EFTel in the dark over IMTV ADSL customer cutover plans

Speaking to iTnews, the manager of DFT Wholesale Internet, Greg Ashmore, put to rest speculation over whether a formal handover deal had been brokered between EFTel and the embattled Sydney-based ISP.

“A lot of the stuff that appeared under [IMTV chief executive Michael Jaafar’s] writing on Whirlpool was the first time we’d heard about it,” said Ashmore.

“None of the arrangements discussed [on Whirlpool] are in place, and there’s still been no discussion about selling customers.

“We had nothing to do with IMTV’s decision, and they didn’t inform us,” said Ashmore.

Ashmore said he was personally ‘unconvinced’ by IMTV’s public statements, which allege that legal action by Internode is behind a ‘temporary’ suspension of its ADSL business.

Internode has repeatedly said it has no legal action pending against IMTV.

Internode’s managing director, Simon Hackett, has accused IMTV of trying to frame Internode for its decision to cease trading.

Ashmore was unable to reveal further details of DFT’s relationship with IMTV due to ‘commercial in-confidence’ but he earmarked imminent shutdown of wholesale supply to IMTV.

No timeline for the shutdown was discussed.

aaNet Communications general manager, Jason Mikronis, was also unable to provide details of the approximate window of time IMTV customers have to churn to another provider.

However, earlier today, he appeared to indicate the window could close as early as within the next 24 hours.

“A customer should make a decision to churn to either aaNet or EFTel before the end of the day, unless their choice to churn may no longer exist,” Mikronis said in a post to the Whirlpool broadband forum.

He later clarified this statement to iTnews, saying that ‘in relation to any specific window of time, that is not something I can comment on, as it relates to a wholesale agreement between DFT Wholesale and IMTV’.

“The purpose of the post on Whirlpool is to inform customers that we are able to sign them up and migrate them within a few hours,” said Mikronis.

“To do so, they need to sign up on our website, and then email imtv-churn (at) aanet (dot) com (dot) au with their service number so we can get them up and running quickly.”

Mikronis said he believed the ADSL plans listed on aaNet’s website ‘are very competitive’ for IMTV customers looking to churn.