free setup offer
If you've been thinking about upgrading to broadband you'll love our special Holiday Season deals which can save you up to $199.95!

Normally, there's a $99.95 setup fee for broadband, but for a limited time we're waiving this fee on our 12 month plan. You can also save on our quality broadband modems and routers - depending on your choice of hardware and your contract preference. There's also discounts on our popular new wireless broadband router.

This offer is only available until the end of December. All you need to do is click 'buy' to sign up today. If you need some help in choosing the best plan for you please call us on 13 19 17.

Open Day strikes again!
On November 26 the Perth office opened its doors to the public to give customers an idea of what goes on behind the scenes at their ISP. Approximately 300 people participated in seminars, tours and an open panel discussion.

Not surprisingly our most popular seminars were those about future trends in technology, such as the wireless applications and VoIP presentations. Other seminars included DSLAMs & the iiNet national network; online gaming; and reliable email: web security, spam & viruses.

For those who couldn't attend, the Powerpoint presentations and video footage of the seminars will be available on the iiNet website in the near future. If you are interested in what the winner of our 'Win a trip to Perth' competition got up to on the day read his story in the Customer Profile section. As a treat for those of you in country WA or the Eastern States who couldn't make it on the day we are giving away 25 iiNet Open Day 2004 showbags. Winners will be drawn at random. Refer to the competitions section.

A huge thanks goes to the dedicated iiNet staff who worked hard to make Open Day a success, and thanks also to our loyal customers who participated in the day, and provided valuable feedback and suggestions on how we can continue to improve Open Day, and our products and service moving forward.

AGM
Our Annual General Meeting was also held on November 26, and was attended by shareholders and staff. iiNet's growing presence in the Eastern states of Australia and in NZ was discussed, along with our plans to become a full home phone and Internet service provider in the near future.

iiNet MD Michael Malone delivered a presentation on product trends and direction, and then opened the session to questions. One shareholder asked whether iiNet will be diversifying beyond being primarily an Internet Service Provider. Michael's answer was yes, explaining: "If the technology is moving forward (through increased convergence), we need to move with it. We need to be providing bundled broadband and telephony because that's where the market is heading," he said.

You can view a copy of the Chairman's address and Michael's presentation on the iiNet website.

the next generation of dialup: iidialup2
Last week we released our brand new iidialup2 products, which are up to five times faster than regular dialup accounts through the help of the free Web Accelerator software.

If you can't get broadband, this is the next best thing. Web Accelerator is easy to download and install - in just five minutes you'll have speedier surfing. There's no waiting to connect, no contracts and no setup costs or hardware.

Due to these great new dialup accounts, we will no longer be selling our Explorer, Freedom, Atlantis or Discovery accounts, but we will continue to support them through our 24/7 customer support line on 13 22 58 and through the online support section.

You can upgrade your existing dialup account to one of our new iidialup2 plans for free. Just visit the Toolbox. You can also check out the complete list of features before you switch.

Feel the Speed offer extended
Due to popular demand our Feel the Speed offer of bliink 1500lite + iiphone at the special rate of $59.95 has been extended.

This offer which began in August 2004, was scheduled to finish November 30, but is now extended until 11:59pm (WST) Monday, February 28, 2005!

The offer allows our 256 and 512 customers the chance to feel the speed of a bliink 1500 connection - bundled with iiphone, at just $59.95 per month flat rate plus phone costs.

There is no upgrade or downgrade fee to change. If you want to stay after March 1, 2005, you'll pay the usual monthly rate of $79.95 with iiphone (or $89.95 without iiphone). However, if you decide to go back to a lower speed, then you can avoid a downgrade fee if you do so before March 1, 2005.

So take advantage of our Feel the Speed offer to accelerate into our 1500 lite plan - and start enjoying 12GB of downloads at 1.5MB for the next few months.

customer service update
As we have now completed the first full month (October) of the new support team structure, I thought some of you may be interested in how we're doing.

As a comparison with September:

• The total number of Support calls has decreased by 10.94 percent
• The total number of calls to Advanced Support has decreased by 56.03 percent
• The average speed to answer Advanced Support calls has decreased by three minutes

Advanced support also received 10,000 less calls, which indicates we are resolving a high percentage of calls at the first point of contact.

We still have a way to go, but are off to a good start. Well done to all staff for their hard work in achieving this goal, and thanks to our customers for your patience and support!

In other Contact Centre news, we received the following feedback from a customer, Paul from West Beach, SA:

"Just wanted to say keep up the good work iiNet. I have been on your 512k unlimited plan for a few months now and couldn't be happier with the service of both my Internet connection and your staff. It seems iiNet is a rare gem amongst ISP's (trust me I know, I've been with a few).

I hope your company continues to grow stronger and stronger as time goes on, I think the major Telcos are going to have a hard time competing (most definitely in the service department) with you!

I will continue to convince everyone I talk to that is thinking about ADSL to go with you. Thanks again."

14,000 DSLAM customers migrated
The iiDSLAM team have now migrated over 14,000 customers onto our new network infrastructure across 45 exchanges Nationally.

We are due to have another 44 exchanges ready for migration in the coming weeks, so keep an eye on the DSLAM update pages to see when your exchange will be ready for migration.

