Telstra has been blamed for delivering sluggish Internet connection speeds to iiNet customers following the much-hyped launch of Netflix Australia last week.

The US video streaming giant’s new Australian service has been a huge hit with iiNet customers, who account for 15 per cent of its customer traffic, The Age reports.

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Apparently some customers have vented their frustrations on social media over slower Internet connection speeds, which they say have been caused by a surge in demand since Netflix hit Aussie shores.

Under iiNet’s unmetered deal with Netflix, time spent viewing the video streaming service isn’t included in monthly data allowances.

iiNet chief executive David Buckingham told The Age that “mass service disruptions” on Telstra’s copper network were to blame for some customers’ slower connection speeds.

But Telstra said it was hard to tell whether a mass service disruption had slowed Internet connection speeds for some of iiNet’s customers.

The telecommunications giant also said its copper network was capable of servicing the hundreds of thousands of Australians who have subscribed to video streaming services, such as Netflix, Presto and Stan, this year.

A spokesperson for Telstra insisted iiNet was responsible for problems with its services: “iiNet is responsible for the end-to-end management of their network and iiNet customers need to contact them if they are experiencing problems.”