AAPT offers twelve hours of free downloads

AAPT has announced an 'unlimited broadband' residential ADSL2+ plan which extends the window in which users can download content for free to between 8pm and 8am.

As reported by iTnews, AAPT has been considering extending its free download window after the success of its first 'unlimited broadband' plan, which launched in May offering free downloads between 2am and 8am.

The 8-8 plan has twice the free download time as AAPT's initial foray into unlimited plans, and comes bundled with a phone service (with $50 of credit and no line rental), 5GB of downloads during peak periods (8am to 8pm), and a free modem.

But it does come with a catch. The $89.95 per month plan locks users in for 24 months.

AAPT has commissioned a study by Woolcott Research which showed that one in three Australian families exceeded their download quota every month, with one in two blaming it on their childrens' internet habits.

The telco pitched the 8pm - 8am window as the means by which parents can sleep easier at night.

"We realised our customers were only using between 3GB and 5GB per month in peak hours, but really wanted longer unlimited hours to download movies, music and television shows without going over their monthly download cap," said AAPT's head of corporate communications, Tahn Shannon [pictured].

Last week AAPT CIO David Yuile told iTnews that the carrier's use of cache servers enabled it to offer free download windows without adversely impacting the performance of the network.