This was posted 9 years 8 months 25 days ago, and might be an out-dated deal.

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$0 New Telephone Line with Belong ADSL (Usually $299)

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$0 New Telephone Line with Belong ADSL (Usually $299)
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drpants on 27/02/2015 - 18:50 belong.com.au (1949 clicks)
Last edited 17/03/2015 - 14:14 by 2 other users

When you move into a new place, sometimes you'll come across nasty little surprises.
A new telephone line apparently costs $299. Technician needs to come round for 5 mins? $125.

Belong waives all set up fees for some reason plus it's month-to month (no contract)
Minimum set up fee is only first month +$10 modem which comes to $80-$90. Billing starts on the 1st of the next month, so you might get close to 30 days free.

Drawbacks: 250GB is the highest allowance and bundled phone line only makes local and 13/1300 (free).
I was initially going to take advantage of this then switch to Internode the next month, however I've had great costumer service from them.
Will probably stay with them unless the allowance isn't enough, but either way that's $299 I've saved

Dunno if it's a bargain but it's definitely OzBargain material.

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  • Dlite on 27/02/2015 - 19:45

    Where does it say on the site that this is the go.

    • drpants on 27/02/2015 - 19:56

      It says $0 setup fee on the website and I called to confirm

  • kelasen on 27/02/2015 - 19:46

    That's good. T&C say extra charges for trenching, did your connection require trenching?

    • drpants on 27/02/2015 - 19:55
      +1

      Nope, but we need a whole new number and phone line from the street to the house as its a new property

  • PVA on 27/02/2015 - 19:47
    +8

    there has already been a post about this late last year. https://www.ozbargain.com.au/node/163361

    someone posted this…
    Just to clarify to everyone what the 'Free activation' means in the context of this promo. I have just formally confirmed this with Belong.

    If you have a current ADSL service (including naked ADSL) and wish to switch - you qualify
    If you don't have an active ADSL service but do have an active landline on the Telstra network - you qualify
    If you do not have an active Telstra landline but the property did have at some point in the past - you qualify.
    If the property you live in has never had an active Telstra phone line but cabling is already in place - you qualify.
    If the property never got cabled for Telstra (e.g brand new build or only has Optus cabling) - you do not qualify and will have to pay the normal prices for Telstra cabling work to be done.

    • drpants on 27/02/2015 - 19:58

      Is it a promo? The house I'm moving into is brand new, never cabled for Telstra and they're waiving the fee anyway

      • PVA on 27/02/2015 - 21:48

        Belong itself says…
        Note if a new phone line is required, there may be additional costs if any trenching is required. A Telstra technician will assess what work needs to be done and you will be given the choice of having the trenching completed through Telstra or you can arrange to have it done by a third party. If you would like Telstra technicians to undertake the trenching for you, we will organise an appointment for a contractor to be at your home within 2-3 weeks.

        If you decide not to go ahead, we will arrange a refund of your activation fee. The modem will already be on its way to you, so a postage paid return bag will then be sent to your preferred address so that you can pop the modem in and send it back. As long as you return the modem within 2 weeks of receiving the return bag, a refund for the device will also be arranged for you.

        so yes, they may say they are waving the fee, but if a tech goes out and work needs to be done then a charge happens, if you dont want to go ahead it is cancelled and you get a refund.

        • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 10:56

          Only for trenching, that is, they aren't going to dig up your yard for free… Get a tradesman… or look up the requirements, dial before you dig, get a spade, and do it yourself

        • PVA on 28/02/2015 - 15:46

          @The Land of Smeg:
          you can trench and pipe in your yard (to the fibre alliance standards) but you are not allowed to link that pipe to telstras network.

        • [Deactivated] on 01/03/2015 - 00:19

          @PVA: no of course not!! You just need to Trench your side of the yard, to Telstra specification (not Fibre alliance) then they handle their end. The $299 / $0 a tech isn't going to trench YOUR yard any further than making the final interconnection between your yard and Telstra pit or pipe.

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:27
      +1

      I am the one who wrote this and the information is as accurate now as it was back then. :)

      Regarding the expiry date of this offer, officially it is now March 13 according to this link:
      https://www.belong.com.au/adsl

      However, based on past experience, they just keep extending it all the time.

      Here is a detailed review we did on Belong (and a good alternative for those who live in areas not currently serviced by Belong):

      http://spendinghacker.com.au/cheap-no-contract-broadband/

      As you can see, this review was written back in October 2014 but the information there is as accurate now as it was back then (minus the free Chromecast and JBHiFi gift vouchers) so we never saw any need to update it since then.

