Broadband News
Thu, 21st Dec 2017
NBN Co's HFC freeze hits more than 500,000 homes
NBN Co's decision to freeze the rollout of its HFC network to improve the underlying infrastructure has meant more than 500,000 premises are no longer able to order services.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC abandons plan to expose NBN RSPs' CVC buys
The ACCC has backed away from a plan to publicly reveal how much connectivity virtual circuit bandwidth is being bought by NBN retail service providers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 20th Dec 2017
Watch out for the Christmas Day download blues
If there's a PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch under your Christmas tree, consider cracking it open tonight and updating the firmware to beat the Christmas Day broadband traffic jam.
Source: SMH
Govt moves to phase out Telstra phone subsidy
The Government has revealed plans to scrap the Universal Service Obligation contract arrangement it has with Telstra.
Source: ARN
USO to be axed in 2020 for Universal Service Guarantee
Upon the completion of the NBN rollout in 2020, the USO will be replaced with a guarantee ensuring broadband and voice services are supplied to every premises in Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australian government announces 5G working group members
Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and Huawei have all been included in the government's 5G working group, which will meet twice yearly with five government departments.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co has done well in making rentals NBN-ready: claim
Despite all the hiccups, both private and public, which it has had this year, NBN Co seems to have performed well when it comes to making rental properties NBN-ready, it is claimed.
Source: iTWire
Telstra makes calls free from home phones and payphone 24 to 26 December 2017
Australia's top telco, Telstra, is turning out the Christmas cheer with free local, national and standard mobile calls from Telstra home phones and 16,000+ payphone across Australia.
Source: iTWire
Threat to mobile network performances from ‘explosion’ in video streaming: Telstra
There is an emerging threat to the performance of mobile networks with the risk that peak demand might swamp network cell capacity, according to a senior Telstra executive.
Source: iTWire
Slow NBN: TPG the latest telco to compensate 8,000 customers
TPG is the latest telco to admit it misled customers about their NBN speeds, joining Telstra and Optus in compensating a combined total of 60,000 customers.
Source: ABC News
Tue, 19th Dec 2017
Telstra enables LTE-B MooD technology
Telstra's MooD technology will automatically shift users between unicast and LTE-B modes while watching broadcast content on its mobile network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Aussie internet users face three-week wait for cable repair
Australian internet users will continue to experience inter-Asia latency for at least the next three weeks as the operator of the SEA-ME-WE3 subsea internet cable works to repair a cut.
Source: iTnews Australia
Australia-Singapore cable opens up new strategic data route, says Vocus
The Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) network will open the door for a new strategic data route - the Great Southern Route - connecting South East Asia to North America via Australia, according to owner Vocus, when it opens for business in July 2018.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co extends Ericsson managed services deal to 2020
NBN Co extends its fixed wireless and satellite managed services deal with Ericsson to 2020.
Source: ARN
Telcos double NBN tower use for mobile blackspots
Mobile carriers are now expecting to co-locate antennas funded by the government’s mobile blackspots program on 77 NBN fixed wireless towers, more than double previously planned.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co resumes micronode rollout
NBN Co has quickly resumed its rollout of micronodes in parts of the fibre-to-the-node network after fixing problems with the first batch of 1423 boxes.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 18th Dec 2017
NBN should pause fixed-wireless sales to fix congestion: Aussie Broadband
Much like NBN's HFC pause, Aussie Broadband has said the fixed-wireless rollout could be halted in order to repair congestion among towers in certain areas.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC calls for industry feedback over NBN Co service levels
The ACCC is on the hunt for industry comment about the service levels that NBN Co commits to in its wholesale contracts with resellers.
Source: ARN
Aussie Broadband wants NBN Co to remediate wireless
Aussie Broadband has called on NBN Co to halt sales on its fixed wireless network and improve the service in the same way the network builder is throwing resources at HFC.
Source: iTnews Australia
Cheaper rates draw Aussies to switch NBN providers: research
Aussies who are switching between providers and choosing a new NBN service provider are increasingly making the switch based on cheaper rates, faster data connection/ download speeds and clear pricing of the plan, according to a newly published research report.
Source: iTWire
TIO tries to match NBN complaints to access techs
The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is trying to get access to NBN Co’s core systems to automatically match complaints it receives to the last-mile access technology being used.
Source: iTnews Australia
One third of NBN users 'would change back if they could,' calls to scrap NBN12 speed tier
A new report "reveals widely varying user experiences for Australia’s NBN customers, with a third of NBN users wishing they could return to their non-NBN service."
Source: iTWire
Sun, 17th Dec 2017
Queensland wants to build its own NBN
The Queensland government wants to build its own broadband network to rival the NBN in response to complaints about the rollout of the national network, particularly in regional areas.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 15th Dec 2017
TPG NBN 100 plan only hits 50Mbps at peak times as 25Mbps plan killed off
The telco has responded to the NBN wholesale price changes by removing its 25Mbps plan and revealing typical evening speeds.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC sues Optus for rushing users onto NBN
Optus has been taken to court by the ACCC for allegedly misleading 20,000 HFC customers about their disconnection date in order to rush them onto the national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus faces court after allegedly misleading 20,000 customers
The ACCC has taken Optus Internet to court alleging that the telco misled up to 20,000 customers over NBN migration time-frames.
Source: ARN
Optus offers data-free sports from Seven Network: 2018 Aussie Open, Olympics and Comm Games
Optus is offering new apps to offer data-free streaming of Seven’s live coverage of Australian Open, Winter Olympics and Commonwealth Games.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 14th Dec 2017
TPG moves on discounted 50Mbps NBN tier
TPG and its subsidiary internet brands are the first to publicly adopt temporary 50Mbps NBN pricing, dropping mention of the 25Mbps tier from their websites.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet wants your money to give you back your money
iiNet is in many ways a unique ISP. It is one of the few that started life in a garage, following the Silicon Valley model. It used to be very good at providing service. But after being bought by TPG, it only seems to be obsessed with money.
Source: iTWire
In preparation for 5G, Optus bolsters metro network coverage with 2300 and 3500MHz spectrum
Optus has "successfully acquired a variety of new metropolitan licences for its customers in the 2300 MHz and 3500 MHz spectrum bands," for better metro coverage and 5G preparation.
Source: iTWire