Broadband News
Mon, 22nd Dec 2014
NBN reveals HFC timetable
NBN Co says its HFC services will be introduced in the first quarter of 2016, following a customer pilot late next year.
Source: iTWire
Sun, 21st Dec 2014
iiNet says fixed line costs should decrease, not increase
iiNet is calling for a significant reduction in access charges by almost 17% over the next three years, rejecting any move by Telstra to increase charges instead.
Source: iTWire
Sat, 20th Dec 2014
What we found when we captured Senator David Leyonhjelm's metadata
The federal government says its controversial mandatory metadata storage proposal – which will force telcos and internet providers to store phone and web data on all Australians for two years – is necessary to fight serious crime. Prime Minister Tony Abbott described metadata, which will be available to law enforcement without a warrant if the Data Retention Bill becomes law, as "not the content of the letter, it's what's on the envelope".
Source: SMH
Note to data-retention law makers: The internet is not a telephone
Australia is developing its mandatory data-retention legislation with a flawed process that will inevitably produce bad laws. Start again.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 19th Dec 2014
Millions of routers, PCs vulnerable to decade-old cookie flaw
A critical software vulnerability that was supposedly patched in 2005 is still affecting at least 200 types of home and small business internet routers, and could also be used by hackers to compromise millions of networked PCs and IoT devices.
Source: PC Authority
Telstra signs $390m NBN design contract
Telstra has signed a $390 million deal with NBN Co to provide planning and design services for the national broadband network over the next four years.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co reveals date of HFC product launch
NBN Co will start piloting services on hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) cable towards the end of next year ahead of plans to release the product to wholesale partners in the first quarter of 2016.
Source: iTnews Australia
Metadata laws open to scope creep: lawyers
The federal government’s mandatory data retention bill has “enormous” potential for mission creep, prominent law firm Gilbert & Tobin has warned.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra designs new deal for NBN
Telstra is set to pick up more than 50 per cent of the design and planning work for the National Broadband Network in a deal worth hundreds of millions of dollars to the telco giant.
Source: The Australian
Thu, 18th Dec 2014
Telcos to go ahead with delayed Tasman Sea cable
Telstra, Spark and Vodafone today reaffirmed their intention to build the Tasman Global Access (TGA) Cable for US$70 million (A$86 million), albeit with several changes to the original business plan.
Source: iTnews Australia
TIO: telco complaints lower than ever but NBN (dis)connection issues a worry
Telco complaints down 9.1% from Q2 2014, down 14.6% from Q3 2013, yet 30,359 complaints during Q3 2014 and NBN connection issues remain: Comms Alliance and AMTA respond.
Source: iTWire
NBN connections ‘shambolic’
Business owners who have signed NBN contracts say telephone, fax and EFTPOS connections are “shambolic”.
Source: The Australian
Wed, 17th Dec 2014
Telcos and law enforcement split over data-retention period
Telecommunications companies have argued that the period of mandatory data-retention in Australia should be less than two years, while law-enforcement agencies have indicated that they would like the data retained for as long as possible.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus confirms Amcom acquisition
Vocus Communication has struck a deal to acquire Perth-based rival Amcom Telecommunications in a deal which values the company at around $636 million.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra confirms talks to buy Pacnet
Telco giant, Telstra, has confirmed that it has been in discussions to buy undersea cable provider, Pacnet.
Source: ARN
Australian police fail to quantify metadata use in investigations
Australia's police forces say they are unable to actually quantify how helpful metadata is to criminal investigations and convictions, despite today repeating their argument for a two-year period of mandatory data retention by telco providers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Data retention may have helped police in Sydney siege: Abbott
Although the man involved in a fatal siege in Sydney on Monday was well known to police and out on bail, Prime Minister Tony Abbott has said that retaining every Australian's telecommunications data for two years may have helped police in the incident.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 16th Dec 2014
Investigator: NBN Shambles
Remember when the NBN was a thing? It was a good thing that people felt passionate about. Many were excited about the prospect of super fast, reliable internet piped right to their premises. The rallying cry of ‘build it once, build it with fibre’ could be heard from Tony Windsor’s parliamentary office to the regional areas with woeful internet.
Source: PC Authority
Triple Zero to include location data
Emergency service organisations will soon have access to upgraded location information for mobile callers to Triple Zero (000).
Source: iTWire
Benefits down the line: what broadband is really worth
Rolling out a national fixed broadband network by 2030 can boost a nation's economy by $5 for every $1 invested, a new reports shows.
Source: SMH
Telstra slugged with AU$102K fine for iPhone 6 ad
Australia's largest mobile provider Telstra has been fined AU$102,000 by the competition watchdog for not prominently detailing the full cost of a new iPhone 6 plan.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra the big winner from NBN deal
After steep rises in recent months, Telstra’s share price rose again yesterday. The market knows it’s on a winner with the NBN deal.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 15th Dec 2014
Optus, Telstra, NBN: What the HFC deals mean for customers
NBN Co struck a deal at the weekend to acquire the Optus and Telstra HFC networks and make them part of the NBN rollout. There will be implications for existing customers if the agreement is approved by the ACCC.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co may pay Telstra to maintain Telstra copper network
NBN Co could potentially pay Telstra to maintain the copper network that Telstra has now sold to NBN Co.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Government lays down new NBN rules
The Australian government has issued a new carrier licence condition declaration for owners of superfast fixed line broadband networks targeting residential customers.
Source: ARN
NBN Co to buy Telstra and Optus cables
The NBN Co is set to acquire portions of the of the Telstra and Optus hybrid fibre coaxial (HFC) cable network in an attempt to speed up rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ARN
Telstra win key role in new NBN deal
Telstra looks set to have a bigger construction role on the National Broadband Network after yesterday signing a revised $11 billion deal for its involvement in the high-speed network.
Source: The Australian
Sun, 14th Dec 2014
NBN Co to take over Telstra, Optus networks in new deals
Telstra will hand over ownership of its copper and hybrid fibre-coaxial networks to NBN Co for the multi-technology mix network under a new deal signed on Sunday.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Me too! Optus signs HFC deal with NBN Co
Optus has reached agreement with NBN Co on the transfer of its HFC network to the NBN.
Source: iTWire
Telstra hands over copper, HFC in new $11bn NBN deal
Telstra will hand over ownership of its copper and hybrid fibre-coaxial networks while remaining committed to its structural separation under renegotiated definitive agreements with NBN Co that retain the $11 billion value of the 2011 deal.
Source: iTnews Australia