Broadband News

Thu, 14th Dec 2017

NBN reseller enters liquidation owing $330K

NBN retail service provider, Tellnet, has been placed into liquidation owing $330,000 to secured and unsecured creditors.

Source: ARN

Telstra pays $50m for Brisbane 5G spectrum

Telstra has paid $50 million at auction for a block of 3.4GHz spectrum in Brisbane, a clear sign of its build preparations for a 5G network.

Source: iTnews Australia

$92.6 million paid out as spectrum auction wraps up

The sale of spectrum has been completed with Optus and Telstra, TPG, the wholesale operator of the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, and Vodafone, all securing spectrum to be used to help them meet what they say is rising demand for mobile and fixed wireless broadband services. Telstra was the dominant buyer of spectrum, shelling out $72.5 million.

Source: iTWire

Telstra pays $72.5M to tap into more mobile spectrum

​Telstra has agreed to cough up $72.5 million for additional mobile spectrum usage in Australia, as country's latest bandwidth auction wraps up.

Source: ARN

NBN sets up 50Mbps as flagship speed under new wholesale pricing

NBN will be offering bundled AVC and CVC pricing to retailers as of Q2 next year, with discounts across the 50Mbps and 100Mbps tiers designed to drive uptake of higher-speed plans.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co hopes new prices will reveal network's power

NBN Co is hoping to demonstrate its network is capable of more than what end users currently see, using new prices to tempt users onto higher-speed services.

Source: iTnews Australia

MyRepublic has mixed feelings over long awaited pricing review

Internet speed champion MyRepublic’s A/NZ MD, Nicholas Demos, reports "mixed feelings regarding the long awaited pricing review and raises concerns over the impact on the local market."

Source: iTWire

New NBN pricing targets capacity woes, low take-up of high speed plans

NBN has unveiled new bundled services that it hopes will encourage retail service providers (RSPs) to sell higher speed National Broadband Network plans while also combating the under-provisioning of capacity.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 13th Dec 2017

Rowland makes NBN an issue ahead of by-election

Labor Shadow Communcations Minister Michelle Rowland claims it is unthinkable that Malcolm Turnbull is spending $50 billion on a second-rate NBN that could be leaving residents on the HFC network with fifty times more network downtime when compared to those on fibre.

Source: iTWire

Tue, 12th Dec 2017

Internet Australia wants all ISPs to reimburse consumers misled over line speeds

Internet Australia has weighed into the debate about consumers being misled on Internet speeds by telcos, calling on all ISPs to follow Telstra and Optus and reimburse misled FttN customers.

Source: iTWire

Who's to blame for a shonky NBN? Take a look in the mirror

Over the years, blame has been laid on various individuals and organisations for the fiasco that is known as the national broadband network. But we've neglected to turn the blowtorch on one party that has played a big role in things turning out this way.

Source: iTWire

Govt confirms business NBN tax is scope creep

The government has all but admitted its decision to apply the ‘NBN tax’ to business broadband services amounts to scope creep, revealing such services were not counted in initial modelling.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus launches package to improve customer relationships

Australia's second largest telecommunications company, Optus, has expanded the customer experience management solutions offered by its Optus Business division, launching a cloud-hosted package to improve clients' customer relationships.

Source: iTWire

Vocus launches Indonesia link for Australia-Singapore cable

Vocus Communications has officially launched the submarine cable between Australia and Singapore in Indonesia with partner company XL Axiata.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 11th Dec 2017

AFP's foreign metadata disclosures dip

The Australian Federal Police disclosed the telecommunications metadata of 13 people - including two Australian citizens - to foreign law enforcement agencies in the most recent financial year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus dumps billing for third-party content subscriptions

Optus will stop allowing third-party subscription services like mobile games to charge their fees to telecommunications bills from the end of January next year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus to compensate 8,700 customers for slow NBN speeds

The telco admits it is likely to have breached the Australian Consumer Law and will compensate 8,700 NBN customers who got less than they bargained for.

Source: ABC News

NBN Co moves to keep activations on track

NBN Co is set to employ new state-based managers to ensure the company doesn’t miss its service activation targets between now and 2020.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 08th Dec 2017

Not prudent to have NBN line tests prior to service: Morrow

It would be impracticable to conduct line tests prior to Australians signing with a retailer to connect to the NBN, CEO Bill Morrow has said.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mobile takes hold for Aussie internet explorers

ACMA report reveals that mobile phones are the most popular and frequently used device for internet access in the country.

Source: ARN

Data use in Australia explodes by 43% in past year: ACMA

The amount of data Australians are consuming has gone through the roof - rising by 43% in the past year, according to a new report tabled by the ACMA in the Federal Parliament today. We’re also using a more diverse range of devices, although the mobile phone is still the most popular and frequently used way to go online.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co eyes $500M revenue delay after HFC pause

​NBN Co could miss out on revenues of $50M and see a revenue delay of up to $500M thanks to its halted HFC network rollout.

Source: ARN

NBN HFC delay will hit small ISPs more: claim

The delay announced by NBN Co in allowing consumers to connect to the national broadband network from the HFC network is likely to hit small and new entrants into the field of retail service providers.

Source: iTWire

Greens claim NBN experience is 'overwhelmingly negative'

Connecting to the national broadband network has been an overwhelmingly negative experience for consumers, the Australian Greens NBN spokesman Senator Jordon Steele-John claims.

Source: iTWire

Optus reveals actual NBN speed stats

Optus is the first large NBN retail service provider to start publishing actual download speeds experienced by a subset of users between 7pm and 11pm in line with a ‘best practice’ measure proposed by the ACCC.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN CVC pricing likely to discount 50Mbps speeds: MyRepublic

With NBN's decision on CVC pricing due any day now, RSP MyRepublic has said it is anticipating the broadband company will discount the 50Mbps speed tier in an effort to encourage higher speeds.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Thu, 07th Dec 2017

Aussie Broadband to reveal its NBN CVC allocations

Aussie Broadband is set to publish detail about the amount of connectivity virtual circuit (CVC) it has allocated per NBN point of interconnect (PoI).

Source: iTnews Australia

Amnet shifts services to iPrimus in Vocus consolidation

Customers are being asked to switch to new plans with iPrimus as sales wind down under the Amnet Broadband brand.

Source: ARN

Telstra doubles quota and expands roaming data pass

Telstra users can now enjoy international data in Vietnam, Cambodia, Russia, Laos, and Sri Lanka.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vocus says Aussie internet traffic will go west

Vocus has predicted that the split of international traffic routing via Australia’s east and west coasts will be 50-50 “in around 18 months”.

Source: iTnews Australia