FAQ
Q: Is there anywhere I can find out about faults which may be interfering with my dialup or ADSL connection?
A: You can visit our fault status page for a detailed map showing any faults around Australia.

Q: I'm new to the Internet - is there a page for initial connection settings for beginners?
A: Yes, the configuration reference guide contains the basic settings and server addresses you require to connect to the Net.

Q: I'd like to take up the new iidialup2 product, but I would like to see my current account details. Where can I find the costs and traffic allocations to compare the plans?
A: Simply visit our previous plans page to see the product specs of the old accounts. You can then compare them with the next generation of dialup accounts.

tip of the month
A quick reminder for all parents...

Over the holiday period your kids may be spending more time on the Internet, so be sure to monitor your download volume usage. You can check this by logging into Toolbox and selecting volume usage from the dropdown menu next to your account.

staff profile
Name: Steven Mancini
Title: Senior Customer Consultant

How long have you been with iiNet?
1.5 years

What does your role involve?
Providing solutions and information to customer queries, with a particular interest in selling iiNet services. I'm currently assisting in the management of improving internal processes. Recently I was also involved with handling the wireless hardware launch, which has received great customer interest.

Tell us about your recent experience in the Marketing team at iiNet.
iiNet has many areas of opportunity in various business and technical roles. I had a great time during my marketing secondment where I helped launch new products. I continue to find new and exciting opportunities throughout the company.

Your most memorable experience at iiNet?
The day our team decided to hold a golf putting championship in the middle of the Contact Centre with a self-made putter and cup. My biggest upset was that I didn't win :(

Where do you see iiNet in five years?
iiNet will continue to grow and cement itself as a major player in the communications industry providing state-of-the-art, varied communications applications throughout Australia and offshore. By then, our new brand will be strongly recognised and we'll be known as "the company with innovative products, great service and fair deals".

customer profile
Name: Terry Van Heygen
Account type: iidialup2

Terry was chosen as this month's customer profile as he was the winner of a trip to Perth for the Open Day! Terry penned a poem for his entry, which gave us a chuckle.

How long have you been an iiNet customer?
Transferred from Omen in 2000.

Why did you want to come to Perth for the Open Day?
For as long as I've been a member of iiNet, I've never had a chance to see the workings of my ISP, so I wanted to capitalise on this opportunity.

What was your favourite part of the Open Day?
The wireless seminar, where the presenters showed a slide of a media player set-top for your TV. It's great to see where wireless technology is heading in the future.

What do you mainly use the Internet for?
Like most people, I use it for email and to stay in contact with everyone. I work for Foxtel, so I help the tech guys to do home installations for Foxtel. Sometimes I use the Internet to troubleshoot some of the major problems with installation.

Where do you see iiNet in five years?
Competing with Telstra and Optus for everything, as opposed to being primarily an Internet Service Provider. This will be fantastic, as these companies need someone to make them scared!

showtime!
This month we have a treat for our customers from the Eastern states and country WA! We have 25 iiNet Open Day showbags to give away.

The showbags include an 'ii Connect Better' cap, an 'ii' water bottle, a pen and more... If you would like the chance to win a showbag please email competitions@iinet.net.au with your iiNet username, address and name. Names will be drawn at random, and winners will be contacted by email.

gaming tips
This month's cheats are for the PC game Half-Life 2 by Valve.

During the game bring down the console and type 'sv_cheats 1' then enter:

• god for god mode
• buddha for no death mode
• infinite_aux_power for infinite suit power
• impulse 101 for all weapons and ammo
• npc_kill to kill all npcs on the area
• noclip to walk through walls

movie of the month
The Polar Express

Just in time for the holidays comes a great new movie staring Tom Hanks.

Believing in Santa Claus isn't easy when all of your friends and family insist he's just make-believe. A boy's faith is rewarded one Christmas Eve when he's awakened by a steam train that pulls up in front of his house and takes him and other children to the North Pole to meet Santa.

In cinemas around the country now.

album of the month
Destiny's Child - Destiny Fulfilled

Destiny's Child, the world's best-selling female pop vocal group, is back after a three-year hiatus with 'Destiny Fulfilled'. The album showcases the signature vocal harmonies and distinctive solo voices of Beyonce, Kelly and Michelle on eleven brand-new Destiny's Child tracks.

With lyrical themes drawn from the members' personal experience and musical support from some of the hottest producers in the business, this is the album for summer.

recipe of the month
Christmas Punch

Serve this tasty drink to your holiday party guests. What you will need:

• 3 cups of orange juice
• 1/4 cup of lemon juice
• 4 cups apple juice
• 1 tin of chopped tropical fruit
• 2 cups of lemonade
• Ice block tray

Directions:

1. Fill the ice block tray with water or one cup of the orange juice
2. Add the rest of the orange juice, lemon juice, apple juice and chopped fruit in a large plastic container.
3. Mix with a wooden spoon.
4. Add the ice blocks and serve.

When you fill the ice block tray with orange juice instead of water it stops the punch from being watered down when the ice blocks melt.

iiNet - providing Internet and phone services all over Australia. This email was authorised by Joanne Large, on behalf of iiNet. Postal address: Locked Bag 16, Cloisters Square, WA 6000. If you wish to unsubscribe to future iiNet newsletters, you can do so by visiting https://toolbox.iinet.net.au/