Broadband News
Mon, 30th Apr 2018
Sixty million calls as regional mobile blackspot program hits new high
Telstra has switched on its 400th base station under the Federal Government’s program to overcome mobile black spots around the country and to enhance mobile communications in regional and remote areas. Newly installed base stations have already facilitated 60 million calls.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 27th Apr 2018
Government extends ‘superfast broadband’ regulation while legislation languishes
The federal government has launched a public consultation on extending a licence condition for telecommunications carriers that is intended to protect the commercial viability of the National Broadband Network.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co chief gets frank about copper's problems
NBN Co’s outgoing CEO Bill Morrow has issued a frank assessment of how increased use of copper in the network has caused both the company and its customers problems.
Source: iTnews Australia
Court orders ISPs to block access to illicit Android-based streaming service
Roadshow Films has been successful in its Federal Court application to have Telstra, Optus, Vocus and TPG block their subscribers from accessing a streaming service associated with an Android app.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co chief casts shadow over Govt’s mixed tech rollout
Bill Morrow has outlined some of the ways in which the Government's much-touted mixed technology rollout approach is hampering NBN performance.
Source: ARN
Foxtel wants to make it cheaper to block pirate sites
Foxtel is seeking to block another 15 websites it claims are linked to piracy, with the pay TV company today telling a Federal Court hearing that it was eager to finds ways to reduce the costs of applications for site-blocking injunctions.
Source: Computerworld
Thu, 26th Apr 2018
NBN Co reveals distribution of fixed wireless speeds
NBN Co has revealed a quarter of its fixed wireless cells - about 1730 - nationwide are capable of wholesale speeds of less than 12Mbps during the “busy hour”.
Source: iTnews Australia
Regional NBN internet service a 'dumping ground' for city customers
The National Broadband Network has been accused of dumping city customers on a service that provides satellite internet services to the bush.
Source: ABC News
Vocus reveals first NBN speeds for iPrimus, Dodo
Vocus has finally fallen into line with NBN marketing guidelines, showing for the first time “typical” evening peak speeds for iPrimus and Dodo customers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 24th Apr 2018
NBN prepares for Q4 launch of G.fast services on FTTC
NBN is preparing to offer higher speed services to premises connected using its newest fixed-line technology, fibre to the curb (FTTC).
Source: Computerworld
Vocus scraps NZ business sell-off
Vocus has halted the sale process of its New Zealand business, claiming that the offers it received under-valued its assets.
Source: ARN
NBN Co to create a class war on its network
NBN Co is set to divide its customer base into two classes in October: those who can afford to pay for a higher minimum standard of service, and those who can’t.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 23rd Apr 2018
Telstra confirms cable broadband speed boost
Around 500,000 Telstra cable broadband customers will see their speeds increase from 30/1Mbps to 50/5Mbps thanks to an upgrade.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co accused of using Sky Muster as 'dumping ground'
NBN Co has been accused of using its Sky Muster satellite service as a “dumping ground” for premises on metropolitan fringes that are otherwise too hard or expensive to serve.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 20th Apr 2018
Turnbull confirms Solomon Islands subsea cable
Malcolm Turnbull has cited Pacific Islands cybersecurity in affirming funding for a subsea cable to be built between Australia, Solomon Islands, and Papua New Guinea.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co leaves fresh batch of FTTC converts until last
The latest set of customers switched out of NBN Co’s HFC footprint into fibre-to-the-curb are being placed at the back of the queue, with most given expected connection dates in 2020.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 19th Apr 2018
TPG jacks up data inclusions and ditches SIM and MMS fees
Telco says even more aggressive moves will be made once it has its own network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG to 'aggressively' chase new mobile customers
TPG is moving back into customer acquisition mode for mobile as it progresses the construction of its own 4G network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Latest NBN lottery reveals which Australian homes will receive new FTTC connection
NBN Co updates its website to reveal which Australians are to be recipients of its fast, new fibre-to-the-curb connections. Find out if you're one of them.
Source: ABC News
Wed, 18th Apr 2018
Optus Wholesale adds FTTC to NBN portfolio
Optus Wholesale has begun offering fibre to the curb (FTTC) connections as part of its Residential Broadband over NBN (RBBoNBN) product.
Source: Computerworld
'Urgent reforms' needed for auDA: Fifield
auDA's current management framework is 'no longer fit for purpose', Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has said while releasing a plethora of recommendations and new terms of endorsement.
Source: ZDNet Australia
.au change put off; govt orders auDA to meet review terms
The .au Domain Administration, the organisation that administers the Australian domain namespace, says it has put off changes in domain suffixes to .au until the second half of 2019 at the earliest, following a government review finding that the current management framework was no longer fit for purpose.
Source: iTWire
Fifield claims TIO figures give skewed picture of telco issues
Communications Minister Mitch Fifield has questioned the manner in which the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman has calculated the percentage rise of complaints relating to services deliver over the national broadband network.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 17th Apr 2018
More FTTC for NBN still a possibility, Morrow says
NBN CEO Bill Morrow says the company is “very well focused” on seeing how it continue to cut the cost of fibre to the curb, leaving open the possibility that the company will pursue a broader rollout of FTTC.
Source: Computerworld
Optus mum on rumours of moving Virgin Mobile users to its platform
Australia's second biggest telco Optus is unwilling to comment on what it characterises as "rumour and speculation" that it will be moving all customers of its Virgin Mobile subsidiary to its own platform and retiring the brand.
Source: iTWire
NBN: Queensland govt calls for more FTTC, FTTP and less FTTN
The Queensland government has called on NBN to increase its use of fibre to the premises (FTTP) and fibre to the curb (FTTC, also known as fibre to the distribution point or FTTdp) and decrease its use of fibre to the node (FTTN).
Source: Computerworld
Darren's NBN service was so bad he went back to his old cable internet
The technician switched on Darren Haymes' new NBN service, walked out the door and suddenly his family couldn't get onto the internet for six weeks. After four months of problems, he was put back onto his old Telstra cable internet.
Source: ABC News
Majority of NBN complaints land at RSPs' doorsteps
Complaints about services delivered over the NBN from July to December 2017 totalled 22,827, according to newly released industry figures.
Source: ARN
NBN complaints keep going up
Complaints about NBN services look set to easily pass the mark set last financial year, though NBN Co says they represent far fewer problems it has to deal with directly.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 16th Apr 2018
Qld govt frets over NBN-powered roadside phones
The Queensland government is seeking assurances over how DSL and ISDN lines that connect roadside cabinets and emergency phones are to be upgraded under the NBN.
Source: iTnews Australia