A. THE INTERNET IN GENERAL
1. Who owns the Internet?
The Internet refers to a large number of computer networks around the world which are all connected together using a standard protocol or language. No one person or company owns the Internet. Telstra Big Pond Home operates a large network which spans Australia and is connected to networks owned by other companies. By gaining access to the Telstra Big Pond Home network you are able to access computers which are connected to the Internet worldwide.
2. What is the World Wide Web?
WWW, the World Wide Web, is an application (software) which runs over the Internet. Anyone accessing the Internet through the Telstra Big Pond Home service can use the World Wide Web. A Web browser, such as Microsoft Internet Explorer ®, is an application or tool used to "surf" the Web.
3. What is an Internet Service Provider?
There are a number of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) in Australia. Among other things, these companies provide a link between the General Public and the Internet. Telstra Big Pond Home is an Internet Service Provider, owned by Telstra, which provides Internet access, email, World Wide Web and news services to the General Public.
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B. COMPUTERS AND MODEMS
1. What type of computer should I have to access the Internet?
At present if you want to connect using Telstra Big Pond Home you will need an IBM compatible PC with a 386 or better processor which is running Windows® 3.x, Windows® 95, Windows® 98 or a PowerPC® Machintosh® running System 7.5 or 8.0, or a 68K Macintosh* with System 7.1 or greater. You will also need a valid Visa, Mastercard, Bankcard, Diners Club or American Express card.
* There is currently no Customer Support for the 68K based Macintosh.
2. What type of modem should I have to access the Internet?
We recommend that you look for the following when buying a modem:-
- Modem should support the 33.6K standard
- Modem should be Austel approved
- External modems are easier to install and configure than internal modems
The connection speed between a customer and Telstra Big Pond Home may be limited by the state of the telecommunications network link. The performance of a 33.6K modem connection will be negotiated at the highest speed that the two modems and your phone system can reliably support. Telstra Corporation only guarantees a performance of 2.4kbps on the phone system.
3. Can I dial into Big Pond Home with 56K?
Yes. The entire Big Pond Home Network is K56FLEX enabled. K56X2 is also available in Sydney(02), Melbourne(03) and Brisbane(07).
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C. COSTS
1. How much does using the Internet cost me?
Once you have a PC and modem, the main cost of using the Internet is in "connect time charges". This means you pay for the amount of time that your modem is connected to the Internet. Once you are connected to the Internet, most Internet services are free. For example you could send hundreds of email messages to different countries around the world and you only pay for the time you are connected to the Internet. To receive more information about our pricing, please Freecall 1800 804 282*
Also note that normal telecommunications charges apply to connections to the Telstra Big Pond Home service (the cost of the call that you make when connecting to the Internet - see question D6, below).
*Calls from mobile phones are charged at the applicable mobile rate.
2. How cost effective is Telstra Big Pond Home?
When looking at cost effectiveness, an important aspect is the performance of the ISP's network. The better the network performance, the faster the speed of access and downloading will be, therefore minimising connect time charges. The Telstra Big Pond Home network has been designed to offer excellent performance.
3. How much does it cost to download information from any of the databases on the Internet?
Most information on the Internet is provided free of charge. Some specialised databases or information systems may require you to pay to access them.
4. Are my credit card details secure on the Internet?
With the Telstra Big Pond Home service, any credit card information that is provided to us during the sign-up process is protected. Credit card information is stored on special computers which are not accessible from the Internet.
Otherwise, credit card details transmitted over the Internet are generally not 100% secure. Credit cards provide a convenient payment method, but there is always the possibility that unscrupulous people may obtain your credit card number and use it fraudulently. You can minimise potential problems by not sending credit card details via email (email messages are not encrypted, and if you accidentally give the wrong email address, your credit card information could be sent to a complete stranger) and only entering your credit card details in Web pages which are secure. Check the status line on your Web browser - if you see an icon of a key or a lock, it generally means that the information you send will be encrypted.
You should always check with your card issuer to determine its guidelines for using your credit card with the Internet.
5. Why do I need to give my credit card details for the trial offer?
We need your credit card details in order to set up your account. Any time in excess of your 8 trial hours in your first month will be billed at $4 per hour.
