TelstraClear switching off meters this weekend

TelstraClear is putting its money where its mouth is regarding its claim to be 'the home of broadband', announcing today it will switch off its data meters for residential broadband customers this weekend.

From 6pm on Friday to midnight on Sunday, any data used will not count towards the customer’s monthly allocation.

TelstraClear already offers unmetered access to a few sites, including TradeMe and the Mediaworks/TV3 family of sites, but this weekend’s move takes the concept to a whole new level. It’s a bold move, and one which has commentators questioning whether the ISP’s network can handle the surge.

Steve Jackson, TelstraClear’s head of consumer markets, admits some customers may experience a slow-down.

"We think that being able to do much more online without using any of your data pack makes it worth doing,” Jackson says.

The move follows the revelation last week that New Zealand’s onerous data caps are acting as a significant deterrent to video-streaming service Netflix.

Brent Ayrey, Netflix' VP of product innovation, said although there is strong demand here, data caps combined with the low quality of the network mean it's not worth the company acquiring New Zealand rights for content.

What do you think of TelstraClear's gambit? Would you rather pay nothing for unlimited data, or fork out more for faster speed? Post your comments below.