      • PVA on 27/02/2015 - 22:36

        thanks Ginmi

      • Enigma Nix on 01/03/2015 - 11:02

        I have a Telstra line and have been told by Telstra they can supply me with ADSL 2 however when I put my information into the (https://www.belong.com.au/adsl) web page I get this message.

        "We will be in touch when Belong is in your area"
        Don't think I will hold my breath waiting for them to call.

  • l_misty22 on 27/02/2015 - 19:48

    Why isn't it available in Brunswick West?! This is Telstra's low cost baby right?

    • kelasen on 27/02/2015 - 19:53

      Yes

    • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 09:43

      Because you have NBN? Or Cable?

  • Tasmaniac on 27/02/2015 - 19:56
    +5

    I've been with Belong for 5 months and I'm yet to find a better deal, during the last 3 months they've also doubled data at no extra charge.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/02/2015 - 20:54

      Try Exetel… $50 a month, $100 activation fee, for 500gb.

      • Tasmaniac on 27/02/2015 - 21:13

        Sounds good, thanks. What calls do they offer?.

        • yokumoku on 27/02/2015 - 21:16

          local, 1300, 1800..

        • Tasmaniac on 27/02/2015 - 21:47
          +1

          @yokumoku: The price jumps to $60 with an ExeChat Call Pack. Considering the 12 month contract and $99 activation fee the best I could say is that Exetel's on par with Belong if their service is reliable.

      • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:35
        +2

        and a 12 month contract with ridiculously complicated 'break cost' calculations.

        NO DEAL (for me at least) :)

      • mrkyle on 27/02/2015 - 23:19
        +3

        Stay away from exetel, they throttle ur speeds bad during peak times. If u ok with 1.5Mbps, then go for it.

      • Spun on 28/02/2015 - 01:34
        +1

        I was with Exetel for a little over 10 years, so I've seen their highs and lows.

        Are they cheap? Absolutely. But please, before you join, have a quick read through their current feedback on Whirlpool. Paying a few dollars less each month is false economy if your service slows to a crawl during peak times, and your provider eventually admits, after months of deferring support tickets, that "this is an issue without supplier, so we can't fix it, or even give you an indication of when it will be fixed. Sorry".

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:33
      +2

      My mum has been with them for 8 months and couldn't be happier.

      She moved to a new place and would have never gotten ADSL connected if she had to pay the $299 fee. Instead she paid $1 :)

      I've been with them since late November, got the Modem and free Chromecast for $10 so can't complain either.

      Getting a solid sync at 13Mbps with them which is about on par with what I've had with my previous provider (I live less than 100 meters from my exchange).

      The 'doubled up' data allowance has been more than enough for me but I will reassess that once I drop back to 70GB a month. If it's not enough I will switch to the second option mentioned in the review above.

  • AM6692 on 27/02/2015 - 20:24
    +1

    I am also in the process of having belong connection on my newly built home. Today they have confirmed that if I have Gray Telstra socket/box outside my home then i dont have to pay anything except $10 for the modem. This means the builder had already organised trenching with Telstra and had cable installed. The Telstra Tech guy will be coming next week to activate phone line. I hope this explains to people whether they require trenching at their place or not.

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:40

      Today they have confirmed that if I have Gray Telstra socket/box outside my home then i dont have to pay anything except $10 for the modem

      You nailed it! This is exactly what "being trenched" means.

      If you need trenching work done then you will not qualify for a free setup.

  • Spun on 27/02/2015 - 20:49
    +2

    Another fact that isn't commonly known is if you churn away from Belong before the end of your first month they don't end up billing you for that first month.

    So it is possible to get free line activation, a modem and almost a month of service for $10.

    In my case I needed to get off Optus infrastructure and back to a Telstra dslam, and I found a coupon that bought the modem down to $1, so for me this was a massive win.

    • hashtagbargain on 27/02/2015 - 20:55
      +2

      Good. Now share the coupon here…

      • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:41
        +1

        It's no longer valid. Hasn't been for months. Sorry

        I used it for my mum when I initially got her connected.

      • Spun on 28/02/2015 - 01:24
        +1

        Yep. What Ginmi said ^. Sorry.

        I think it was just an additional incentive to get people to join in the early days of Belong. If the code was still valid I absolutely would have shared it in my post.

