Broadband News

Mon, 16th Oct 2017

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

Where next for the NBN?

ITPA Australia’s Robert Hudson gives his view on the 23 recommendations outlined in by parliament’s NBN committee in its latest report

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 10th Oct 2017

Foxtel tweaks broadband prices

Foxtel has tweaked its broadband packages to offer lower prices in some cases, and more options in others, with the company also offering NBN connections on HFC.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co goes local with new customer service team

NBN Co, the builders of the National Broadband Network, has boosted its team servicing regional and remote communities with the appointment of a dedicated team aimed at improving the customer experience on its access network.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 09th Oct 2017

Foxtel launches NBN service across HFC network

Foxtel has added HFC services to its fibre to the node, building, and premises NBN offerings, with packages including unlimited downloads at speeds of 25/5Mbps.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC shelves changes to NBN T&Cs

The ACCC has shelved planned updates to the core regulatory agreement governing how services are supplied over the NBN, pending the outcome of ongoing pricing discussions between NBN Co and its main internet service providers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Pricing uncertainty makes ACCC press pause on key NBN agreement

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says that won’t make a decision on changes proposed by NBN to the company’s Special Access Undertaking (SAU), at least for now.

Source: Computerworld

Fri, 06th Oct 2017

NBN Co pursues more physical HFC node splits

NBN Co will set up an internal program to increase the number of physical node splits being performed on parts of its HFC network.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Says Our Internet Isn't Really Worse Than Kenya's

The Akamai State of the Internet Report recently revealed that Kenya is getting 12.2Mbps as an average fixed-broadband internet speed.

Source: Gizmodo

Suppliers see different side of NBN rural rollout

NetComm Wireless, Qualcomm, and ViaSat have all lauded NBN's capacity to collaborate with its tech partners to push the infrastructure project to technology limits across fixed-wireless, satellite, and fibre to the curb.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mobile domestic roaming: An explainer

Vodafone is continuing to fight the regulator in court over its decision due later in October -- but would a mobile domestic roaming declaration increase or decrease competition for consumers?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone announces changes to declining brand

After slipping 20 places on a global branding ladder in the past year, Vodafone has announced an upcoming change to the Vodafone brand positioning globally and in Australia, the first such change the company says since 2009.

Source: iTWire

'We've Got This in Hand': Malcolm Turnbull Slammed For Brushing Aside NBN Concerns

This morning our PM was on the radio, having a chat about the NBN - as you do - and when asked about the rollout (and its many issues) Turnbull replied with, "I think we’ve got this in hand".

Source: Gizmodo

Thu, 05th Oct 2017

Even govt MPs are now criticising NBN, says Labor

The Labor Party's communications spokesperson Michelle Rowland has taken aim at Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over the national broadband network rollout, pointing out that criticism of the network is now coming from his own side of politics.

Source: iTWire

Telstra to combat NBN Co's move into public safety

Telstra has revealed plans to build and test a “data exchange” for emergency services as part of a wider bid to build its presence in public safety over the next three years.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 04th Oct 2017

NBN launches new Sky Muster plans with more data

NBN's satellite service is now offering RSPs the chance to provide customers with double the data allowance, capped at 300GB per month separated into peak and off-peak usage.

Source: ZDNet Australia

New nbn Sky Muster plans offer up to 300GB monthly data

Retailers are now selling new, larger capacity nbn Sky Muster plans, promising "better value broadband for the bush" at peak and off peak times.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co cuts energy used by PoIs, FTTN nodes

NBN Co has raised the ambient temperature inside its aggregation nodes and found a way to automatically switch off unused line cards in node cabinets under a broader push to reduce energy costs across the network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 03rd Oct 2017

Vocus shuffles boardroom lineup amid class action spectre

M2 co-founder, Vaughan Bowen, replaces longtime Vocus chairman, David Spence, in the company’s new boardroom lineup.

Source: ARN