Broadband News

Tue, 24th Jul 2018

Telstra's new mobile plans are all about fixing customer service

Telstra wants to take away customers' pain by removing excess data charges and additional service charges, as well as providing more entertainment offerings by year's end, the telco's group executive of Consumer and Small Business Vicki Brady has told ZDNet.

Source: ZDNet Australia

New Telstra mobile plans launched amid $5B network investment

Telstra has revealed a new set of mobile plans to simplify offerings across the market, backed up by a pledge to invest $5 billion into its network.

Source: ARN

ACMA completes NBN migration rules

Retailers will be required to undertake line tests and copper speed tests, as well as providing interim services within three days.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Labor has more vision on 5G: Rowland

The government must formulate a more detailed 5G plan that looks to 2030 and beyond and ties into the entire digital economy strategy, according to Shadow Communications Minister Michelle Rowland.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telcos obligated to test NBN copper connections, not fix them, under new rules

Coming into effect on September 21, new NBN rules aim to prevent homes going without internet for months.

Source: SMH

Mon, 23rd Jul 2018

Comms Alliance says industry 'welcomes new NBN service migration rules'

Communications Alliance says it has welcomed the ACMA's NBN Service Migration Determination published today and is "pleased that the AMCA took on board a range of industry's suggestions".

Source: iTWire

ACMA: new telco rules for NBN migration finalised

A final set of new rules requiring telcos to help their customers move smoothly to the National Broadband Network (NBN) was released today by the ACMA.

Source: iTWire

MyRepublic pays AU$25k NBN speed claims penalty

MyRepublic will be ponying up a AU$25,200 fine for allegedly misleading representations made in advertisements for 50Mbps and 100Mbps NBN services.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Australia Singapore Cable laying phase complete: Vocus

Vocus has declared the laying phase of the 4600km Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) as complete, saying on Monday the final splice was completed south-east of Singapore.

Source: iTnews Australia

Here Are The New NBN Rules Your Telco Needs To Follow

Moving over to the NBN will soon (hopefully) be an easier and more transparent process, thanks to new rules for telecommunications companies released today by the ACMA.

Source: Gizmodo

Fri, 20th Jul 2018

Hawaiki transpacific cable ready-for-service, reshaping comms in the Pacific

With 43 terbits of new capacity now available, the Pacific region welcomes greater connectivity, diversity and price competition in the market.

Source: iTWire

Hawaiki subsea cable goes live

The privately owned subsea cable connecting Australia, New Zealand, and the United States has gone live.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co says 'not possible' to show cheapest FTTP connections

A row over the cost of individual fibre-to-the-premises connections has intensified sharply after NBN Co claimed that it was “not possible” or would breach commercial contracts to show the ten cheapest jobs.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 19th Jul 2018

TIO recommends NBN retailers stop losing phone numbers

The TIO has made four recommendations to retail service providers in an effort to prevent them from continually losing consumers' fixed-line phone numbers during the transition to NBN services.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus announces being named key telco supplier to NSW Govt

Three days after the NSW Government touted its smart digital procurement benefits in deals with telcos, Microsoft and Salesforce, Optus has announced it is one of the winners. 

Source: iTWire

NBN Co puts target on planned enterprise user base

NBN Co has set a target to connect 900,000 enterprise and government customers to its network by FY22.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra gets $7M in Vic Govt partnership

Telstra has been awarded more than $7 million in government funding to supply new base stations across Victoria.

Source: ARN

NBN switchover sees hundreds lose old phone numbers

Hundreds of residential and business customers are temporarily - and in some cases permanently - losing their existing phone number owing to confusion about the NBN migration process.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra poised to cut 110 jobs across enterprise and service teams

Telstra is on the verge of cutting a further 110 jobs, should operational changes to enterprise sales and service teams go ahead.

Source: ARN

Wed, 18th Jul 2018

Victoria teams up with Optus and Telstra for 28 new mobile towers

28 communities to get mobile coverage with AU$11 million kicked in by the Victorian government.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Enough to get from Sydney to Perth: NBN Co's latest copper purchase revealed

NBN Co has continued to purchase large amounts of copper to be used in its "multi-technology mix", drawing criticism from the Labor Party which is yet to reveal its alternate vision.

Source: ABC News

MyRepublic launches new broadband plans specifically for Australian small businesses

NBN-loving ISP MyRepublic has finally launched plans specifically for small businesses in Australia, marking the company's expansion beyond consumer NBN plans since November 2016.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co asks $11k per premises in area switch upgrade

NBN Co biggest area switch quote in the past two years was to a “business” applicant on the NSW central coast, coming in at $11,156 per premises.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co blames fixed wireless take-up, usage for congestion

NBN Co has revealed almost 28 percent of its fixed wireless towers have seen take-up rates at least 2.5 times higher than those assumed in planning in 2011.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 17th Jul 2018

NBN: There were more faults on fibre than satellite at launch

In the first three months after launching services, NBN saw 2.5 faults per 100 active services on fibre to the premises, compared to 0.7 per 100 across satellite.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Ericsson, Telstra and Intel clock another 5G first

​Ericsson, Telstra and Intel have made the first end to end 5G non-standalone 3GPP data call over a commercial mobile network.

Source: ARN

Mon, 16th Jul 2018

NBN Co sale may not have expected effect, says TransACT architect

The privatisation of NBN Co sometime in the future may well end up creating a similar situation like that in the 1990s, when the introduction of new players like Optus and the privatisation of Telstra did not bring about the level of investment needed to keep Australia's infrastructure in pace with growing digital needs, especially in regional areas, a network expert says.

Source: iTWire

NBN speed standards emerge at top tiers

NBN Co’s retail service providers are starting to standardise their typical evening peak speeds at 46Mbps on the NBN50 tier and 80Mbps on the NBN100 tier.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 13th Jul 2018

Best to sell NBN Co only a decade after rollout ends: expert

The best option for NBN Co after 2022 — when the network rollout is completed — would be for the government to retain it for at least 10 years as that would bring it the most benefit from its investment, a network expert says.

Source: iTWire

'Lousy' NBN prompts community to crowdfund their own internet

Residents in a leafy town just 150 kilometres from Australia's largest city say they feel so let down by internet services, they've begun crowdfunding to build their own broadband.

Source: ABC News