Broadband News
Wed, 29th Mar 2017
AFP loses access to seized NBN documents
The Australian Federal Police has been refused access to thousands of documents it seized from former senator Stephen Conroy last year, after the politician's claim of parliamentary privilege was upheld.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN data usage continues to soar
The average household connected to the National Broadband Network is churning through 148 gigabytes of data every month, according to NBN.
Source: Computerworld
Vocus director steps out of the boardroom to lead wholesale business
Vocus director, Michael Simmons, has stepped out of the boardroom and into the company’s executive ranks to lead its enterprise and wholesale business.
Source: ARN
Tue, 28th Mar 2017
Telstra loses legal fight over wholesale fee cut
Telstra has lost its legal battle to overturn a decision by the ACCC that forces the telco to lower the fees it charges rivals for access to its copper network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra loses fight against wholesale price cuts
Telstra has failed in its attempt to overturn a decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission that cut the prices the company can charge for wholesale services over the copper network.
Source: Computerworld
NBN points to 'tight cap' on mobile data preventing streaming despite speeds
While mobile operators are spruiking 'ever-faster speeds', their data caps are prohibiting consumers from streaming video content worry free -- something that NBN instead enables, the company has said.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co can't muddy SAU with open-ended clauses
NBN Co looks to be facing defeat in its campaign to insert open-ended clauses into the core regulatory agreement that sets terms and conditions for its operations until 2040.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC not sold on some changes to key NBN agreement
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has issued a draft decision rejecting a number of changes proposed by NBN to the network operator’s Special Access Undertaking.
Source: Computerworld
Macquarie Telecom vies for investor confidence after Vocus sell-off
Macquarie Telecom has moved to reassure shareholders after fellow telco, Vocus Group, sold off its multimillion-dollar stake in the company.
Source: ARN
Mon, 27th Mar 2017
NT government slams NBN's 'technically inferior' satellite service
NBN should cut the cap, move more users onto fixed-wireless services, and improve its Sky Muster satellite service reliability, the Northern Territory government has suggested.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Qantas postpones NBN on-board Wi-Fi after 'stability issues'
Wi-Fi on-board Qantas' domestic flights has been postponed until the middle of the year, with the Australian airline saying it is working with NBN and ViaSat on 'stability issues'.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN 1Gbps services would cost AU$400 due to 'unfair' CVC: MyRepublic
Ahead of launching its gigatown in July, MyRepublic has said that no one else is offering 1Gbps services across the NBN because it would cost RSPs between AU$300 and AU$400 thanks to the CVC charge.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NT govt unloads on NBN satellite, pushes for fixed wireless
The Northern Territory’s government has called for fixed wireless instead of satellite to be used to deliver broadband to remote communities in the NT, accusing NBN’s Sky Muster service of delivering “poor performance”.
Source: Computerworld
ACCC upbeat on support for broadband speed monitoring program
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission says it is “hopeful” of an announcement “in the near future” about government funding for an ACCC broadband speed monitoring program.
Source: Computerworld
Union flags further Telstra redundancies as outsourcing push continues
Telstra has continued cutting staff in its infrastructure divisions as the company moves to outsource services, according to the CWU.
Source: ARN
Fri, 24th Mar 2017
NBN Co is leaving complex premises for last
Homes and businesses that are connected to the NBN but can't get a service may be forced to wait years for their problems to be fixed as NBN Co relegates complex cases in favour of boosting numbers
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN connections to speed up under new industry codes: ACMA, Comms Alliance
Comms Alliance has registered two codes with the ACMA, aiming to speed up NBN connections and ensure simple transfer between NBN retail service providers without delay.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TIO can't break down NBN complaints by access tech
The TIO has rebuffed requests by policymakers to act as an alternate source of data on NBN Co’s network problems, arguing it has an incomplete view and does not collect information on the NBN access technologies used by complainants.
Source: iTnews Australia
Broadband connections get timely turnaround treatment
Fixed-line broadband connections have been added to a new version of the Communications Alliance's Connect Outstanding Industry Code.
Source: ARN
Thu, 23rd Mar 2017
Stan Now Has Offline Downloads
Stan has officially launched the ability to download and then view programs offline, free for subscribers.
Source: Gizmodo
Australian ISPs confirm non-attendance in Roadshow site-blocking hearing
The court process will be quicker with most of the targeted internet service providers -- including Telstra, Optus, and Vocus -- confirming their intention to not appear in court or contest the application for injunction.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 22nd Mar 2017
NBN Watch: Why Australia drops in speed rankings, plus the silver lining ahead
While the NBN could undoubtedly have been a lot better, what we're getting is still an amazing infrastructure project.
Source: PC Authority
Tue, 21st Mar 2017
TPG reverses brief iiNet customer exodus
TPG has overseen a rebound in broadband subscriber numbers for iiNet, overcoming a small exodus following its $1.4 billion buyout of the group.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG sees iiNet earnings surge
iiNet continues to pay dividends for TPG, which has revealed a half-yearly earnings surge from the freshly integrated business.
Source: ARN
Mon, 20th Mar 2017
NBN Co assembles crack team to tackle Sky Muster issues
NBN Co will plough significant resources into fixing its troubled Sky Muster satellite service, revealing plans to hire ten new engineers and solution architects to tackle ongoing performance issues.
Source: iTnews Australia
How the Sun messes with your TV, radio and internet
In the fortnight after the autumn equinox you may notice that your radio or TV broadcast briefly drops out. If you're in a regional area, the internet might be patchy, too. What's going on?
Source: ABC News
Transmission fibre cut hits iiNet and Internode
Floodwaters hampered the repair of an inter-capital link that broke south of Sydney yesterday, causing congestion problems for customers of iiNet and Internode.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 17th Mar 2017
Optus outage causing Optus-Telstra SMS failure
Telstra and Optus customers may be unable to send SMS and MMS messages to each other, with Optus having identified the issue and saying it is currently working to repair it.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Watch: FTTN, FTTC and the future bill
NBN Co addresses a range of criticisms to the network - but are they on the mark?
Source: PC Authority
Australia's Internet Speeds Are A Global Embarrassment
Australia continues to fall behind most of the developed world when it comes to home broadband internet speeds. According to Akamai's latest State of the Internet Report, our internet connection speeds are now slower than 50 other nations, including the likes of Thailand, Estonia, Bulgaria and Kenya. Here's the full list of countries with better internet than Australia.
Source: Gizmodo