? (Hint: you can find this on the Nudie website)

To find out more about nudie, sign up for the nudie world club at http://www.nudie.com.au.

Budget Direct offers cheaper car insurance and higher quality service. Join the 3,000 Australians each week who are insuring their car through Budget Direct.

Some of the benefits Budget Direct offers*:

• Lower premiums
• No forms to fill out ever!
• Lifetime guarantee on repairs
• Flexible payment terms
• 21 day, money back guarantee**

Click here to complete an online car insurance quote in less than four minutes.

Insurance products issued by Budget Insurance Company Limited (ARBN 095 974 548). Please read the product disclosure statement available from Budget Direct when deciding whether to buy or hold this product. Insurers Hotline Pty Ltd (ACN 003617909) Registered office: Level 6, 9 Sherwood Road, Toowong, QLD, 4066.

*Terms and conditions apply. Subject to rating and underwriting criteria.
**If you cancel the policy within 21 days of purchase and do not make a claim.

If you have ADSL or broadband please have your modem type ready when you call the Customer Service Centre, as this will likely shorten the time of your call.

Movie of the Month

Garfield: The Movie

Breckin Meyer is Jon Arbuckle, Garfield's owner and chief provider who lately has been taking him for numerous visits to see local vet, Liz Wilson (Jennifer Love Hewitt). Jon is trying to pluck up the courage to ask her for a date, but what he gets instead is a dog called Odie. Suddenly, Garfield's cushy world in a one-pet household is invaded and he has to compete for Jon's attention. This can't go on.

Garfield locks Odie out of the house, unaware that dogs have a habit of running away. Odie finds himself dog-napped by a TV personality called Happy Chapman who wants a dog like Odie to replace his cat, Persnikitty on his TV show.

Guilt-ridden Garfield manages to drag himself more than a few paw-steps away from his haven and go in search of Odie, revealing a side of himself that's rarely seen in a three-panel comic strip! It seems that this fat cat is a pussy at heart.

Album of the Month

One Determined Heart - Paulini

Paulini was undoubtedly one of the most loved stars of the 2003 Australian Idol TV series. Her rich soulful voice stood alone and connected with millions of TV viewers and earnt her a legion of loyal fans.

One Determined Heart is Paulini's debut album that, in the tradition of Michael Buble and Joss Stone, is ripe with this singer's renditions of famous songs.

Recipe

Easy Eggnog - makes 1 cup.

What you need:
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 egg
Drinking cup

Method:
In the cup place the above ingredients, mix well, enjoy!

New Gaming Alliance
Earlier this month we announced our new alliance with online games provider Oceanic Gaming Network (OGN), to expand our reach to a wider online games community in Australia.

As some of you know, we already operate iiNet Games - an online forum for gamers to discuss new game products, issues and trends - but this alliance will help us benefit by reaching a wider national gaming community.

Our current gaming community is largely Western Australian-based. "Online gamers are a passionate, vocal group," said Michael Malone, iiNet MD. "We're keen to support the gaming community and OGN, one of Australia's largest gaming arenas."

The alliance will enable OGN to bring gamers to our robust national network and provide gaming participants with one of the fastest, most reliable Internet environments.

For more information on the Oceanic Gaming Network please visit www.ogn.com.au.

Gaming Tips
This month we feature tips for ID Software's Doom 3. If you're finding it all a little too hard, a little too scary, these should help...

Hit CTRL + ALT + ~ to bring up your console. Type any of the codes below:

God Mode: god
All Weapons, Full Health, Full Armor: give all
Walk through walls: noclip
Skip to last level: doomhell
Freeze all on screen: freeze
Invisibility to most enemies: notarget
Acquire all keys: give keys
Full Health: give health