Broadband News

Tue, 24th Oct 2017

NBN Co chief 'in trouble, looking for a parachute': claim

One of Australia's well-known network experts says the comments made by NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow on the ABC's Four Corners NBN programme on Monday night indicate that he has discovered the company is in trouble as it is unlikely to make any money as per its business plan.

Source: iTWire

Politicians are squabbling over who's to blame for the NBN, but it's not helping anyone

Kevin Rudd is the latest to weigh in on the sarcastic, self-righteous political ruckus over internet speeds and prices. He says Malcolm Turnbull messed up the rollout of the NBN, but the Coalition is calling the former PM a

Source: ABC News

MyRepublic chief says big four holding NBN Co back

The managing director of the small ISP MyRepublic claims the average revenue per user earned by the NBN Co will continue to be low because bigger telcos like Telstra, Optus, TPG and Vocus push slow-speed connections to their customers in order to avoid popularising the NBN.

Source: iTWire

Well Yeah, Of Course The NBN's A Mess: Unions

Thousands of subcontractors given "no proper training" and poor government handling have caused no end of problems for the NBN rollout, according to the communication workers' union.

Source: Gizmodo

Mon, 23rd Oct 2017

Malcolm Turnbull blames Labor for 'train wreck' that is the NBN

The PM, who as communications minister inherited the National Broadband Network from the previous Labor government, describes the project as a "calamitous train wreck" and concedes it may never make a profit.

Source: ABC News

Turnbull: 'Question mark' over NBN commercial viability

It was a 'big mistake' to roll out the NBN under a government-formed company, the prime minister has said, with questions now surrounding the broadband network's commercial challenges.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN's first FttC installation sees 100/40Mbps speeds

NBN has announced the activation of its first fibre-to-the-curb connection, with speeds of 109/44Mbps across 70m of copper using VDSL technology in Melbourne.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra says roaming decision 'best outcome for customers'

Telstra has, unsurprisingly, welcomed the decision of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission not to declared mobile roaming.

Source: iTWire

Optus says ACCC decision not to declare roaming a clear win for regional communities

Vodafone's not happy, but Optus has welcomed the ACCC's decision not to mandate domestic roaming, saying it's a "clear win for regional communities".

Source: iTWire

Vodafone says ACCC’s final roaming decision bad for regional Australia

Claiming "too many Australians to continue to miss out", Vodafone is not happy, Jan, over the ACCC's decision not to declare mobile roaming.

Source: iTWire

What would you pay to get NBN fibre? How about $218,000?

Sixty-six Australians have taken the NBN rollout into their own hands, one to the tune of almost $218,000. That's more than double the the highest cost incurred by NBN Co in rolling out fibre to a single premises.

Source: ABC News

NBN CEO casts doubt on ability to turn profit

NBN Co CEO Bill Morrow has confirmed what the industry has been saying for years: that the network builder’s economic model is broken and that - under current conditions - it may never turn a profit.

Source: iTnews Australia

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