Telecom doubles home data plans

Telecom has increased the data caps on all of its home broadband plans by at least 100%, reflecting the massive upswing in consumer usage.

The increases affect every plan ranging from Total Home Starter, which has gone up from 2GB to 5GB, to the Pro plans, which have gone up from 60GB to 120GB.

The top-end 100GB Total Home Broadband plan has increased to 160GB, although this increase is accompanied by a drop in price, from $145 per month to $125.

The changes will take effect from May 1, with only business broadband plans and standalone broadband plans unaffected.

Telecom's most popular plan, Total Home Lite, was increased from 10GB to 30GB on April 1. Telecom says 30% of its customers opt for this package.

Jason Paris, chief marketing officer for Telecom, says the changes reflect shifts in the way customers are using their data.

"With 'on-demand' services for both free-to-air and pay TV becoming more popular, we think it's important to increase the data cap without increasing the cost," Paris says, "rewarding current Telecom customers and attracting new ones.