During signup, you will be asked to select a membership plan from the range of plans Big Pond Home offers. The plan chosen will commence after your trial month finishes. If you wish to discontinue using the Big Pond Home service, you must call our Customer Support on 131-282 regardless of whether or not you have used all of your free trial time.
*Note that normal telecommunications charges apply to connections to the Telstra Big Pond Home service (the cost of the call that you make when connecting to the Internet - see question D6 below).
6. What happens at the end of my trial period?
Once your 8 free* hours have been used up, you will be charged at $4 per hour for the remainder of your first month. At the end of your first month you will automatically move from the trial plan to the plan nominated by you during set-up. You can nominate a different plan at any time (your trial period included) by going to our home page. If you choose to move from the trial plan during your first month, the change will occur the following morning. However any free* hours that you still have will be lost.
If you choose to cancel the service before your trial period expires or at any other time, this must be done by calling our Customer Support Centre on 131-282.
*Note that normal telecommunications charges apply to connections to the Telstra Big Pond Home service (the cost of the call that you make when connecting to the Internet - see question D6 below).
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D. GETTING CONNECTED
1. Do I have to use the software supplied?
No. You can use whatever software you like. However, only the software supplied is supported by the Telstra Big Pond Customer Support Centre.
2. Can I open more than one account?
Yes. You can create as many accounts as you wish. However, you will incur membership charges for each separate account. You only receive the free trial offer for the first account that you create.
3. How do I set up my modem to connect to the Internet?
You do not need to know how a modem works, or how to "program" it if you want to access the Internet with Telstra Big Pond Home. The Telstra Internet Access Kit will determine what type of modem you have and will also determine how to make the modem dial and correctly connect to the Internet using Telstra Big Pond Home. If you have any difficulties setting up your modem, the Telstra Big Pond Customer Support Centre will be able to assist.
4. What phone number do I dial to connect to the Internet?
Please see question 6, below.
5. Do I need a separate line to connect to the Internet?
No, as long as you have an ordinary analogue telephone line (not a digital PABX system) you can use this line. However, anyone who tries to telephone or fax you on this same line while you are using your modem to connect to the Internet will receive a busy signal. To avoid missing calls when you are connected to the Internet, you can arrange to have your calls automatically forwarded to Telstra Message Bank or to your mobile phone or to any other phone with Telstra Easycall™*.
However, if you are going to spend a large amount of time connected to the Internet, a second telephone line is a good idea.
* For further information on these services, please contact Telstra on Freecall™ 1800 052 052 (residential) or 13 2000 (business). Calls from mobile phones are charged at the applicable mobile rate.
6. Can I gain access to the Internet in my telephone exchange area?
Local call Internet access is available in these locations through Telstra Big Pond Home.
Note on local call access:
As a rule of thumb, if you can call the
"Location" of the Access Point (if the Access Point has a slash (/) in its
name, the actual location is the name after the slash) for the
price of a local call, you will be able to connect to the Access Point for
the price of a local call. If you are unsure, you can check
Telstra's "Cost of Telephone Calls" service on 012
(no charge).
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7. Why isn't my username/password working?
Your username and password are both case sensitive so you must ensure that you enter them in exactly the same case as you typed them when you signed up. (eg: If you joined with a Username of JohnUser, you must enter exactly JohnUser when logging in, johnuser, JOHNUSER or Johnuser are all incorrect.)
If problems continue, please call the Telstra Big Pond Customer Support Centre.
8. What happens if I do not disconnect properly; i.e modem drops out the call - will I be billed?
The Telstra Big Pond Home network will detect the fact that you have "dropped off" and the billing system will interpret the time of the drop out as the end of the call. There is no need to re-establish the call just so you can "officially" disconnect.
9. What happens if I accidentally leave my modem on and I'm connected to the Internet?
Telstra Big Pond Home will not automatically disconnect you from the Internet. It is possible to establish a connection and remain connected for days. Some Internet software packages will let you specify the number of minutes the system is inactive, after which the call is automatically disconnected. For more information about disconnecting from the Internet, call our Customer Support Centre on 131-282.
