Broadband News

Mon, 15th May 2017

NBN begins providing broadband speed advice

NBN has added speed information, advice on what speed tier to order, and a list of potential factors that could affect speed performance to its website in an effort to improve customer experience.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NEC demonstrates 50Tbps speeds for subsea cables

NEC has developed an algorithm to optimise 32QAM constellation and combined the L- and C- optical wavelength bands to enable speeds of over 50Tbps across its subsea cables throughout the Pacific region.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra unveils 'network as a service'

The Telstra Programmable Network will enable customers globally to access its networks, cloud platform, datacentres, SDN, and NFV capabilities on one platform.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Fri, 12th May 2017

Foxtel reports $23m Q3 loss following sale of Presto

Foxtel's $23 million quarterly loss was again blamed on its decision to close streaming service Presto, with EBITDA also down by 9 percent to $131 million.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra admits thousands of NBN users were shafted on speeds

Telstra has admitted that thousands of its NBN customers were sold broadband plans with speeds that weren't achievable.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra Is Refunding 8000 Customers Sold 'Unattainable' NBN Speeds

Telstra has sold thousands of NBN plans offering speeds that were impossible to deliver on, the telco has admitted.

Source: Gizmodo

Telstra speed review reveals regulatory hurdle for NBN resellers

Why Telstra’s NBN speed review revelations should put other retail service providers on high alert.

Source: ARN

Thu, 11th May 2017

Telstra says some of its NBN customers paid for unachievable speeds

An analysis by Telstra has revealed that a small number of its customers with NBN services were on broadband plans with maximum speeds that were not achievable.

Source: Computerworld

CVC pricing has nothing to do with NBN user experience: Morrow

While the CVC being purchased by RSPs may be one factor affecting end-user experience, the CVC pricing itself is not, according to NBN CEO Bill Morrow.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra begins temporary restoration after Parklea fire

Telstra has begun the task of temporarily restoring fixed and mobile services that were cut by a fire at an exchange in Sydney’s north-west earlier this week.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co betting on business to boost ARPU

NBN Co is relying heavily on the business sector being the biggest driver in average revenue per user (ARPU) in order for it to meet its revenue goals for 2020.

Source: iTnews Australia

58k premises hooked up to NBN every week

On average 58,000 premises were connected to the National Broadband Network every week during the quarter ending 31 March, up from 26,000 premises at the same time last year.

Source: Computerworld

NBN per-user revenue remains stagnant as new services surge

​The NBN's average revenue per user has remained stagnant in the three months ending March, despite a surge of new services and activations.

Source: ARN

NBN complaints double again; telco complaints jump by 30 percent: TIO

Complaints to the ombudsman about the NBN have more than doubled, increasing by 117.5 percent year on year, while all telco complaints rose by 33.8 percent to a total of 65,970.

Source: ZDNet Australia

How not to blow your top when you're on the phone to your telco

If you're struggling to get good customer service out of your phone or internet provider, think you've been charged too much, or are just sick and tired of being on hold for hours, you're not alone. More Australians then ever are angry with their telco — here's some advice on what to do about it.

Source: ABC News

Wed, 10th May 2017

Telstra 4G used in disaster management drone trial

Queensland's local government association is trialling beyond-line-of-sight drone technology for use during natural disasters, using Telstra's 4G network.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN And Mobile Black Spots: What's In the 2017 Budget For Regional Australia

High–speed broadband "at affordable prices" and the continuation of the Mobile Black Spot Program are some of the plans for rural and regional Australia revealed in the 2017 Federal Budget, announced by Treasurer Scott Morrison tonight.

Source: Gizmodo

Telstra Wi-Fi Calling Is Now Available On iPhone

Telstra has extended its native Wi-Fi calling service to 13 more devices, including iPhone 6 and 7 and the new Samsung Galaxy S8.

Source: Gizmodo

Tue, 09th May 2017

Telstra hit by Parklea exchange fire

Telstra has been hit by an exchange fire in Sydney’s north-west overnight that has caused “extensive damage” and impacted fixed and mobile services in the area.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra cuts jobs in wholesale division as a result of NBN rollout

Telstra has cut 24 more jobs from its wholesale customer operations division in Sydney and Brisbane.

Source: ARN

Mon, 08th May 2017

Pre-budget call on govt to reassess ‘bad debt’ rollout of NBN

Internet Australia has taken up the “good debt, bad debt” pre-budget debate sparked by the Federal Treasurer Scott Morrison, with IA chair Anne Hurley calling on both the government and the opposition to ensure that funding going to the National Broadband Network is good debt.

Source: iTWire

Labor adopts wait-and-see policy on roaming draft decision

The Australian Labor Party has adopted a wait-and-see policy on the decision by the competition regulator not to declare wholesale mobile roaming and open up telecommunications to greater market competition.

Source: iTWire

Govt to introduce legislation for broadband tax

The government is pushing to introduce a $7.10 minimum monthly broadband tax for fixed-line NBN users to pay for the future cost of the fixed wireless and satellite portions of the NBN.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 05th May 2017

Amaysim 1Gbps NBN plans on the table once 'commercially viable'

While its current NBN plans cap out at 100/40Mbps, Amaysim said it will bring in higher-speed services once it is economically viable to do so, with 1Gbps plans to be considered.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra to 'immediately' expand 4G network if ACCC draft decision holds

While Australia's smaller telcos have said the ACCC's decision will 'trap' consumers, Telstra has confirmed that it will expand its 4G network to 99 percent of the population if the draft decision holds.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC won't force Telstra to open up regional mobile network

The competition watchdog has tentatively decided not to require telcos to open up their regional mobile networks to competitors following a hard-fought battle between the major telco players.

Source: iTnews Australia

Confusion reigns over whether Aussie VPNs must keep user metadata

Australian virtual private network providers are at odds over whether they are required to comply with the country's data retention laws and store user metadata due to a lack of clarity and guidance by the federal government.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 04th May 2017

Moose Mobile kicks off MVNO services with Optus

Moose Mobile has moved into providing telco services in addition to selling refurbished Android and iPhone handsets, using the Optus 4G network to do so.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra: Regional mobile regulation important for autonomous vehicles

Telstra has said 4G would 'enhance' the safety and efficiency of autonomous vehicles, with expanding regional coverage therefore important with the regulatory backing of the government.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN connection delays drop as fault complaints rise: TIO

There were 130 fewer complaints about delays in being connected to the NBN during the first half of FY17, according to the ombudsman, despite the number of connected premises growing.

Source: ZDNet Australia