Broadband News
Tue, 18th Nov 2014
How Dallas Buyers Club gained IP addresses locked down until 2015
Exactly how the rights holders for the film Dallas Buyers Club obtained the IP addresses of users alleged to have downloaded infringing copies of the film will remain under wraps until at least the public hearing set for February next year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Labor seeks fibre future, but still working on NBN policy: Clare
A future Labor government cannot simply switch back the National Broadband Network to a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) model, shadow communications minister Jason Clare has said.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 17th Nov 2014
Vodafone switches on 4G+ for Melbourne customers
Melbourne is the second city to have access to Vodafone's 4G+ network, which was switched on today.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Watch out Optus and Telstra: local councils want to become NBN internet providers
Local councils are already flat-chat maintaining roads and managing rubbish, now they want to add keeping you connected to their to-do list.
Source: SMH
Google, Telstra trial balloon internet in Queensland
Google's mission to bring internet to regional areas of the world via high-altitude balloons has arrived in Australia, as the company prepares to kick off a 20-balloon trial with Telstra in Queensland.
Source: iTnews Australia
State of NBN too uncertain for full corporate plan
The state of the Government’s multi-technology mix national broadband network is currently too uncertain for NBN Co to make forecasts on revenue and rollout targets beyond mid-next year, the company revealed today.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus switches on 4G in 40 regional areas
Optus is accelerating its 4G rollout across Australian regional areas, with 4G 2600MHz services now switched on in sites across 40 regional centres.
Source: ARN
NBN Co charts course in uncertain waters
NBN Co has used its updated corporate plan, dated 11 November but released for public scrutiny today, to outline ambitious targets for the rollout of the National Broadband Network in its 2015 financial year. But it has also noted significant areas of uncertainty as the government-owned corporation continues its transition to a new model for the NBN rollout.
Source: Computerworld
ACCC urges Federal government to split and sell NBN Co
NBN Co must be split up and sold off to provide a platform for future infrastructure based competition, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman.
Source: ARN
Fri, 14th Nov 2014
ACCAN examines soaring complaints about telco excess data charges
Complaints about excess mobile data charges have soared by 27.2% from last year, making it a sore issue with consumers, but the market has started responding, with lower per MB charges and flat fees per GB to counter the dreaded bill shock.
Source: iTWire
Game of Thrones pirates can be prosecuted: why Malcolm Turnbull and George Brandis are wrong on data retention
When Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Federal Police and spy agency the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation weren't interested in going after those who pirated shows like Game of Thrones under the proposed data retention regime, they were telling the truth.
Source: SMH
NBN to be a landmark: Alcatel-Lucent
The Australian government's push to make the National Broadband Network a mixture of technologies will likely become a landmark that is followed by other countries, according to Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 13th Nov 2014
NBN Co to work with communities that want to co-fund FTTP
NBN Co has set out in broad outline the principles that will guide the roll out of the National Broadband Network as it continues the shift to a 'multi-technology mix' (MTM) that has an emphasis on the use of the existing copper network for 'last mile' connections to premises.
Source: Computerworld
Fibre to the node becomes default NBN deployment
NBN Co has formally ended the plans to roll out fibre to the premises to 93 percent of Australian premises, mandating that fibre to the node should be the default technology choice.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Yes, people will still pirate stuff even with cheap legal prices
With falling legal download prices still higher than they are in the US and even with streaming movie and music services, there will always be people that pirate.
Source: iTWire
Optus’ 4G cash splash pays off as users jump aboard
Optus is beginning to see tangible results from its $2 billion investment into its 4G network, today reporting an almost 100 percent increase in mobile subscribers to its 4G services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus posts 5.4 per cent increase in third quarter profit
Optus has recorded a 5.4 per cent increase in third quarter net profit on the back of a return to growth in operating and mobile service revenue.
Source: ARN
Investors attack ACCC over NBN advice
Australia’s competition watchdog has come under fire from telecommunications investors concerned about the role it played in the conception of the Labor Party’s national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Piracy warning letters sent to iiNet before film leak
The law firm seeking the details of Australian internet users alleged to have downloaded infringing copies of the film Dallas Buyers Club began sending generic letters to ISPs before the film had even been leaked.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 12th Nov 2014
ACCAN applauds Telstra for data alerts move
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed Telstra’s announcement of real time mobile data usage alerts as a win for consumers.
Source: ARN
Tue, 11th Nov 2014
Net discrimination horse has already bolted
When telcos have already begun forming partnerships for content and services to consumers, how exactly can net neutrality be protected?
Source: ZDNet Australia
Turnbull floats sharing of unused spectrum
Public and private sector bodies could be allowed greater access to spectrum that is reserved but not used under a proposal by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to address a shortage of wireless capacity.
Source: iTnews Australia
As Firefox turns 10, Mozilla trumpets privacy
Mozilla today pulled out the PR stops to trumpet the 10th anniversary of Firefox, and in celebration released an interim build of Firefox 33 that includes a new privacy tool and access to the DuckDuckGo search engine.
Source: ARN
Inside Telstra's Clayton data centre
Telstra has unveiled its new data centre facilities in Clayton, Melbourne – two years after announcing it would pour $100 million into its construction.
Source: iTnews Australia
Barack Obama endorses net neutrality
US president Barack Obama says Internet providers should be overseen more like public utilities are and higher-fee "fast lanes" for Internet traffic should be banned.
Source: ABC News
Mon, 10th Nov 2014
Biggest ever Tor raid sees 16 arrested
US and European authorities over the weekend announced the seizure of 27 websites and the arrests of 16 people in a sweep targeting black markets for drugs and other illegal services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vocus, Amcom enter due diligence over merger
The potential merger of Vocus Communications and Perth-based Amcom has progressed to the due dilligence stage after Vocus last month took a 10 percent stake in Amcom while it gauged its rival's interest in the proposal.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet seeks details of P2P monitoring system in piracy case
iiNet today sought to delay a court hearing on a motion to force the Internet service provider to reveal details of customers associated with particular IP addresses.
Source: Computerworld
Telcos scramble to virtualise network functions
The goal of having all the dedicated hardware and software needed to operate a telecommunications network replaced by software running on standard servers - or 'network functions virtualisation' (NFV) - is proving to be the nirvana of the telecoms world.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 07th Nov 2014
TPG should outbid NBN Co to buy the Optus HFC network
The Australian government expects the telecoms industry to passively wait while regulations are reworked to enable its multi-technology mix NBN, but this process has created new opportunities for market disruption. One of the biggest lies in the future of the Optus HFC network - and there is a strong argument for TPG to buy it.
Source: ZDNet Australia