  • [Deactivated] on 27/02/2015 - 20:55
    +2

    Sign this up for a month, dump this, switch to Exetel or something else that gives more bang for cheaper monthly fee.

    I signed up for this because I move in to new home.

    A similar type of company from iinet also exists, I forgot its name though….

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:53
      +1

      I signed up for this because I move in to new home.

      If you are moving to a new home and provided it's in an area serviced by Belong, this is currently the absolute BEST option available to get your initial phone line and broadband connected.

      If you live in an area already connected to the NBN and is serviced by Belong, Belong's NBN offering is currently the BEST VALUE NBN plan in Australia. Full stop!

      https://www.belong.com.au/nbn

      A similar type of company from iinet also exists, I forgot its name though….

      It's called Jiva but unlike Belong, their plan locks you to a 24 month CONTRACT
      https://www.jiva.com.au/

      Belong was actually initially launched by Telstra to compete with their 'arch nemesis' iiNet over what they call "the price sensitive consumer".

      Here is a very interesting article from the Australian in 2013 explaining what Telstra's strategy behind Belong is. Their initial target for the new service was to connect 1.5 to 2 million household which is a very ambitious and aggressive target

      http://www.theaustralian.com.au/business/technology/telstra-…

  • hashtagbargain on 27/02/2015 - 20:56
    +5

    I've found Belong customer service incredibly friendly and efficient. I'd definitely recommend them to anyone looking for an ISP.

    • yokumoku on 27/02/2015 - 21:12
      +2

      Same here. Very happy so far. Being a Telstra company faults are attended with priority.

      • killergreely on 27/02/2015 - 21:31

        Personally knowing the Telstra guys who do that for a living… I have a bridge I can sell you.

      • Nousernamehere on 27/02/2015 - 22:23

        I'm sure the ACCC would love to know that little fact…

        • killergreely on 28/02/2015 - 00:13
          +1

          Telstra is broken into so many compartments these days they can't even expedite their own faults.

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:54

      I've found Belong customer service incredibly friendly and efficient.

      Agreed and VERY unusual for Telstra staff members.

      • killergreely on 28/02/2015 - 00:14

        They're not Telstra staff.

        They can pretty much promise what they like. Delivery is the key.

        • spendinghacker on 28/02/2015 - 06:43

          So who pays their Salary if I may ask? They are definitely Australian-based.

          Everyone I ever spoke to there sounded like a true blue aussie :)

          Is Belong a fully owned subsidiary but a totally separate entity to Telstra (kinda like Jetstar and Qantas)?

  • paloverde88 on 27/02/2015 - 21:50
    +5

    After living in my apartment for 8 years I finally had ADSL2 via belong last year who waived connection fees. The whole time I used wireless broadband and it was Belong that finally got me off wireless broadband because of the setup fees Waiver.

  • the hammer88 on 27/02/2015 - 22:36

    "Technician needs to come round for 5 mins"

    Some interesting Technicians that visit your previous houses OP, because all my installs take AT LEAST 1 hour.
    They must take your neighbours line and give it to you.

    And yes. I work for telstra.

    • spendinghacker on 27/02/2015 - 22:55

      because all my installs take AT LEAST 1 hour.

      The technician who installed my mum's service was there for 10 minutes max and am pretty sure he didn't take the neighbours phone line cause they have none! :0)

      • killergreely on 28/02/2015 - 00:16

        Were you counting the time involved in tracing lines, pit-work, finding the DA, figuring out that the loaded main pair wasn't going to work and getting that transposed… No he wasn't at our house when all that went on, but you'd have no service without it.

  • padman on 27/02/2015 - 22:44

    Omg I just signed up for a line with telstra this afternoon… And they're telling me now that I can't cool off. @!?&

  • draistlin on 27/02/2015 - 23:06

    Moving house soon so thanks for the post OP, hadn't considered them before but will now. It seems like the Exetel deal is the best in terms of value, but downside is that your looked onto a long term contract?

  • sajidmib on 27/02/2015 - 23:31

    What do you guys think about the Optus $90 unlimited plan with Samsung galaxy tab ….. Optus fetch tv, phone unlimited all over australia except mobiles ….. And house move over with no charge …what do u guys reckon ? Aint that a deal

    • spendinghacker on 28/02/2015 - 06:46
      +1

      Lock in contract = NO DEAL (as far as I'm concerned at least)

      • sajidmib on 07/03/2015 - 20:10

        i understand but staying in contract with heaps of bundles and all in all you want internet for the rest of your life not just for 2 years

        if they are not able to provide good service it anyways make u eligible for cancellation of the service, if you move the service connection is free, all I hate is charges like for the move or service transfer e.g. TPG

  • Spun on 28/02/2015 - 01:49
    +1

    If this involves them moving your service onto an Optus dslam port at your exchange, then be very cautious. Optus dslam backhaul is very often heavily congested, so see if you can find feedback about your particular exchange on whirlpool before signing up.

