Broadband News

Mon, 23rd Oct 2017

ACCC decides not to regulate regional mobile roaming

Australia's competition watchdog has decided not to force telcos to let competitors roam on their regional mobile networks after finding such a move would not lower prices or provide users better coverage.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN needs protection if it is to make a profit: CEO Bill Morrow

The national broadband network is losing money with each typical connection it makes and believes that unless it is protected from competition due to data delivered by ultrafast mobile broadband it will never make a profit.

Source: SMH

Australia split into digital haves and have-nots by NBN rollout lottery

The troubled rollout of the National Broadband Network is creating a digital divide across Australia, with some households saddled with older technology such as copper phone wire and pay TV cables, and unable to access the high speeds they are paying for.

Source: ABC News

NBN trials cheaper technology to reduce digital divide

The National Broadband Network Company is trialling cheaper and less intrusive technology to take fibre to the driveway of homes, in a bid to divert criticism the mixed rollout is creating a digital divide in Australia.

Source: ABC News

Fri, 20th Oct 2017

Telstra offers AFL app refunds: ACCC

Following concerns from the ACCC that Telstra did not clearly notify customers after restricting the viewing size of its live AFL streaming app, the telco is offering refunds to some customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra puts drones into production in Tasmania

Telstra has put drones into use across Tasmania to assist with asset inspections and site assessments, in the hope they will improve safety for workers and reduce network downtime.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 19th Oct 2017

Govt launches review of Aussie domain management

Government is set to launch a review of the management of the .au domain, in a move following criticism from some industry players.

Source: ARN

Wed, 18th Oct 2017

NBN complaints more than doubling a 'cause for concern': TIO

While the TIO has said complaints about NBN are expected to grow during the acceleration of the rollout, it has called this year's 160 percent increase concerning, while NBN called it 'unfortunate'.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Internet Australia hits out at ‘dramatic surge’ in telecoms complaints

Internet Australia says the “dramatic surge” in complaints by consumers and small business about telecommunications services, particularly Internet services, is unacceptable and must be urgently addressed by the entire retail and wholesale supply chain.

Source: iTWire

Wi-fi flaw confuses Aussie internet users

Confusion is sweeping Australian internet users after the disclosure of a flaw in the WPA2 protocol used to secure wi-fi, with many unsure of what they need to patch.

Source: iTnews Australia

Internet cable between Perth and Singapore back online

The SEA-ME-WE3 subsea internet cable connecting Perth to Singapore has finally been repaired after suffering multiple cuts since late August.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN services complaints “cause for concern”

Australia's Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman reports 159.3 per cent surge in complaints about NBN-related services.

Source: ARN

Tue, 17th Oct 2017

NBN Co to move into flagship Sydney office

NBN Co will consolidate five Sydney workspaces into a single flagship office in North Sydney from late 2019.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra frets over TPG mobile threat

Telstra is expecting TPG’s forthcoming mobile network to be a “formidable” competitor that will impact service prices.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra reveals NBN payment plan amid market headwinds

Telstra has revealed its latest plans to tackle the combined headwinds created by the NBN and an increasingly competitive market.

Source: ARN

Mon, 16th Oct 2017

Superloop completes AU$10m NuSkope acquisition

The South Australian ISP has been scooped up by the APAC fibre infrastructure firm for a total of AU$10 million.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone expects network traffic to double as Supercars fans flock to Gold Coast

Vodafone is anticipating a bumper weekend of network activity as "more fans than ever before take to social media to share their favourite moments from the Vodafone Gold Coast 600" this Friday 20 October to Sunday 22.

Source: iTWire

Telstra pays to test 41,000km of network coverage

Telstra has paid four network test teams to drive and walk 41,000km to test the strength of mobile signals across Australia.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co attacks backlog of "aged" support tickets

NBN Co is “working flat out” to resolve support tickets for new connections that have languished in its systems for a month or more.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN outlines efforts to boost customer experience

NBN says it is working to revamp its communications processes to ensure that retail service providers (RSPs) that sell services over the National Broadband Network are kept in the loop when it comes to network outages and similar incidents that can affect end users.

Source: Computerworld

nbn tackles connection delays amid activation milestone

nbn is stepping up its efforts to reduce lengthy connection times as it notches up three million activations on the network.

Source: ARN

Fri, 13th Oct 2017

Vocus' North-West Cable System is up and running

The Vocus Group, Australia's fourth largest telecommunications outfit, has successfully connected its high-speed fibre-optic North-West Cable System to the INPEX-operated Ichthys LNG Project and Shell’s Prelude floating liquefied natural gas facility located off the north-west coast of Australia.

Source: iTWire

Telstra lands $18m slice of AFP radio overhaul

The Australian Federal Police has signed a contract with Telstra to undertake part of the first phase of its radio replacement program.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 12th Oct 2017

NBN Co to start charging for 'no fault found' callouts

NBN Co will begin charging retail service providers it if sends technicians out to investigate a potential network fault but no fault is found.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fifield outlines how govt will support 5G rollout

The federal government has released a 5G directions paper and says it will bring together a working group in order to push deployment of the mobile technology in the country.

Source: iTWire

Optus Satellite announces NBN Sky Muster service

Optus Satellite is partnering with Sky Muster RSP Southern Phone to offer 'dual experience and regional focus' for NBN customers living in regional Australia.

Source: ZDNet Australia

CableLabs completes Full Duplex DOCSIS specs for 10/10Gbps cable broadband

CableLabs has announced completing the specs of its DOCSIS technology's next iteration, which could enable 10Gbps symmetrical speeds across hybrid fibre-coaxial broadband networks.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 11th Oct 2017

NBN SAU changes ‘unfair’ to consumers: ACCAN

ACCAN chief executive Teresa Corbin has cast doubt on the fairness to consumers of proposed changes to the national broadband network Special Access Undertaking, the SAU.

Source: iTWire

Small rural telcos surge as NBN misses mark

NBN Co is facing increased competition from a growing band of grassroots telcos that are bringing superior high-speed internet services to regional and rural communities.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone switches on NB-IoT network

Vodafone has switched on the first parts of a narrowband internet-of-things (NB-IoT) network and signed on two companies to trial the service.

Source: iTnews Australia