Australia has been undergoing a massive change in how we use the internet. To the point, we use a lot more of it.

Since Netflix debuted in Australia, data downloads have doubled. In the three months to December 31 2017, Australians downloaded 3.6 million terabytes of data – up by nearly 40% from the year before. Mobile data downloads are up by a similar amount.

That number is only ever going to rise, and that’s why we offer unlimited download plans over the nbn™. There really isn’t any other way to operate in a digitally-led economy. The sheer amount of data-heavy services in our future – including augmented reality, virtual reality and high-resolution video streaming like 4K – mean we should never have to worry about hitting a download limit.

But not every network can easily offer that type of unlimited service.

We’ve been putting years of effort into creating a service that can easily handle this type of growing traffic – and this is how.

Peering networks versus transit networks

At a fairly broad level, you might understand that the internet is built by a series of networks connected to each other. We call those “autonomous networks”, but you can really just think of them as any type of network that has multiple connections assigned to it. That could be an internet service provider, it could be a hosting company…and so on.

Information still needs to make its way across those “autonomous networks” and there two main ways that happens.

Method #1: Transit

This is how most traffic is routed across the internet. One “autonomous network” acts as a freeway for any and all traffic moving through it to other networks.

After all, networks aren’t directly connected to each other. Just like our freeway system, you might need to move through a different set of roads in order to reach your destination. That’s what transit is – moving through multiple networks.

But of course, different networks don’t just carry that traffic for free. Just like a freeway, they’re going to charge a toll for that – called a transit fee. Networks need to estimate how much traffic is going to be flowing and then make sure they have capacity to handle it. Too much traffic means having to divert that into new areas, which means they pay a cost. Which gets handed on to the consumer.

That’s part of why data download limits exist. On the other hand, peering networks don’t have those same problems…

Method #2: Peering

BTB has spent years creating a peered network, and it’s how we’re able to offer unlimited download services on the nbn™.

Instead of having to route traffic through several different networks, peering establishes one-to-one connections. To use the freeway analogy, it’s like instead of using a series of roads to make your way from Sydney to Melbourne, imagine getting on a freeway that takes you straight from the heart of one city to another.

We operate the #1 peered network in the country, because we’ve spent years establishing relationships with different service providers to make sure we can provide content – whether it’s from massive companies like Apple or Microsoft – at a faster and more reliable rate.

We don’t just rely on the connections other companies have created. We’ve done the hard yards and created our own relationships, direct with content creators.

But there are other benefits too:

1. Peered networks reduce costs Because we don’t have to pay transit fees for routing traffic through other networks, we don’t have to pass on that cost. It means more of our spending goes directly to making our infrastructure work better for customers, instead of building up other networks.  At the very least, it means no more bill shocks for customers.
2. Peered networks give us more control This is perhaps the biggest benefit for our customers.  With transit networks, a provider doesn’t have any control about where traffic is routed. With different networks relying on others to make their connections, they’re at the whim of whatever connections they can make.  With a peered network, we take control of our data flows to ensure the fastest content delivery possible. Which also means we can let our customers access a higher download limit – because we can handle it.
3. Peered networks give us flexibility Because we have so much control over our network, we have more flexibility too. Other telco providers rely on transit networks, but they have virtually zero control over the customer experience – despite being able to get up and running very quickly. As the #1 peered network in Australia, we have the flexibility to monitor and control our traffic in different ways to present the best customer experience every time.

Peered networks are why BTB can offer unlimited nbn™ plans

Internet connections aren’t all made equal.

We’ve spent years creating direct relationships with content providers to make sure our peered network is the best in Australia. That means reliable, consistent and fast internet for our customers – with the ability to offer unlimited downloads.

If we operated a transit network, we couldn’t do that. But that’s the difference with us and the rest: we operate a premium network – the #1 most connected in Australia. And with that comes a premium, reliable service.