Internode (ISP)

Internode Systems Pty. Ltd.

Company type	Private
Industry	Telecommunications
Founded	Adelaide, South Australia (1991)
Headquarters	Adelaide, South Australia
Key people	Simon Hackett, Founder
Products	Broadband Colocation DNS Webhosting VoIP VPN VPDN IBC Dialup
Number of employees	300 est. (2007)
Website	www.internode.on.net

Internode, founded in 1991 by Managing Director Simon Hackett, is an Australian Internet Service Provider. The company focuses primarily on ADSL-based Internet access, but also provides business-class access (Internode Business Connect), web hosting, co-location, Voice over IP, and a variety of related services.

Internode is based in Adelaide, South Australia (SA). The company's services are available nationwide through many means including

• ADSL (using DSLAM ports provided by Telstra Wholesale)
• ADSL2+ rollout nationwide (still in progress)
• Wireless hotspots in Adelaide
• A SA regional telecommunications backbone based on microwave/wireless and ADSL2+ technologies

Internode was the first ISP to offer ADSL2/2+ services in Australia, by installing their own DSLAMs in Telstra exchanges. This allowed them to offer access speeds of up to 24 Mbit/s, significantly higher than the fastest speed then offered by Telstra at the time (1.5 Mbit/s). (See also Broadband Internet Access, Australia)

VoIP

Internode operates a nationally available VoIP based service called NodePhone which leverages the international Agile backbone network and widespread deployment of Cisco VoIP gateways on that backbone to offer low cost, distance independent telephony services. This telephony service runs over a national private IP network, not over the "best-effort" Internet like many VoIP competitors. As such, it is positioned as a carrier grade, packet based voice service, and is not succeptible to quality problems created by external Internet path failures or congestion. While the original NodePhone did not allow incoming PSTN calls, NodePhone2, released on April 23 2007, is a full two-way VoIP service.

Wireless hotspots

Internode provides a contiguous wireless hotspot network, formerly known as CitiLAN or CityLAN, in Adelaide, South Australia. The network is an initiative brought about to provide Internet access throughout Adelaide, and eventually nationally. This high-speed Wi-Fi network is open to the public with coverage at hotspots throughout the Adelaide CBD.

The Citilan network is an existing wireless network in the Adelaide city provided by Internode. It provides wireless access to guests and existing Internode customers and has strong access around North Terrace, Rundle Street, Rundle Mall, Grenfell Street, Hutt Street, and areas of North Adelaide. Access through the Internode Wireless Hotspot network is also provided throughout both the Adelaide International Airport and Darwin International Airport terminals. Guests may only use a limited number of services, while internode customers that log in to the service get all ports opened, allowing, for instance, the use of email clients like Thunderbird or Outlook.

Milestones

• Telecommunications backbone in regional Australia: 2001 marked the launch of the Coorong Communications Network, one of the first non-incumbent telecommunications backbones built into a regional area in Australia, offering low cost voice and data services to regional customers. In 2005 a second regional network based on the same technology was deployed in the Yorke Peninsula region, demonstrating that the underlying model is not only sustainable, but reproducible. (see Press Release)
• Games network: July 1, 2002 saw the launch of the Internode Games Network, a private gaming network run by Internode for its ADSL customers. It has since grown into the largest gaming network in Australia (in terms of peak daily player count) ahead of even Telstra's GameArena.
• Agile Broadband rollout: In mid-2003, Internode's infrastructure company, Agile, installed its own equipment in the Telstra exchange at Meningie, South Australia. This made it the first exchange in Australia where ADSL was available from a non-Telstra DSLAM. DSLAM deployment has continued into other regional townships in South Australia.
• International Backbone: In early 2005, Agile extended the national private backbone it operates for Internode to connect to the United States. This link was initially provided by leased capacity on the Southern Cross Cable system, expanded in December 2006 to also utilise capacity leased on Australia-Japan Cable to provide an alternative pathway to that provided by Southern Cross Cable.
• Unmetered content: Internode also runs content servers such as a cluster of Steamcontent servers. Further 'unmetered' content available via the national Agile backbone network includes relays of popular streaming audio sources and a 10 terabyte mirror server. includes a file mirror and radio streams
• Gaming Network: Internode offers free services to members, recently giving a free advance screening of the blockbuster V for Vendetta in Brisbane, and Lucky Number Slevin in Melbourne. These screenings will be discontinued in favour of supporting events, such as the Canberra Games Festival.
• USENET: Internode abruptly abolished its premium binary usenet services in May 2007. Internode then provided text-only usenet services to its customers. They publicly told their users that binaries Usenet was removed but customers could still access Binaries at a limited speed of 120KB/s. As of the 11th of December 2007, Premium Usenet has been reinstated, meaning near-full-speed access. These binaries have around 40 days of retention.

Internode supports many local events, such as the Adelaide Film Festival and the Adelaide Fringe Festival.

External links

• Internode official Website
• NodePhone information page
• Internode ADSL2 information page
• Agile Communications official Website
• Agile Broadband Rollout Status/Schedule
• Internode forum on Whirlpool
• Internode listing on Broadband Choice
• Internode Games Network