Telstra offer a self install kit

Telstra have another crack at the small business market with a new offering.

AustralianIT reports that Telstra will be offering a small business network self install kit that includes a domain name, two managed Exchange mailboxes and a wireless router.

It certainly sounds like an interesting product. The small business market is seriously overlooked and this is the sort of product small business owners love.

I can see a few problems though; the cost of Telstra's plans, ongoing support and domain name problems.

Choosing domain names is going to be fun. A lot of small business owners don't understand the rules for choosing .com.au names and don't appreciate that most good dot com names are gone. I expect Telstra's support people will have some serious headaches with this.

The cost of Telstra's plans is another major drawback. Telstra are never cheap for Internet access and the proposed entry level plan of $55 for 500Mb of data is recipe for small business bankruptcy.

Ongoing support is the deal breaker here. Telstra's previous efforts in this field have left small business owners on hold and frustrated for many hours.

This product will take a lot of supporting and hand holding. To make it a success, they'll have to be sharp on both marketing and support.

Telstra's moves in the small business market are well worth watching. It looks like competition in this space is going to heat up and if Telstra can do it right, they'll be in the position to grab the best market share.