Broadband News

Mon, 06th Feb 2017

Telcos: National security Bill 'unjustifiably intrusive', risks cyber threats

Carriers and cybersecurity groups have again made submissions against the telco national security Bill, saying it will impede innovation and consequently make networks more vulnerable to cyber attacks.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co sets fee for after-hours installation

NBN Co is set to introduce an after-hours installation option for customers whose premises are in the FTTx footprint, but will levy a $150 fee for the new service.

Source: iTnews Australia

What’s the point: Industry questions telco security legislation, again

The government’s push to introduce a legislative framework to boost the security of Australia’s network has again criticised by a group of major industry organisations.

Source: Computerworld

Fri, 03rd Feb 2017

iiNet experiencing nationwide email fault

A 'serious fault' in iiNet's email service has been causing delays in receiving emails for over 24 hours.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Cut Telstra cable downs Perth mobile, fixed services

"Severe" damage to a Telstra cable at a Perth construction site overnight has downed services for the telco's local customers, at the time same as the company was struggling to contain the fallout from a fire at a core exchange in Sydney.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN's Own Study Shows Why It Should Move To FTTdp, Says Internet Australia

Lobby group Internet Australia says a report produced by Western Sydney University - and commissioned by NBN - highlights the need for "an urgent change in our broadband strategy." Namely, we need to scrap Fibre to the Node, and switch to Fibre to the Distribution Point.

Source: Gizmodo

ACCC to continue regulating Telstra’s wholesale ADSL service

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will continue to regulate Telstra’s wholesale ADSL service for another five years, it announced today.

Source: Computerworld

Vodafone Australia to switch on first nbn wholesale mobile site

Vodafone Hutchison Australia has struck a deal to become Australia's first nbn Cell Site Access Service customer.

Source: ARN

Thu, 02nd Feb 2017

Telstra: Some SMS messages 'incorrectly delivered' after exchange fire

A number of SMS messages on the Telstra network are being delivered to the wrong people as a result of infrastructure damage sustained during its exchange fire in Sydney.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra customers experience nationwide outage after fire at exchange

Customers of Telstra are experiencing major disruptions to their services due to a reported fire at one of the company's exchanges.

Source: SMH

ACCC glad Telstra dominance of regional NBN mildly decreased

Australia's dominant telco still rules the roost in metropolitan areas, while Sky Muster satellite numbers and HFC connections have appeared in the consumer watchdog's quarterly report.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NSW NBN Customers Advised Of State-Wide Outage

A text message has been sent out to Mate Communicate NBN customers advising of an outage in NSW.

Source: Gizmodo

Telstra top latest NBN wholesale tally, again

Telstra still tops the list of NBN resellers, according to the latest quarterly report on the nbn network wholesale market.

Source: ARN

Wed, 01st Feb 2017

Vodafone pushes mobile infrastructure sharing again

With just 7.5 percent geographic coverage, Vodafone is continuing to push to be permitted to share mobile infrastructure with Telstra and Optus through USO reform, the mobile blackspot program, and domestic roaming.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co reveals suburbs 'likely' to get FTTdp

NBN Co has revealed for the first time the 42 areas of Australia that are among those expected to end up with fibre-to-the-distribution point (FTTdp) technology.

Source: iTnews Australia

Presto Is Proper Dead Now

Here is a friendly public service announcement to remind you that on-demand streaming service Presto is now officially dead.

Source: Gizmodo

Australia's 4G Network Future Is All About Efficiency

More and more people are using Australia's 4G mobile networks every day. You've noticed, too. when you're on the train to work, your phone takes ages to load a Web page or refresh Facebook or start a music stream, despite being in full reception. The same happened with 3G. But there's a solution.

Source: Gizmodo

IA wants NBN Co to have primary USO broadband data responsibility

Internet Australia wants the company building the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, to take primary responsibility for ensuring effective delivery of broadband data services under proposed changes to the telecommunications Universal Service Obligation (USO).

Source: iTWire

Village Roadshow triples political donations to surpass AU$600k

The piracy clampdown advocate and rights holder has rebounded from a quiet year to hand AU$357,000 to the Liberal Party and AU$280,000 to the Labor party.

Source: ZDNet Australia

MacTel, Optus retain spot as biggest tech political donors

Macquarie Telecom and SingTel Optus were the largest donors to political parties within the technology sector for 2015-16, handing over a combined $174,500 to the major parties.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vaya Has A Data-Only 70GB Plan For $65

Budget telco Vaya has today launched what it calls "wallet-friendly" data-only plans, ranging from 5GB for $15 to 70GB for $65, hosted on Optus' 4G Plus Network.

Source: Gizmodo

Tue, 31st Jan 2017

Telstra 'can't foresee' its plans for 5G, IoT data usage and pricing

Telstra's plan for the upcoming explosion in data usage is to simply continue monitoring and alerting customers, and updating its data caps accordingly, its head of Devices has said.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra to publish NBN speeds in coming months

Telstra has decided to publish speeds and performance about the National Broadband Network in coming months, after NBN Co, which is rolling out the network, decided to pull such information from its website.

Source: iTWire

Telstra and Netgear launch 1Gbps mobile router

Netgear's new mobile hotspot is capable of 1Gbps down/150Mbps up, and will work over Telstra's mobile network using 4x4 MIMO and four-band carrier aggregation.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra And Netgear's New 4G Modem Downloads At 1000Mbps

Telstra is the world's first mobile network to crack the 1000Mbps download speed barrier over 4G, and it's using this little gadget from Netgear to get there.

Source: Gizmodo

Mon, 30th Jan 2017

Telstra, PROJECT ROCKIT join forces on cyberbullying, online safety

Telstra has partnered with youth-led movement against bullying, PROJECT ROCKIT, to launch a digital classroom aimed at empowering young people to take action on cyberbullying and online safety.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co won't say how many ADSL users will end up on satellite

NBN Co has refused to disclose how many premises with existing ADSL connections will be offered only satellite services in future, revealing what users have now is “not so much a driver of NBN’s technology choice”.

Source: iTnews Australia

Dodo Customers Are More Likely To Buy Online Movies And TV

If you buy your broadband from the guys that do internet that flies, you're also more likely to buy movies and TV shows from iTunes or Google Play.

Source: Gizmodo

Fri, 27th Jan 2017

Optus pushes ahead with voice over wi-fi

Optus has launched a new Voice over wi-fi (VoWiFi) service option that lets customers make calls and send messages seamlessly even when they are out of mobile coverage.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN prospective customers in the dark on network progress: Patton

Internet Australia chief executive Laurie Patton says it is "disturbingly apparent” the company building the National Broadband Network, NBN Co, is becoming “reluctant to provide the sort of information its prospective customers need and expect” about progress on building the network.

Source: iTWire