Is BPB ADSL so much better than BPB Cable that it justifies an extra $15 a month?
Not really. It is an oft-repeated urban legend that Cable will slow down when too many people connect to it. This is unlikely to happen in Australia, given our far less dense population than America. And even if it does happen, Telstra will simply need to buy more cable routers. There are currently around 8 in each state (at last count). The modem you get with ADSL will continue to work if you decide to change ADSL providers, whilst the cable modem is useless outside BigPond’s network. The cable technology, in Australia at least, is more mature, and has been somewhat more reliable recently. Of course, all this assumes that you have a choice. There are many suburbs where Cable isn’t deployed, leaving you with no option but to choose ADSL. Last of all, if you intend to move house soon, or you move regularly, ADSL may be a better option because it’s more likely to be available at your next house.