    Also, if your service is moved to an Optus port, it isn't a simple "churn" if you want to move back to Telstra backhaul. It involves a technician callout to the exchange.

    In my case, I needed to get off Optus hardware due to the horrid peak time congestion, and (briefly) moving to Belong was my best option to achieve that without getting locked into a contract with someone like Telstra, iiNet/Internode, Dodo etc.

    Edit: Oops. This was meant as a reply to sajidmib ^

    • bozbargain on 28/02/2015 - 11:09

      I did the same thing (Exetel -> Belong) for that same reason. Who are you with now apat? I'm worried if I go back to Exetel they move me to Optus hardware again (despite having a Telstra Exchange down the road).

      • Spun on 01/03/2015 - 00:19
        +1

        I went to AusBBS. For < $60 per month I get phone line rental and unlimited quota.

        I'm on AAPT backhaul, and for the few months I've been with them they've been excellent. Line sync is ~ 10% better than my Optus port, and I get full speed at all times of the day.

  • Punkboy on 28/02/2015 - 07:15

    This is an interesting deal however I don't need a phone service and from what I can tell there is no naked option. Are there any similar alternative suppliers who can do naked?

    • spendinghacker on 28/02/2015 - 07:44
      +2

      Naked ADSL used to be a hot trend 4-5 years ago as it allowed people to save money if, like you, they only needed the phone line for broadband access and not to make and receive any calls.

      However, in recent years, the industry is moving away from that with 'non-naked' plans costing the same and often even less than the naked ones.

      The reason why they do that is by no means altruistic. They do that because they hope that by having an active phone line, you will actually use it and generate more revenue for them.

      Bottom line, naked plans no longer represent the good value they used to a few years ago and many providers have stopped offering them altogether.

      I believe iiNet (who originally created the concept in the first place) is one of the major ones that still 'goes naked' but those plans (like most other plans from iiNet) usually come with a lock-in contract.

      Me and the team at Spending Hacker have done some extensive research regarding broadband plans and the bottom line is that there is currently NO 'naked plan' which offers such good value as Belong after also taking into account the fact that it's a plan with no lock-in contract.

      • Punkboy on 28/02/2015 - 11:09

        Thanks for the informative reply.

      • Iceman82 on 28/02/2015 - 11:39

        Can't see how the Belong 250GB plan at $80/month (inc local calls) is better than iiNet Naked 500GB plan at $60/month (inc national calls).

      • drpants on 28/02/2015 - 17:54
        +1

        This is certainly true from my research as well. Naked is all downside (more difficult to diagnose problems, obviously no phone calls if needed) and no upside as it's the same price nowdays. I'm getting a bundle and just won't plug in a phone

        • spendinghacker on 01/03/2015 - 07:52

          just won't plug in a phone

          I'm doing exactly the same. Good way to avoid those pesky telemarketers and survey people (in addition to also going on the "Do not Call" register ofcourse :) ).

      • Benicio on 01/03/2015 - 18:26

        As a Telstra tech the only naked lines I seem to come across these days is some optus, tpg and iinet/internode. They are still out there but seem to be less and less, thankfully.

  • [Deactivated] on 28/02/2015 - 12:30

    Signed up myself last week.
    So far seamless process

  • derek324 on 28/02/2015 - 13:20

    Do they have limited amount of connections allocated per area? I am currently with Internode on telstra cabling, and I have had landline for many years. Yet when I check availability for my house, I get: "We're currently unable to provide services at your address". This appears to indicate that Telstra decided to artificially restrict how many people can join Belong. If so, this would be rather questionable (and possibly illegal?) practice.

  • paul11 on 28/02/2015 - 13:31

    Not sure how is this a deal. I pay TPG $59/month (including phone line charges) for Unlimited Internet. Consistently get around 15 Mb download speed even at weekends.

    • drpants on 28/02/2015 - 17:52
      +1

      The deal isn't the service itself, it's the installation. If you need a new phone line with TPG you'd have to pay $299.
      If you want to switch to the $60 24-month deal after the install that's up to you

  • hahaboy on 28/02/2015 - 14:17

    can anyone explain how to find out if you are adsl? adsl? cable? nbn?

    what are the major differences, and how to know if your area is offering a particular option or not.

