Broadband News
Thu, 31st May 2018
Telstra pit fire not caused by lightning, RFS finds
Fire investigators have ruled out a lightning strike as the cause of a blackened Telstra pit in regional NSW earlier this month that disrupted Triple Zero emergency calls.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 30th May 2018
Court backs Optus after Telstra's
The Supreme Court of Victoria has found that Optus did not engage in a misleading or deceptive conduct over its "empires end" advertisement.
Source: ARN
Optus to stop selling Virgin Mobile services by mid-June
Optus has revealed it will stop selling Virgin Mobile Australia services as of 15 June with all the retail stores under its outgoing Virgin Mobile brand to be closed by the end of June.
Source: ARN
Optus to shut all Virgin Mobile stores by end of June
Optus is set to close all of Virgin Mobile’s retail stores by the end of June this year, with the telco providing more details on its planned closure and integration of the subsidiary brand.
Source: iTnews Australia
New ASIC guidelines for web blocking awaiting legal sign-off
Guidance for Australian Securities and Investments Commission staff on the use of Section 313 (3) of the Telecommunications Act to block Australians' access to particular websites or online services are currently in draft form and awaiting sign-off from ASIC’s legal office, some 10 months after the government issued whole-of-government guidelines.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co: pay is hardly a reflection of performance
The news that the staff at NBN Co are paid handsomely from the public purse comes in the same week that a study showed chief executives' pay in the US to be up to 5000 times that of an average worker in the companies they headed.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co accountability pledge by Labor if it regains power
The Australian Labor Party has pledged to make NBN Co, the company rolling out the national broadband network, more accountable to consumers if it gets back into power at the next federal election.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 29th May 2018
NBN remediating 3Mbps fixed-wireless cells
NBN is remediating nine congested fixed-wireless cells that provide speeds of just 3Mbps to users during peak periods, adding that it has seen greater uptake than expected across fixed-wireless and satellite.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Melbourne ISP launches NBN challenger in Queensland
Melbourne-based internet service provider Binary Networks has revealed its fixed wireless broadband service being offered in South-West Queensland.
Source: ARN
Optus to cut 400 staff
Optus is set to make around 400 roles redundant in a bid to “remove duplication” and reduce its operating costs.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 28th May 2018
Telstra moves on Geelong train tunnel mobile coverage
As part of the Victorian government's Regional Rail Connectivity Project, Telstra will install cabling, antennas, and base stations to improve train tunnel mobile coverage.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra to begin work on mobile coverage in Geelong rail tunnel
Telstra will begin working next month on the provision of mobile coverage in the Geelong rail tunnel, the company said in a statement today. A critical part of the work is expected to be completed by the end of June.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co turns to RSPs for new wholesale bundle pricing
NBN Co is gearing up to introduce new wholesale bundle pricing for fixed wireless services and its entry-level, low-usage broadband offering.
Source: ARN
NBN to overhaul fixed-wireless pricing
NBN is looking to simplify its two-part wholesale pricing charge for fixed-wireless, as well as consulting on a new fixed-wireless product that 'better aligns to the capability of the network'.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co: the money is good, the results aren't
The NBN Co pays its staff handsomely, figures revealed ahead of Senate estimates hearings last week show, with 8% of its 6044 staff taking home more than $200,000.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 25th May 2018
That’s all folks: NBN currently has no plans for more FTTC
NBN’s chief executive, Bill Morrow, says the company is not currently contemplating expanding the number of premises connected using fibre to the curb (FTTC).
Source: Computerworld
'We killed it': NBN boss dumps top-speed plans for hundreds of thousands of customers
The company rolling out the National Broadband Network axes the idea of providing maximum-speed plans to over 300,000 potential customers, announcing it is dumping plans to provide 100 megabit per second speeds on its fixed wireless network.
Source: ABC News
Comms union slams Optus over Virgin Mobile job cuts
The news that Optus will be axing 200 jobs across Australia due to its decision to phase out its subsidiary Virgin Mobile over the next two years has been described as "a devastating blow to workers".
Source: iTWire
Thu, 24th May 2018
NBN rips up 100Mbps fixed-wireless plans
Australia's National Broadband Network (NBN) company has killed off its plans to offer a 100/40Mbps fixed-wireless product, with NBN CEO Bill Morrow telling Senate Estimates on Thursday there is no economic case for it.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co kills 100Mbps on fixed wireless
NBN Co has “killed” off plans to offer 100Mbps services on its fixed wireless network so it can concentrate on meeting its minimum performance obligations.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus eyes staff redeployment as it phases out Virgin Mobile brand
Optus is working to find employment opportunities for Virgin Mobile Australia staff in other parts of its business as it moves to phase out the Virgin brand over the next two years.
Source: ARN
Optus will progressively close Virgin Mobile
Optus is set to phase out its Virgin Mobile brand over the next two years and will contact customers “in the coming days” to outline their options.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 23rd May 2018
Telstra 'unlimited' mobile network ads banned by court
Telstra's 'unlimited' mobile network advertising campaign has been found to be misleading and deceptive conduct under a Federal Court decision, with an injunction preventing it from continuing the ads.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus fined AU$1.5m for misleading NBN customers
Optus has been forced by the Federal Court to pay AU$1.5 million in penalties after misleading its customers about switching over to NBN's HFC network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus fined $1.5m for forcing HFC customers onto NBN
Optus has been fined $1.5 million by the federal court for trying to force customers off its HFC network and onto the NBN in a bid to fast-track migration payments from NBN Co.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 22nd May 2018
Software fault caused Telstra mobile outage
Telstra has yet to determine the root cause of the software fault that resulted in a nationwide mobile outage on Monday, but said it is investigating this with its technology vendors.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Software fault triggered Telstra mobile network outage
The calamitous collapse of Telstra's mobile network on Monday was triggered by a software fault which led to multiple elements across the network failing, the company said on Tuesday, offering an apology for the disruptions suffered by its customers.
Source: iTWire
NBN announces business satellite service for 2019
The NBN Business Satellite Service will make use of existing Sky Muster spectrum and infrastructure, with trials to take place at the end of this year ahead of service launch in the first half of 2019.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co to chase mining sector with business satellite
NBN Co is set to target its forthcoming “business-grade satellite service” at the remote operations of Australia’s resources sector as well as farmers in the first instance.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co details 2019 business satellite service launch
NBN Co has revealed the details of its new wholesale business-grade satellite service for remote and rural Australia to be launched in the first half of 2019.
Source: ARN