Broadband News

Fri, 22nd Dec 2017

ACMA's New Year's broadband resolutions vow to end the NBN blame game

Things should turn around for the NBN in 2018, because 2017 was the year when so much blew up in its face.

Source: SMH

Thu, 21st Dec 2017

ACMA imposes new rules for NBN migrations

NBN retail service providers will need to adhere to a new set of rules outlining how they are to handle migrating customers to the national broadband network from next year.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACMA lays out new rules to ensure smoother move to NBN

Telecommunications providers will next year have to adhere to a number of new rules drafted by the Australian Communications and Media Authority to improve the experience of consumers who move to the national broadband network.

Source: iTWire

Court rejects Vodafone bid to review mobile roaming draft decision

The Federal Court has rejected Vodafone Hutchison Australia's application to review the conduct of the competition watchdog in holding a public inquiry and making a draft decision not to declare mobile roaming.

Source: iTWire

Vodafone loses legal fight with ACCC over roaming

Vodafone has lost its legal battle with the ACCC over what it clams was a "flawed process" by which the regulator decided not to force Telstra and Optus to open up their regional mobile networks to rivals.

Source: iTnews Australia

Court dismisses Vodafone domestic roaming case

Vodafone's attempt to have the ACCC's draft decision-making process on wholesale mobile domestic roaming ruled to be flawed has been dismissed by the Australian Federal Court.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co's HFC freeze hits more than 500,000 homes

NBN Co's decision to freeze the rollout of its HFC network to improve the underlying infrastructure has meant more than 500,000 premises are no longer able to order services.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC abandons plan to expose NBN RSPs' CVC buys

The ACCC has backed away from a plan to publicly reveal how much connectivity virtual circuit bandwidth is being bought by NBN retail service providers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 20th Dec 2017

Watch out for the Christmas Day download blues

If there's a PlayStation 4, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch under your Christmas tree, consider cracking it open tonight and updating the firmware to beat the Christmas Day broadband traffic jam.

Source: SMH

Govt moves to phase out Telstra phone subsidy

​The Government has revealed plans to scrap the Universal Service Obligation contract arrangement it has with Telstra.

Source: ARN

USO to be axed in 2020 for Universal Service Guarantee

Upon the completion of the NBN rollout in 2020, the USO will be replaced with a guarantee ensuring broadband and voice services are supplied to every premises in Australia.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Australian government announces 5G working group members

Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, Ericsson, Nokia, Samsung, and Huawei have all been included in the government's 5G working group, which will meet twice yearly with five government departments.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co has done well in making rentals NBN-ready: claim

Despite all the hiccups, both private and public, which it has had this year, NBN Co seems to have performed well when it comes to making rental properties NBN-ready, it is claimed.

Source: iTWire

Telstra makes calls free from home phones and payphone 24 to 26 December 2017

Australia's top telco, Telstra, is turning out the Christmas cheer with free local, national and standard mobile calls from Telstra home phones and 16,000+ payphone across Australia.

Source: iTWire

Threat to mobile network performances from ‘explosion’ in video streaming: Telstra

There is an emerging threat to the performance of mobile networks with the risk that peak demand might swamp network cell capacity, according to a senior Telstra executive.

Source: iTWire

Slow NBN: TPG the latest telco to compensate 8,000 customers

TPG is the latest telco to admit it misled customers about their NBN speeds, joining Telstra and Optus in compensating a combined total of 60,000 customers.

Source: ABC News

Tue, 19th Dec 2017

Telstra enables LTE-B MooD technology

Telstra's MooD technology will automatically shift users between unicast and LTE-B modes while watching broadcast content on its mobile network.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Aussie internet users face three-week wait for cable repair

Australian internet users will continue to experience inter-Asia latency for at least the next three weeks as the operator of the SEA-ME-WE3 subsea internet cable works to repair a cut.

Source: iTnews Australia

Australia-Singapore cable opens up new strategic data route, says Vocus

The Australia Singapore Cable (ASC) network will open the door for a new strategic data route - the Great Southern Route - connecting South East Asia to North America via Australia, according to owner Vocus, when it opens for business in July 2018.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co extends Ericsson managed services deal to 2020

NBN Co extends its fixed wireless and satellite managed services deal with Ericsson to 2020.

Source: ARN

Telcos double NBN tower use for mobile blackspots

Mobile carriers are now expecting to co-locate antennas funded by the government’s mobile blackspots program on 77 NBN fixed wireless towers, more than double previously planned.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co resumes micronode rollout

NBN Co has quickly resumed its rollout of micronodes in parts of the fibre-to-the-node network after fixing problems with the first batch of 1423 boxes.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 18th Dec 2017

NBN should pause fixed-wireless sales to fix congestion: Aussie Broadband

Much like NBN's HFC pause, Aussie Broadband has said the fixed-wireless rollout could be halted in order to repair congestion among towers in certain areas.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC calls for industry feedback over NBN Co service levels

The ACCC is on the hunt for industry comment about the service levels that NBN Co commits to in its wholesale contracts with resellers.

Source: ARN

Aussie Broadband wants NBN Co to remediate wireless

Aussie Broadband has called on NBN Co to halt sales on its fixed wireless network and improve the service in the same way the network builder is throwing resources at HFC.

Source: iTnews Australia

Cheaper rates draw Aussies to switch NBN providers: research

Aussies who are switching between providers and choosing a new NBN service provider are increasingly making the switch based on cheaper rates, faster data connection/ download speeds and clear pricing of the plan, according to a newly published research report.

Source: iTWire

TIO tries to match NBN complaints to access techs

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman is trying to get access to NBN Co’s core systems to automatically match complaints it receives to the last-mile access technology being used.

Source: iTnews Australia

One third of NBN users 'would change back if they could,' calls to scrap NBN12 speed tier

A new report "reveals widely varying user experiences for Australia’s NBN customers, with a third of NBN users wishing they could return to their non-NBN service."

Source: iTWire

Sun, 17th Dec 2017

Queensland wants to build its own NBN

The Queensland government wants to build its own broadband network to rival the NBN in response to complaints about the rollout of the national network, particularly in regional areas.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 15th Dec 2017

TPG NBN 100 plan only hits 50Mbps at peak times as 25Mbps plan killed off

The telco has responded to the NBN wholesale price changes by removing its 25Mbps plan and revealing typical evening speeds.

Source: ZDNet Australia