Broadband News
Thu, 19th Feb 2015
Telcos fear being stung by $400m metadata laws
Tony Abbott has revealed the cost of the government’s proposed new metadata laws will be less than $400 million, but has sparked industry fears that telcos will bear the funding burden for the new regime.
Source: The Australian
Wed, 18th Feb 2015
NBN rollout continues in Canberra’s north as union slams Telstra for delays
Copper telephone lines to up to 2800 Ngunnawal properties will be disconnected on Friday as part of the NBN roll out in Canberra's north, despite union concerns about service delays.
Source: Canberra Times
Aussie pirates could receive 'threatening' letters: DBC lawyers
Australian copyright infringers could receive ‘threatening’ letters similar to those sent out in the United States, lawyers for Dallas Buyers Club admitted today.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet success? Australian court might not buy Dallas Buyers Club LLC evidence
The case between the owners of the Dallas Buyers Club movie and ISPs including iiNet has succeeded in taking a legal twist worthy of a great Hollywood movie.
Source: iTWire
Vodafone loses 46k customers
Vodafone continued to lose customers in 2014, dropping 46,000 subscribers for the full year despite user growth in the second half.
Source: iTnews Australia
Keeping data vital to fighting child pornography: Tony Abbott
Tony Abbott is stepping up the government's push for laws compelling phone and internet firms to keep customer metadata, calling such data "absolutely critical" to fighting child pornography online.
Source: SMH
Netgear routers leak admin passwords
A flaw in Netgear wireless routers allows attackers to bypass administrator authentication and potentially gain full access to the devices, a researcher has discovered.
Source: iTnews Australia
Data retention plan could cost $400m a year: Abbott
Prime Minister Tony Abbott reveals the cost of the Government's data retention plan could be almost $400 million a year, and warns if it is not passed it would be a form of "unilateral disarmament" in the fight against crime.
Source: ABC News
Tue, 17th Feb 2015
iiNet attacks software used in Dallas Buyers Club piracy hunt
iiNet lawyers today sought to discredit the method by which Dallas Buyers Club LLC collected internet protocol (IP) addresses of those it claimed had downloaded and shared versions of its film of the same name.
Source: iTnews Australia
Dallas Buyers Club copyright stoush returns to court
Dallas Buyers Club LLC, Internet service provider iiNet and a number of other ISPs today returned to court in a battle over the attempt to obtain the contact details of people alleged to have engaged in online copyright violations.
Source: Computerworld
Film studios want Australians punished for piracy
Content owners are pushing for Australian internet service providers to punish their users via speed caps or pop-ups for downloading infringing TV shows, films, or music.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Blood tests sent to NBN Co to thwart tower plans
Two northern NSW resident action groups campaigning against NBN towers have sent blood samples to NBN Co and its contractors in a bid to scare them off their rollout plans.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 16th Feb 2015
Fetch fetches Netflix in fetching TV alliance
Netflix and Fetch TV have announced that Fetch is the first Australian Pay-TV service to integrate Netflix on Fetch’s 2nd-gen TV box.
Source: iTWire
Data retention: Labor concerned over costs, safeguards for journos
Labor leader Bill Shorten has raised concerns over elements of the government's proposed data retention bill.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co to get updates on state of the Telstra copper network
NBN Co has revealed the basic steps the company took in assessing the quality of Telstra's copper and HFC networks before agreeing to a new deal to take ownership of the networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 13th Feb 2015
Optus to try luck in world of online streaming
Optus is the latest player to dip its toes in the burgeoning world of online and mobile video streaming as it welcomed a second consecutive quarter of revenue growth.
Source: The Australian
Industry needs political stability: Telstra chief David Thodey
Telstra chief David Thodey has called for an end to the leadership ructions in Canberra, saying the business community needs certainty to plan for the next decade and grow new economic areas as the resources sector continues to wane.
Source: The Australian
Chinese New Year brings free international calls for Vodafone customers
The Year of the Sheep will bring instant rewards for Vodafone customers as the telco rings in the Chinese New Year with free calls to countries across Asia.
Source: ARN
Thu, 12th Feb 2015
Optus data revenues up on 4G growth
Optus' 4G customer base hit 3.18 million in the quarter ending 31 December, the telco revealed this morning. Optus added 435,000 4G customers in the quarter.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra sees jump in profit and customer growth
Investing in new businesses and growing its telecommunications services across Asia are two key elements for Telstra’s ambitious growth plans this year.
Source: ARN
Optus net profit dips as mobile grows
SingTel subsidiary, Optus (ASX:SGT) has experienced an 8.2 per cent decline in net profit to $208 million for its third quarter ending December 31.
Source: ARN
Wed, 11th Feb 2015
Telstra-NBN deal in the Senate spotlight
Portions of the renegotiated Telstra-NBN deal will be probed by a parliamentary committee.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone targets mobile video
Vodafone Australia has identified the increased use of video on phones as a way of differentiating itself from Telstra and Optus.
Source: iTWire
Coming soon - better 4G for the bush
Australia's regional and rural areas will get better 4G mobile coverage if new spectrum plans are approved.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 10th Feb 2015
Dallas Buyers Club targets wholesaler iseek in new piracy case
Anti-piracy litigant Dallas Buyers Club LLC is targeting broadband wholesaler iseek to find out which of its retailers' customers downloaded illicit copies of the film of the same name.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra, Optus, Vodafone unite in GPS patent dispute
Telstra, Optus, and Vodafone are fighting against patent-infringement claims over the use of assisted GPS and video-streaming services in the companies' mobile networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACMA lobbies to reallocate regional 1800 MHz
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has begun lobbying Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to reallocate regional 1800MHz spectrum for use with 4G LTE services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone to launch VoLTE 'later this year'
Vodafone Hutchison Australia (VHA) has announced successful trials of VoLTE (voice over LTE) which it says will lead to a better 4G service ‘later this year'.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 09th Feb 2015
Vodafone sees 650 percent data jump on roaming
Vodafone Australia has seen the amount of data used by customers travelling abroad increase by 650 percent since introducing the AU$5-per-day roam-as-home option.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus enters data analytics market
Optus has partnered with wi-fi driven data analytics firm Skyfii to resell data-driven intelligence about retail habits to its own enterprise clients.
Source: iTnews Australia