Primus joins Internet telephony battle
Like existing offerings from iiNet and Internode, Primus' service -- dubbed "TalkBroadband" -- does not require the user to own a computer, as it can be used by plugging a normal telephone into an ADSL router.
The service has been modelled on Primus' "Lingo" VoIP service offered in the United States. It offers standard telephony features like call forward, call return, call waiting, last number redial and caller ID.
Call costs for the service are similar to competing offerings, with untimed local calls to anywhere in Australia costing a flat 10 cents per call. Charges for international calls start from 2.7 cents a minute.
However unlike several competitors, Primus will charge monthly line rental for its VoIP offering.
Three plans are available, with price points set at AU$9.95 per month, AU$19.95 per month and AU$29.95 per month. The AU$29.95 plan includes some free local, national and international calls.
According to Primus' Web site, TalkBroadband will count towards download data usage, and the analogue telephone adapter used to access the service is locked to Primus' VoIP network, unless users pay a fee to have it unlocked.
Further information is available in a "Frequently Asked Questions" document at Primus' Web site.