Accusations fly as Netflix slows Australia Internet
March 31, 2015
ISP iiNet has blamed Telstra – Australia’s main telco – for the slower Internet connection speeds that have hit some of its customers since the arrival of Netflix in the country.
The online streaming service launched its Australian service last week and proved to be a hit with iiNet customers, accounting for 15 per cent of its total consumer traffic.
But several customers have vented their frustration on social media and to Fairfax Media, saying the surge in demand for Netflix has slowed their Internet connection speeds.
iiNet has signed an unmetered deal with Netflix, meaning time spent viewing the streaming service isn’t included in monthly data allowances.
But iiNet chief executive David Buckingham pointed to what he called “mass service disruptions” on Telstra’s copper network as the reason some customers suffered slower connection speeds.
“We are having countless mass service disruptions on the Telstra copper network right now, so it might be people caught up in those who are commenting,” Buckingham told the Sydney Herald.
But a Telstra spokesman said a mass service disruption (MSD) was not the source of iiNet’s complaints. “A ‘mass service disruption’ refers to a fault on the copper line, not the kind of congestion on a network that it is being reported iiNet is experiencing….. We can’t comment on the performance of the iiNet network. iiNet is responsible for the end-to-end management of their network and iiNet customers need to contact them if they are experiencing problems.”