Broadband News
Fri, 28th Nov 2014
NBN to roll out quarter of ALP model
The company rolling out Australia’s super-fast internet plans to deliver fibre-to-the-premises to one in four homes, setting the scene for a fresh political storm over the nation’s biggest infrastructure project.
Source: The Australian
Thu, 27th Nov 2014
NBN Co to charge thousands for fibre-on-demand broadband connections
Consumers who miss out on a high-speed fibre connection to the national broadband network (NBN) will be offered the option to pay thousands of dollars for one when NBN Co rolls out its fibre-on-demand product early next year.
Source: SMH
Data retention bill fails scrutiny test
The Government’s plan to introduce mandatory data retention has failed to win the approval of a Senate committee tasked with scrutinising proposed legislation, which yesterday labelled it ill-defined and far-reaching.
Source: iTnews Australia
Southern Cross Cable telcos 'partnered' with spy agencies
Telcos and network providers on the main cable system connecting Australia and New Zealand to the United States provided interception capability to British and American spy agencies, according to documents leaked by former National Security Agency contractor Edward Snowden.
Source: iTnews Australia
Communications coalition urges national focus on broadband adoption
Australia must set an ambitious broadband policy for the next fifteen years, a coalition representing consumers, small businesses, regional areas and competitive telcos has urged.
Source: Computerworld
Wed, 26th Nov 2014
NBN Co cuts CVC pricing for RSPs
NBN Co has followed through on plans to cut its much-criticised connectivity virtual circuit charge, dropping the price by 12.5 percent.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra doubles down on tempting tablets
Telstra is doubling up its range of tablets in selected stores to make more sales, with Telstra typically characterising it as ‘offering customers more choice this gift-giving season’.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 25th Nov 2014
Telstra turns on 700MHz '4GX' in Melbourne
Telstra has switched on its 700MHz band '4GX' network in Melbourne, just days after Vodafone rolled out its own 4GX network capability in the city.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Global online population hits 3 billion: ITU
There are now more than 3 billion people online globally, with two-thirds of all people with internet access now living in the developing world, according to new research by the United Nations agency charged with improving the world's access to IT infrastructure.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Turnbull, NBN Co ignored Telstra real-world FttN speed warnings
The Department of Communications and Telstra both warned Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and NBN Co that the heralded speed test results in the Umina fibre-to-the-node trial may not represent speeds in a full FttN rollout.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 24th Nov 2014
Data retention little more than surveillance tax: Ludlam
Senator Scott Ludlam has labelled the Australian government's proposed data-retention scheme as little more than a surveillance tax, while calling for the release of a financial study into the scheme.
Source: ZDNet Australia
G20 needed fibre network to avoid delegate shirt-fronting
The G20 network needed fibre services with more than 15Mbps download speeds to keep delegates, media, and volunteers happy, according to the Australian Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Senate backs Ludlam on data retention costs
The Senate has passed a motion put by Greens Senator Scott Ludlam that calls on Attorney-General George Brandis to table a PricewaterhouseCoopers study into the cost to industry of implementing a data retention scheme.
Source: Computerworld
Vodafone forced to deny sale speculation
Vodafone Australia – and the international Vodafone Group - needs to be very careful what it says. The smallest comment will set off the rumour mill.
Source: iTWire
Google flying more, longer-lasting Project Loon balloons
Google is now able to deploy internet-equipped balloons into the stratosphere faster and fly them for longer, the search giant revealed in in update to its Project Loon initiative over the weekend.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 21st Nov 2014
Render methodology may return after NBN Co's Melton review
NBN Co paid AU$330,000 to use project-management methodology in six sites, but only used it in one despite FttP rollout improvements.
Source: ZDNet Australia
One week, two corporate plans, three strained NBN Co execs
It's hard to know which is more interesting: That the NBN Co 2014-17 Corporate Plan readily admits that we still know almost nothing concrete about this government's multi-technology mix rollout, or that a leaked final version of the never-released 2013-16 plan suggests the previous government was indeed getting its act together.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Clearer NBN view in sight
Many households are poised to get a clearer idea within weeks when their suburb will get the $41 billion superfast internet network and whether they will get the fibre-to-the-premise version.
Source: The Australian
Vodafone would sell Australian operation 'for the right price'
Vodafone Group would sell the company's Australian operation for the right price, the telco's chief executive Vittorio Colao said overnight.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 20th Nov 2014
TPG presence won't stop NBN Co installing FTTB equipment
NBN Co will be willing to deploy its equipment in the basements of apartment blocks — so-called multi-dwelling units (or MDUs) — even if rival infrastructure is already in place, an executive of the government-owned company said today at a Senate Estimates hearing.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co construction hits 1 million premises mark
This week, NBN Co commenced construction on its one millionth premises, the company said in a Senate Estimates hearing, where it also revealed that it has yet to gain access to any part of the hybrid fibre-coaxial networks that it expects will make up almost a third of its final footprint.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co won't shadow TPG for basement fibre
NBN Co plans to expand its fibre footprint in multi-dwelling units at a rate of 20 new buildings per month, but won't seek to directly shadow competitor TPG’s fibre-to-the basement rollout, the company today revealed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 19th Nov 2014
NBN Co 'historical curiosity' plan shows improved FttP rollout
An unreleased September 2013 draft of NBN Co's 2013-16 Corporate Plan suggests the previous board adjusted for rollout difficulties.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Southern Cross Cable locks in large customers
With a challenge to its international cable monopoly looming, Southern Cross Cable extends its contracts with its largest customers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra hots up hotspot Wi-Fi war with initial free trial
The first 150 Telstra Wi-Fi hotspots have been switched on, with over 100 towns and cities to get 1000 trial hotspots before 25 December 2014 - all free to use as part of a pre-launch trial.
Source: iTWire
Netflix announces Australian launch
Streaming video service Netflix has announced it will launch services in Australia and New Zealand from March 2015.
Source: iTnews Australia
Huawei claims 100Mbps possible over 800m copper lines
Chinese networking vendor Huawei claims to have built a SuperVector prototype that provides up to three times the bandwidth over copper lines of standard VDSL2 vectoring.
Source: iTnews Australia
Amcom expands Northern Territory network deal
ASX-listed telecommunications and IT provider, Amcom Telecommunications (ASX:AMM) has expanded its agreement with the Northern Territory government to supply additional data network services across the region.
Source: ARN
Tue, 18th Nov 2014
Hard to switch NBN back to fibre after Turnbull: Clare
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has said that a future Labor government would be hard pressed to switch back to a fibre-to-the-premises NBN delivery model, but hopes to develop a policy with stakeholders outlining a path to a fibre 'end game'.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co's plan for HFC networks can work: Arris
Telco equipment manufacturing company Arris is convinced that NBN Co's strategy for HFC networks will work, drawing on overseas examples as evidence.
Source: ZDNet Australia