Broadband News
Tue, 16th Oct 2018
Telstra expects profit to be cut in half after full NBN roll out
Telstra chairman John Mullen told shareholders today that the telco's net profit is expected to be cut in half after the NBN is fully rolled out.
Source: ARN
NBN still to get 'face time' with many Aussies but if you have it, you communicate more
A new report called "Connecting Australia" by NBN Co tells us people who have the fast version of the NBN use it to connect more with family and friends, in what is yet another report stating the obvious.
Source: iTWire
eSIMs: telcos fear losing users, claims Boost founder
Mobile virtual network operator Boost Mobile claims telecommunications carriers in Australia are holding back on supporting eSIMs as they may well end up losing customers.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 15th Oct 2018
Mobile blackspots round 4 opens for applications
Mobile operators can now apply for a slice of the AU$25 million funding under the fourth round of the Australian government's mobile blackspots program.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mozilla brands Assistance and Access Bill as
Mozilla has called the Assistance and Access Bill intentionally vague on the "form and extent of what might be compelled by a TCN".
Source: ARN
Lycamobile again runs foul of court with hefty fine
Mobile service provider Lycamobile has been penalised $25,000 for underpaying an employee’s wages, including full overtime entitlements.
Source: iTWire
Labor not ruling out writedown of NBN: Rowland
The Australian Labor Party is keeping open the option of writing down the value of the national broadband network if it were to win the next federal election, according to Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.
Source: iTWire
Telcos want exemption from emergency fuel rationing
Australian telcos have applied to be exempt from rationing during a liquid fuel supply emergency.
Source: iTnews Australia
Cisco raises “grave concerns” over Assistance and Access Bill
Cisco has raised "grave concerns" over the Assistance and Access Bill stating it is essential that "we avoid the false dilemma of trade-offs" between privacy and security.
Source: ARN
Australia encryption bill will weaken cyber security, warns Apple
Apple has raised concerns about the Assistance and Access Bill, arguing its “dangerously ambiguous” wording will create a risk to weakened cyber security.
Source: ARN
Australian encryption-busting Bill would create backdoors: Cisco
Tech giants including Apple, Cisco, and Mozilla have criticised the Australian government for wanting to introduce laws that would allow for access to encrypted content.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 12th Oct 2018
NBN gigabit connections will remain mostly a pipe dream
The CVC costs set by the NBN Co make it very difficult for ISPs to offer gigabit connections to more than a select band of customers who are willing to sign up in numbers and pay slightly more than other speed tiers, according to one ISP who caters to this type of consumer.
Source: iTWire
Thu, 11th Oct 2018
NBN Co says fibre-to-the-curb build is more complex that it hoped
NBN Co is hoping to “speed up” building works on the fibre-to-the-curb (FTTC) portion of its network as it tries to make up lost ground.
Source: iTnews Australia
High-speed broadband helping small businesses thrive: claim
A comparison of small businesses in mature NBN regions and non-NBN regions who use the accounting software Xero shows that employment in the former grew by a third and increased revenue by two-thirds, a study claims.
Source: iTWire
Brisbane outages: Telstra cable users hit, not NBN customers
Telstra Internet subscribers, who are connected by the company's HFC cable network, suffered outages in western parts of Brisbane last month, and not NBN users, as claimed by a user in that area.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 10th Oct 2018
Labor’s Rowland warns against rushing encryption bill
Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland has called for the government to “engage directly” with industries and stakeholder bodies likely to be affected by its proposed encryption bill “regarding the significant concerns they have raised about the measures in this bill, with a view to developing workable solutions.”
Source: Computerworld
Govt puts another 232 encryption bill submissions online
A day after Internet Australia called on the Department of Home Affairs to publish more of the submissions to the Federal Government's encryption bill, an additional 232 submissions have been placed on the department's website, bringing the total to 343 at the time of writing (7.50am AEST Wednesday).
Source: iTWire
Comms Minister Fifield flags interest in GDPR-like laws
Australia’s Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has suggested the government is open to a raft of new internet regulations.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 09th Oct 2018
ALP calls for crypto law debate to slow, for years if needed
Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has called for extensive industry and public consultation over Australia’s Assistance and Access Bill, the proposed law that would compel service providers to allow law enforcement authorities to access encrypted messages, even if it takes years to settle the matter.
Source: iTnews Australia
Economics now the 'main game' for NBN: Rowland
Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland has said it would be 'sensible' for both major political parties to reach a common ground on the next steps for the NBN rollout.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus leverages NBN for regional mobile network expansion
Optus has collocated on an additional three NBN fixed-wireless sites in coastal NSW to expand its 4G network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus switches on new mobile tower in Tathra
Singtel Optus has switched on a new mobile tower in Tathra, on the Sapphire Coast in NSW, giving residents 4G mobile coverage.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co says less than 4 per cent of fixed wireless cells congested
Less than 4 per cent of NBN Co’s fixed wireless cells are suffering from congestion, according to the company’s CEO, Stephen Rue.
Source: Computerworld
Scaling up FTTC to be NBN Co’s next big challenge, CEO says
NBN Co CEO Stephen Rue says that scaling up the roll out of fibre to the curb (FTTC) is “perhaps the biggest challenge” faced by the network wholesaler over the next couple of years.
Source: Computerworld
Internet Australia asks Dutton to consult widely on encryption bill
Internet Australia, a not-for-profit that claims to represent Internet users in the country, has urged Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton to intervene in what it characterises as "the inadequate consultation process" over the encryption bill that was presented to Parliament last month.
Source: iTWire
Mon, 08th Oct 2018
Gold Coast details fibre and Wi-Fi network expansion plans
New tender documents have shown details for the city's plans to expand its fibre broadband and Wi-Fi networks across the Gold Coast, with three loops to be complete over the next three financial years.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Singtel and Optus announce esports content push
Singtel and Optus will partner with the gaming industry and other regional Singtel subsidiary telcos on original content creation and the broadcast of esports across Australia, Asia, and India.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACMA finds Telstra failed to help customers with life-threatening medical conditions
The ACMA has said it is 'deeply concerned' about Telstra's non-compliance with its priority assistance obligations, with two customers passing away in 2017 after being unable to use their landline service.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra may cut mobile prices to keep market share: report
Telstra may reduce the prices for its mobile plans so that it keeps its existing share of the market as competition grows, a report claims.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 05th Oct 2018
Western Tasmania gains fibre broadband under NBN tech choice program
The government has finally made good on an election promise to provide fixed-line and fixed-wireless NBN connections instead of satellite to the West Coast of Tasmania.
Source: ZDNet Australia