The University of Newcastle has partnered with Telstra's Internet Service Provider (ISP) Bigpond to offer unmetered access to its Web site.

Newcastle is the first university in NSW to partner with Bigpond with full details of the deal to be announced at a media briefing tomorrow.

Under the agreement, downloads from the university's Web site by any Bigpond customer within Australia, will not be counted towards the customer's monthly usage allowance.

The university's CIO, Peter Nikoletatos, said the new arrangement was of particular benefit to the university's thousands of staff, and 27,000 students.

"This is another way the university is improving the student learning experience," he said.

"Online learning allows students more access to study materials and greater flexibility to interact and learn at a time which suits them.

"Through Bigpond, university staff and students can now access their e-mail, lecture notes, podcasts, the library catalogue and all other online material within the newcastle.edu.au domain, without it counting towards their usage."

Telstra area manager for Newcastle, Port Stephens and Lake Macquarie, Chris Cusack, said the Web site would operate like other popular unmetered Bigpond sites such as the NRL, AFL, Bigpond Movies and V8 supercars.

"As the popularity of online learning continues to grow, Telstra is proud to partner with the University of Newcastle in offering a service which delivers a distinct competitive advantage for the organisation," he said.

"The rollout of this service reinforces Telstra's commitment to education in the region."