Summary
Westnet is a Perth-based Australian telecommunications company providing broadband ADSL, broadband ADSL2+, satellite broadband, dialup Internet, telephony and web-hosting services to homes and businesses across Australia.
 | |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications |
| Founded | Geraldton, Western Australia (1994) |
| Headquarters | Perth, Western Australia |
| Products | Broadband Satellite Broadband Dial-up Telephony Web Hosting |
Number of employees | 450 (2013) |
| Parent | TPG |
| Website | www |
History edit
Founded in the Western Australian city of Geraldton in 1994 by Chris and Rhonda Thomas, Westnet began in a spare bedroom. In 1996 it was purchased by local company Mitchell and Brown Communications and experienced rapid growth over the years as a local internet service provider to the Geraldton region. With this expansion came the necessity of larger premises, which saw Westnet relocate to St Martins Tower in Perth in 1999. [citation needed]
Westnet completed the move to new premises in Central Park Tower, Perth. The move was in response to continued growth, and requirements for expanded office space for staff and resources.
In 2004, Westnet began offering a telephone service in addition to its internet products. At this time, the company began referring to itself as a telecommunications service provider, rather than only an internet service provider.
Acquisition by iiNet edit
On 8 May 2008 Western Australian based internet service provider iiNet acquired Westnet for $81 million.[1] The two companies continue to trade separately, but share many functions.
In March 2015 iiNet was bought by TPG in a $1.4 billion deal, effectively making TPG the parent company of Westnet.[2]
In December 2023, Westnet announced that it would cease accepting new customers to the Westnet brand, and that all existing residential Westnet customers will be migrated to the iiNet brand.[3]
Bandwidth management edit
P2P deprioritisation edit
In June 2007, Westnet stated that it had been "trialling" traffic prioritisation for a year, deprioritising peer-to-peer traffic, and would be continuing to do so in future. The announcement was made on the Westnet Blog[4] and on Whirlpool.net.au, to mixed reactions. Some praised Westnet for openly declaring its use of prioritisation, while others (including a Whirlpool News editorial[5]) criticised the company for using it silently for a year, or for doing so at all. Whirlpool News's article also suggested that the admission followed assertions by competing ISP Exetel that it was not the only ISP restricting peer-to-peer traffic.[5]
Awards edit
Westnet has won the following awards:
- 2008 Customer Service Institute of Australia – National Medium Business of the Year
- 2008 Customer Service Institute of Australia – Excellence in a Contact Centre (WA)
- 16th and 17th ACNielsen Consult Australian Online Survey[6]
- Best ISP – PC Authority Reliability and Service Awards 2007, 2008[7]
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Westnet Joins Forces with iiNet". Westnet. 8 May 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 8 May 2008.
- ^ Mason, David Ramli, Max (13 March 2015). "TPG Telecom to buy iiNet for $1.4b to become No. 2 in internet service delivery". The Sydney Morning Herald.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "Westnet is closing sales to new customers". Westnet. Retrieved 6 December 2023.
- ^ Ryan Bunter (25 June 2007). "Westnet Traffic Prioritisation". Westnet. Retrieved 24 February 2008.
- ^ a b Phil Sweeney (26 June 2007). "Westnet admits P2P prioritisation". Whirlpool. Retrieved 4 December 2007.
- ^ 31 August 2004, "Customers vote WestNet top ISP: survey". The Age Online, Retrieved on 9 October 2013
- ^ Joseph Sapienza, 4 December 2008. "Westnet voted "Best ISP" in Australia and NZ". Fairfax Digital, Retrieved on 17 August 2009.
External links edit
- Official website