Broadband News
Thu, 27th Jul 2017
MyRepublic has a year to make 1Gbps NBN plans work
Internet service provider MyRepublic is giving itself a year to secure cuts in NBN wholesale costs to a point where 1Gbps plans can be feasibly sold for as little as $130 a month.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tasmania Gets A 4G Boost From Vodafone
Vodafone just expanded its 4G coverage in Tasmania, with Steppes and Ouse getting a boost from today.
Source: Gizmodo
Wed, 26th Jul 2017
NBN provider says it will work to end the broadband 'blame game'
The company installing the NBN has declared the "blame game" with internet service providers is unacceptable and has vowed to do better.
Source: ABC News
Australians want 1Gbps but half cannot name current speed: MyRepublic
Whatever it is New Zealand has, we want that, and Australians hate ADSL, says commissioned survey.
Source: ZDNet Australia
When A Farmer's Internet Speed Was Slow, He Built A Private 53m Tower
An outback Queensland farmer hatched an unusual plan to counter slow internet speeds - build and install his own 53-metre tower.
Source: Gizmodo
Tue, 25th Jul 2017
NBN Co chief rules out imminent pricing change
NBN Co chief executive Bill Morrow says the company, which is rolling out Australia's national broadband network, has an image problem, but has ruled out any imminent pricing changes.
Source: iTWire
Optus to switch off 2G next month
Optus has announced that it will cease offering its 2G service from August 1, 2017, as a result of increased 4G uptake by customers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 24th Jul 2017
Going full fibre will mean loss of face for Fifield: academic
Using fibre-to-the-distribution-point technology for the NBN instead of fibre-to-the-node will enable the Turnbull Government to save face and also provide a better network, a senior academic who was involved with the project at its inception says.
Source: iTWire
Full-fibre NBN will cost about as much as FttDP: experts
Switching the national broadband network to using fibre-to-the-distribution-point technology is an interim solution; the correct solution, which will cost about the same, is to go full fibre.
Source: iTWire
Lobby Group Tells NBN: Get Rid Of FTTN Already
NBN needs to ditch copper-based Fibre to the Node, says lobby group Internet Australia, saying it is "essential for Australia's economic and social development" to abandon the technology in favour of Fibre to the distribution point.
Source: Gizmodo
Fri, 21st Jul 2017
Optus will spend $1bn to improve its regional mobile network
Optus has pledged to spend $1 billion over the next year to improve its regional mobile network in what it claims is the biggest investment into regional coverage in the company's history.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus pumps $1B into regional mobile network expansion
The new investment is company’s largest regional capital expenditure program in its 25-year history.
Source: ARN
Thu, 20th Jul 2017
Labor seeks access to NBN’s speed database
Shadow communications minister Michelle Rowland has filed a freedom of information request seeking access to NBN’s database of estimated theoretical maximum speeds for households.
Source: Computerworld
Can't say superfast: ACCC tells misleading telcos to lawyer up
Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has said he expects to be taking telcos to court over misleading claims on broadband speeds.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC doesn't think FTTN's bad name to blame for NBN backhaul woes
The ACCC has cast doubt on industry claims that NBN Co’s CVC price construct is not fit-for-purpose for the fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) portion of the network, and is therefore a factor in retail service providers (RSPs) not buying enough of it.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC puts big four telcos on notice over broadband speed claims
Australia’s competition watchdog expects to take legal action by the end of the year.
Source: ARN
Wed, 19th Jul 2017
Data retention's value for money still not proven: Criminologist
The $750 million being spent on Australia's mandatory metadata retention scheme could buy a lot of crime-fighting, says criminologist Rick Sarre. Meanwhile, police are challenged by the rise of cyber crime.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Free wi-fi for Adelaide's entire public transport network
The South Australian government has given itself less than six months to have free wi-fi across Adelaide's full public transport network up and running.
Source: iTnews Australia
Swap or go: Telstra workers’ redundancy conundrum
Telstra workers hit in 1400-strong redundancy round may have a job-swap option open to them. But will they be able to take it?
Source: ARN
Tue, 18th Jul 2017
Optus slams proposal to levy “broadband tax” on business services
Optus has taken nbn to task over its proposal to levy the Government’s "broadband tax" on the business end of the market.
Source: ARN
TPG wants NBN tax on all connections along with Google and Facebook
The telco believes the base for rural NBN tax is too low, and everyone should pay, including over-the-top service providers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra hits out at government’s ‘NBN’s tax’
Telstra does not support the government’s Regional Broadband Scheme (RBS) in its current form, arguing that the levy is too broad in scope.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 17th Jul 2017
NBN Co pushes for broadband tax on business market
NBN Co has revealed that the success of a planned broadband tax is predicated on it applying to “all business services”, in a move likely to exacerbate tensions of scope creep.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG says scrap broadband tax or make it industry-wide
TPG has raised the prospect of a substantial widening of the broadband tax to cover fixed wireless, mobile, and even over-the-top (OTT) players.
Source: iTnews Australia
Game Of Thrones' First Casualty Was Foxtel Now
Who would have expected that the first death during the seventh season of Game of Thrones would be the pay TV network charged with distributing it digitally around Australia?
Source: Gizmodo
Government releases guidelines for website-blocking power
The government has released guidelines for Commonwealth agencies that employ Section 313(3) of the Telecommunications Act to request ISPs’ assistance to disrupt illegal online services.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co to grow fixed wireless footprint
NBN Co will expand its fixed wireless footprint by up to 72,800 premises as the balance of its multi-technology mix continues to shift.
Source: iTnews Australia
Do You Want Fibre With That? NBN's Apartment Upsell
Inner-city apartment residents have the option to bulk purchase higher-speed connections from NBN Co under the government-owned company's plan to add nearly 4 million premises to its network this year.
Source: Gizmodo
Australia is now King Idiot of the internet
A middle-power nation thinking it can tell US-based multinationals which parts of mathematics they can and cannot use -- we deserve to be sent to time out.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 14th Jul 2017
The laws of Australia will trump the laws of mathematics: Turnbull
Despite calling the laws of mathematics 'commendable', the prime minister of Australia told ZDNet the only law that applies in Australia is the law of Australia when it comes to legislating decryption.
Source: ZDNet Australia