Westnet
Encyclopedia
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.
See also Internet in Australia
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.
Westnet completed the move to new premises in Central Park Tower
, Perth
, WA. 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
.
iiNet
announced acquisition of Westnet in a deal worth $81 million (AUD). The two companies continue to manage two separate brands and operate separately.
peer-to-peer
traffic, and would be continuing to do so in future. The announcement was made on the Westnet Blog 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) 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.
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
-based Australian telecommunications company providing broadband
Broadband
The term broadband refers to a telecommunications signal or device of greater bandwidth, in some sense, than another standard or usual signal or device . Different criteria for "broad" have been applied in different contexts and at different times...
ADSL, broadband ADSL2+, satellite
Satellite
In the context of spaceflight, a satellite is an object which has been placed into orbit by human endeavour. Such objects are sometimes called artificial satellites to distinguish them from natural satellites such as the Moon....
broadband, dialup Internet, telephony and web-hosting services to homes and businesses across Australia.
See also Internet in Australia
Internet in Australia
Internet access was first available in Australia to universities via AARNet in 1989. The first commercial dial-up ISPs appeared in capital cities soon after and by the mid-1990s almost the entire country had a wide choice of dial-up Internet access providers...
History
Founded in the West Australian city of Geraldton in 1994 by Chris Thomas, Westnet began in a spare bedroom. In 1996 it was purchased by local company Mitchell & Brown Communications and experienced rapid growth over the years as a local Internet Service ProviderInternet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
to the Geraldton region. With this expansion came the necessity of larger premises, which saw Westnet relocate to St. Martins Tower in Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
in 1999.
Westnet completed the move to new premises in Central Park Tower
Central Park (skyscraper)
Central Park is a 51-storey office tower in Perth, Western Australia. The building measures from its base at St Georges Terrace to the roof, and to the tip of its communications mast. Upon its completion in 1992, the tower became the tallest building in Perth...
, Perth
Perth, Western Australia
Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia and the fourth most populous city in Australia. The Perth metropolitan area has an estimated population of almost 1,700,000....
, WA. 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
Telecommunications Service Provider
A telecommunications service provider or TSP is a type of communications service provider that has traditionally provided telephone and similar services...
, rather than only an internet service provider
Internet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
.
Acquisition by iiNet
On 8 May 2008 Western Australian based internet service providerInternet service provider
An Internet service provider is a company that provides access to the Internet. Access ISPs directly connect customers to the Internet using copper wires, wireless or fiber-optic connections. Hosting ISPs lease server space for smaller businesses and host other people servers...
iiNet
IiNet
iiNet Limited is Australia's second largest internet service provider with over 1.3 million customers as of 15th August 2011. Their focus is primarily on ADSL-based Internet access, using their own ADSL2+ infrastructure, and reselling Telstra ADSL1. iiNet also provides dial-up and voice...
announced acquisition of Westnet in a deal worth $81 million (AUD). The two companies continue to manage two separate brands and operate separately.
P2P deprioritisation
In June 2007, Westnet stated that it had been "trialling" traffic prioritisation for a year, deprioritisingTraffic shaping
Traffic shaping is the control of computer network traffic in order to optimize or guarantee performance, improve latency, and/or increase usable bandwidth for some kinds of packets by delaying other kinds of packets that meet certain criteria...
peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer
Peer-to-peer computing or networking is a distributed application architecture that partitions tasks or workloads among peers. Peers are equally privileged, equipotent participants in the application...
traffic, and would be continuing to do so in future. The announcement was made on the Westnet Blog and on Whirlpool.net.au
Whirlpool (website)
Whirlpool is an Australian broadband user web site, started in 1998 by founder, Simon Wright. Since then, it has grown significantly with over 450,000 registered users while remaining independent.-History:...
, to mixed reactions. Some praised Westnet for openly declaring its use of prioritisation, while others (including a Whirlpool News editorial) 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
Exetel
Exetel is an Australian ISP which provides ADSL, web hosting, VoIP, and other internet services to customers across Australia. Exetel's headquarters are based in offices in North Sydney and its switching centre is in a secure Data Centre facility in the Sydney CBD...
that it was not the only ISP restricting peer-to-peer traffic.
Awards
Westnet has won the following awards:- 16th and 17th ACNielsenACNielsenACNielsen is a global marketing research firm, with worldwide headquarters in New York City. Regional headquarters for North America are located in Schaumburg, Illinois. As of May 2010, it is part of The Nielsen Company.-History:...
Consult Australian Online Survey - Best ISP - PC Authority Reliability and Service Awards 2007, 2008