Broadband News
Tue, 13th Jan 2015
Australian emergency services seek phone GPS access
Australian emergency service agencies want access to GPS data on phones to locate callers in emergencies, but Telstra has said it is up to users to ensure that GPS applications are turned on.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australia's broadband ranking isn't Turnbull's fault
To blame Australia's drop in the Akamai State of the Internet ranking for peak and average broadband speeds on the government's decision to move away from fibre to the premises for the NBN defies reality.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 12th Jan 2015
Western Sydney NBN cutover starts soon
Written by: Stephen Withers | Published in: Telecoms & NBNParts of western Sydney were connected to the NBN a while ago, and so it's nearly time for other landline phone and internet connections to be decommissioned.
Source: iTWire
Data retention 'an urgent priority': Brandis
Attorney-General George Brandis has linked the terrorist attack in Paris and the siege in Sydney to the government's push to pass mandatory data-retention legislation in Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australian internet speeds rank 44th in the world
A US study has delivered an unwelcome finding about Australian internet speeds, finding that they are well behind the international pack.
Source: ABC News
NBN: HFC transition plan alarms telco coalition
Allowing NBN Co to carry out construction work on Telstra's HFC network before ownership of the network is transferred to the government-owned company risks giving Telstra an unfair advantage over its competitors, according to the Competitive Carriers Coalition.
Source: Computerworld
Revealed: The lucky Sydney suburbs to get NBN next
Over the next two months, about 20,000 homes and businesses in western Sydney will have their landline and internet services replaced by high-speed internet, as the NBN is launched.
Source: SMH
Fri, 09th Jan 2015
TPG on NBN rival: 'We are not as bad as Telstra'
TPG has said that Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull acted too hastily in issuing a draft regulation forcing the company to develop a wholesale product for its fibre-to-the-basement networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 08th Jan 2015
Google, Facebook, eBay slam Australian 'de facto internet filter'
The digital policy group representing giants such as Google, Yahoo7, Facebook, and eBay in Australia have slammed the Australian government's use of the Telecommunications Act to compel ISPs to block websites.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN fibre to the world: New Caledonia
The New Caledonian incumbent telecommunications company is working with the government to upgrade 65,000 premises on the island to fibre to the premises, because 16Mbps is not enough for the population.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 07th Jan 2015
Vodafone CEO puts data and content first in comeback plans
Vodafone Australia could be known as the company that cried 'growth', but CEO Inaki Berroeta is confident that the company's long-awaited return is well under way.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Netflix, Apple, Adobe. How geoblocks rip you off
Netflix is about to come to Australia and as a thank-you to the 200,000 Australians who have been devotedly buying its content for years it is reportedly about to pull the plug.
Source: SMH
Tue, 06th Jan 2015
TPG bringing back FTTB network to rival NBN
TPG Telecom has promised to bring back its controversial superfast broadband product, which competes against NBN Co, despite tough new rules introduced by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Source: SMH
44C Perth heat forces iiNet datacentre offline
iiNet was yesterday forced to take its emails, websites, and customer portals offline due to a failure of the air conditioning in its Perth datacentre.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet's Perth data centre melts in heatwave
ISP iiNet shut down systems at about 4:30pm AEDST yesterday in an attempt to bring additional cooling online at its Perth data centre as the facility sweated through a day that peaked at almost 45C.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 05th Jan 2015
Netflix users fear for the future of unblocked access
Less than three months out from its local Australian launch, a change to Netflix's app has caused some to fear the company may block access to the US content library for those outside of the country.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus offers 1GB bonus data per month for SIM only mobile plans
If you’ve got an Optus ‘SIM Only’ plan where you use your own phone, at $30, $45 or $60 per month, Optus will give you an extra gig per month for the life of your plan.
Source: iTWire
TPG withdraws NBN competitor product after Turnbull's ruling
TPG has withdrawn its fibre-to-the-basement product from sale temporarily due to not having enough time to make changes in line with Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull's snap new regulation.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 02nd Jan 2015
New Telstra record: 11% increase in SMS and MMS traffic between NYE 2014 and NYD 2015
Australia’s biggest telco, Telstra, has seen ‘a new record’ set over the two day NYE 2014 and NYD 2015 period compared to the same timeframe last year.
Source: iTWire
Telstra, SingTel-Optus rolling out 4G mobile network
When you head into work on Monday morning, don't be surprised if you get some of the best mobile coverage you've ever seen.
Source: SMH
Thu, 01st Jan 2015
4GXTREME: Telstra’s superfast 4GX enjoys supercharged OZ 2015 rollout
Telstra feels the need for a new breed of speed, with 4GX in over 1000 towns and suburbs from 2 January 2015 as 600 new locations get switched on and masses more to come.
Source: iTWire
GGGG: Optus says don’t 4Get its boosted 4G OZ network in 2015
Optus 4Gives Australians a better 4G network in 2015 and doesn’t want you to 4Get it, with 700MHz 4G connectivity and ‘plans’ to cover 90% of Australia’s population with 4G by April.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 31st Dec 2014
Australian telcos in race against time to estimate metadata retention costs
Australian telcos are racing against the clock to estimate how much it will cost them to implement the federal government's controversial data retention regime.
Source: SMH
Vodafone expects massive demand on NYE 2014
It’s Vodafone’s turn for a massive NYE night, with 11 million SMS to be delivered, 4.5 million voice calls to come and lots of extra staff!
Source: iTWire
ABC, Telstra drones to capture NYE fireworks from 1000ft
Drones flown by both the ABC and Telstra will add a bird’s-eye view of Sydney’s New Year’s Eve fireworks to TV and online broadcasts tonight.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 30th Dec 2014
Kim Dotcom's Mega to launch anti-spying call and chat service 'soon'
Kim Dotcom, founder of the file hosting service Mega, is preparing to launch an encrypted video-calling and chat service that will shield its users' communications from government surveillance.
Source: ARN
Mon, 29th Dec 2014
Optus: SMS and voice up, pumps ‘mocial’, data and NYE predictions
Optus has finally released voice and SMS stats for Christmas to Boxing Day 2014, rising from 2013 by 3%, voice calls by 5% and a huge rise in data.
Source: iTWire
Sat, 27th Dec 2014
Stuck in a blackspot: Melburnians fight for the right to broadband
Narre Warren South is a metropolitan community trying to fight its way out of an internet blackspot.
Source: The Age
Fri, 26th Dec 2014
ACCAN launches new Community Consultation Guide
ACCAN, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network, has launched its Community Consultation Guide, designed to ‘help communities address issues with mobile coverage in their areas.’
Source: iTWire
Tue, 23rd Dec 2014
Telstra to buy Pacnet for $857m
Telstra will spend US$697 million (A$857 million) to acquire cable operator and telecommunications provider Pacnet and gain access to Asia's largest privately-owned submarine cable network.
Source: iTnews Australia