  • worldwidehappiness on 28/02/2015 - 18:46

    Positives: No contract, Very low set-up cost.

    Negatives: No naked option. Requires extremely limited Belong phone service with compulsory white pages listing, or you need an overpriced Telstra phone contract.

    Is that right? The phone stuff spoils it, IMO.

    • spendinghacker on 01/03/2015 - 07:59

      Negatives: No naked option. Requires extremely limited Belong phone service with compulsory white pages listing, or you need an overpriced Telstra phone contract.

      No naked option is not a negative as per my previous comment above. Just don't plug in a phone if you're concerned about being harrased.

      The white pages listing DOES indeed suck as it's unavoidable unless you are willing to cough up the extra $$$ required for a 'silent number'.
      However, this presents the same privacy issue as being on the electoral roll. It's a public record available to anyone. There are no costs to get off it but you do have to jump through hoops and provide valid reasoning and supporting docs.

      Regarding the "overpriced Telstra contract", there is NO REASON for you to get that. Just get the bundle from Belong. It's much cheaper.

      • worldwidehappiness on 01/03/2015 - 22:36

        Thanks for the reply.

        If you get a bundle then it's worse than an a internode 150gb deal (although internode is a contract).

        You can't get a silent number with belong, and it's an ongoing cost with Telstra.

        The Belong phone line is too limited - can't make mobile or interstate calls, which is just ridiculous. Need to get a calling card.

  • moyanous on 01/03/2015 - 12:19

    Is it possible to avoid paying $10/month for the modem if you BYO?

    • spendinghacker on 02/03/2015 - 19:41
      +1

      It is not $10 a month for the modem. It is $10 one off.

      You are also free to BYO if you choose but Belong won't provide support with configuration.

      • moyanous on 11/03/2015 - 13:35

        Ok. Thanks for pointing that out.

  • GaelicAU on 01/03/2015 - 13:31

    Can one signup to have it installed as a second phone line into the house thus getting a second ADSL connection into the property?

    • Benicio on 01/03/2015 - 18:30

      You'd need to have a separate socket in the house already or there will need to be internal cabling work done inside by the tech as the existing sockets will be with the first connection.

      • GaelicAU on 02/03/2015 - 01:12

        So if I get a second socket installed, can the same line / cable be used for the second connection or will a trench be need to allow a second cable to be run from the street into my property?

  • bozbargain on 06/03/2015 - 22:25

    I've been fairly happy with Belong until 2 days ago - it looks like they're shaping certain streaming sites/services, I've got constant buffering now.

  • WatchNerd on 08/03/2015 - 16:21

    I found this info about making calls to mobile phone's -

    https://help.belong.com.au/customer/portal/articles/1412322-…
    The limited phone service which comes with a Belong ADSL2+ Bundle does not allow for interstate or international calls or calls to mobile numbers.
    However, if you want to make these calls over the phone line you can use a calling card which uses a local or 1300, 13 or 1800 access number.
    We recommend using the Telstra PhoneAway® pre-paid calling card. To understand how you would use Telstra PhoneAway​® card.to make interstate, international calls or calls to mobile numbers, you can read the user guide.on the Telstra.com website.

    I am new to using the internet for calls, so what do you use to overcome this problem?

  • fleetoiler on 11/03/2015 - 14:09

    Ok so long story short, I am wondering if anyone has used the free/$1/$10 rainbow modem on any other providers yet, after getting set up with Belong for next to nothing? If so, how has it gone on the speed and technical-issues front? Any hiccups?

    Which providers have good really-low-end-low-usage deals (either bundled with home phone or naked) other than Belong that you would recommend switching to, after getting set up with Belong for $0 (or $1/$10 incl. modem)?

    My story:
    I was unable to port my existing landline for dumb technical reasons, otherwise I would be using the modem and a happy Belong customer. I signed up ~5 months ago for the equivalent deal to this one but after 4 failed attempts and various made up reasons, it turns out that Optus say they cannot free up or allow a port of my landline number, apparently my landline is tied to their old cable (not-nbn) network and cannot be moved/ported to the equipment that Belong has access to. And so each time Belong tried, they were unable to host this number on their equipment, the port failed, and then I had to reboot the process again the next time I called to see what was going on. For me that was a deal-breaker: I am not willing to change my family landline to a new number, nor pay for a separate unused landline.

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