10. How do I reach Telstra Big Pond Customer Support?
The Telstra Big Pond Customer Support Centre can be contacted between 8am and Midnight, Monday to Sunday on 131-282. Please note that all times are Australian Eastern Standard or Daylight Savings Time. Alternatively, you can email us at support@bigpond.com or post a message on our support Newsgroup, "bigpond.support"
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E. EMAIL & OTHER USER INFORMATION
1. What is my email address?
Your email address consists of your username (which you use to login to the network), followed by an @, followed by the ISP's domain name - in our case, bigpond.com
Example: Our Customer Support Centre's email address is support@bigpond.com
2. How do I use email?
- Windows 98 users & Windows 95 users with IE4 have a couple of different ways to start Microsoft Internet Mail: 1. Click the Start button on the task bar, select Programs, select Internet Explorer, then click Outlook Express; or 2. Simply click the Mail News icon on the toolbar of Microsoft Internet Explorer; or 3. Click the small Outlook Express icon in the task bar.
- Windows 95 users (without IE4) have a couple of different ways to start Microsoft Internet Mail: 1. Click the Start button on the task bar, select Programs, then click Internet Mail; or, 2. Simply click the Mail News icon on the toolbar of Microsoft Internet Explorer.
- Windows 3.x users have a couple of different ways to start Microsoft Internet Mail: 1. Double-click the icon titled Mail in the Microsoft Internet Explorer program group; or, 2. Simply click the Mail icon on the toolbar of Microsoft Internet Explorer and select Read Mail.
More information can be found under the Help menu once you have launched your email package.
3. What is the name of my POP3/SMTP Mail Server?
The Telstra Big Pond Home POP3/SMTP mail servers' name is mail.bigpond.com
4. Why can't I find a particular Web site?
- The information at a given address may have been moved to a different site.
- The Web address may have been incorrectly typed. Check the spelling.
- There may be a problem with the server hosting the Web site.
- There may be a problem with one of the networks between you and your chosen site.
If problems persist, contact Telstra Big Pond Customer Support on 131-282.
5. What is my News server address?
Your news server address is needed to subscribe to News Groups. For Telstra Big Pond Home, it is news.bigpond.com
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6. What are Newsgroups?
Usenet newsgroups are electronic discussion groups in which you can share information and opinions with people all over the world. Within each newsgroup, you'll find any number of articles on a given subject, and many subjects being discussed. Usenet newsgroups allow you to reply to articles you have read and to publish ("post") your own articles for others to read. Newsgroups are organised and grouped by title using compound names such as rec.sport.basketball.college. Here, rec specifies recreational topics, sport specifies a subgroup of recreation, and so on.
7. What is my IP address?
Your IP address is assigned to you automatically by the Telstra Big Pond Home server and changes with each connection.
8. What is my DNS address?
Your primary DNS address is 139.134.2.2 and the secondary address is 139.134.2.18. If you are using the Microsoft IP stack (provided with the Telstra Internet Access Kit), you do not need to specify these. They will be set when they connect to the Telstra Big Pond Home network. Other stacks may perform the same way or may require you to manually configure these at setup. Please refer to the stack's documentation accompanying your software. Some applications may request you to provide your DNS address when signing up. You should ignore these as your DNS address is automatically assigned to you by the Telstra Big Pond Home server.
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F. LOOKING FORWARD
1. Can I use the Internet to make cheap international phone calls?
It is possible to "speak" to someone in another part of the world using the Internet, but the quality of the call can be very poor. Generally, the receiver of the phone call must be at his or her computer when you call, and must have the appropriate software and hardware installed and running. However, this is an exciting area of the Internet which is rapidly evolving.
2. Can I send/receive video over the Internet?
Videoconferencing
Like "voice" programs, videoconferencing requires a large amount of network capacity and is not suitable for use with current dial-up modems. As faster modems, Cable modems and ISDN increase in availability and greater Internet interconnection capacity becomes available, videoconferencing over the Internet will be more practical.
Video Clips
Some Internet Web sites allow users to download video clips which can be played on your computer. Movie previews and music video clips are common on the Internet. Please note that the video clip files are sometimes very large. For example, a 30 second video clip might be as large as 8MB - this may take an hour or longer to download over the Internet.
G. GLOSSARY OF ACRONYMS
DNS - Domain Name Server
ISDN - Integrated Services Digital Network
IP - Internet Protocol
ISP - Internet Service Provider
kbps - kilo-bits-per-second
MB - Mega Bytes
PABX - Private Access Branch Exchange
POP - Point of Presence
SMTP - Simple Mail Transport Protocol
WWW - World Wide Web
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