Broadband News
Mon, 16th Jan 2017
Qantas to start NBN satellite trial next month
Qantas will commence testing of a proof-of-concept NBN-based satellite service onboard its aircraft at the start of February for the next nine months.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACMA opens applications for 700MHz mobile broadband spectrum auction
The 700MHz spectrum will be auctioned off in two lots: 2x 10MHz and 2x 5MHz, with bids starting at AU$571.8 million and AU$285.9 million, respectively.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus boosts WA coverage with satellite small cells
Mobile coverage in Western Australia will improve thanks to the small cells being installed along a 2,000km stretch of highway by Optus in an effort to bring 3G and 4G to remote areas.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vic state property developer to sell off controversial FTTH network
The Victorian government's property development agency is seeking to sell off its controversial fibre-to-the-home network after deciding it no longer wants to manage telco networks.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra to guarantee connectivity over key subsea cable routes
Telstra said today that in the coming months it will launch an ‘Always On’ service guarantee for its Hong Kong to Singapore and Japan to Hong Kong cables routes.
Source: Computerworld
Fri, 13th Jan 2017
Telstra warns container ships off its subsea patch
Telstra is forced to warn the captains of between 30 and 50 container ships a month that are seen to be travelling too close to the telco’s subsea cable infrastructure paths.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 12th Jan 2017
NBN Co drops tiers, talks speed without mentioning speeds
NBN Co used to talk about the various tiers of service it offered. Now, presumably due to the shortcomings of the multi-technology mix, it refers to "speeds" and "plans" instead of "tiers" – but studiously avoids quantifying the speeds delivered.
Source: iTWire
Daniel Saffioti built his own private radio network to get access to NBN
The last straw for Daniel Saffioti came in mid-2014 when the National Broadband Network installed a fibre pillar right in front of his house – but refused to connect him.
Source: SMH
Wed, 11th Jan 2017
Council pushes ahead with 10Gbps network plan for Adelaide
Adelaide’s Ten Gigabit City plan is a step closer, with the council seeking formal expressions of interest (EOI) for the project.
Source: Computerworld
Ehealth: AMA call for bush broadband boost
The Australian Medical Association has called on the government to tackle barriers to the use of ehealth and telemedicine in rural and regional Australia.
Source: Computerworld
Tue, 10th Jan 2017
Doctors underwhelmed by NBN for e-health
Australian GPs have delivered a lukewarm assessment of the NBN as an enabler of e-health services in regional, rural and remote Australia, just days after the network builder publicly talked up its credentials in the space.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co readies pitch to 'high-value' business users
NBN Co is readying its staff and systems to begin migrating “high-value” business customers off the Telstra network and onto its own.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus adds NBN HFC to wholesale offerings
Customers of Optus Wholesale will be able to sell services over the National Broadband Network’s hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) infrastructure, the telco has announced.
Source: Computerworld
Optus Wholesale expands NBN offering
Optus Wholesale is expanding its wholesale NBN offering by launching state-based, national and hybrid aggregation models.
Source: ARN
Sydney Buses' free Wi-Fi won't threaten privacy: State Transit Authority
NSW Transport officials have dismissed claims free Wi-Fi on Sydney Buses will become a data mining exercise, invading the privacy of passengers.
Source: SMH
The ACCC Has Decided How Much Accessing Superfast Broadband Networks Should Cost Providers
Back in October 2012, the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission declared a local bitstream access service (LBAS), then in July 2016, a superfast broadband access service (SBAS). This means that the network owners must provide access to the service if requested, so that all service providers have access to the infrastructure they need "to supply competitive communications services to end-users".
Source: Gizmodo
Mon, 09th Jan 2017
Telstra pushes for 5G that works in Australia
There's an unexpected obstacle worrying Telstra as it prepares for the next generation of ultra-fast mobile technology: gumtrees.
Source: SMH
Sydney buses trial free Wi-Fi as provider collects and discloses personal user info
The NSW government has announced that free Wi-Fi will be provided in a trial across 50 buses, using a network provider that openly collects a vast amount of user data and passes it onto third parties.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC seeks to match ‘superfast’ broadband prices to NBN charges
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has released its proposal for wholesale pricing and conditions that will apply to so-called ‘superfast’ — 25 megabits per second or faster — broadband networks that are independent of the National Broadband Network.
Source: Computerworld
ACCC gives small broadband providers a boost in pricing decision
The ACCC aims to normalise pricing between NBN and non-NBN services for smaller providers, with its latest draft pricing determination.
Source: ARN
Vocus plugs Aussie leadership gap with M2 veteran
Vocus has moved to plug an impending leadership gap with non-executive director, Michael Simmons, who will temporarily head up the company’s corporate and wholesale business in Australia.
Source: ARN
Fri, 06th Jan 2017
A new Wi-Fi spec will help smart homes run like clockwork
On Thursday at CES, the Wi-Fi Alliance announced Wi-Fi Certified TimeSync, a specification for precise time synchronization among Wi-Fi devices. It’s expected to be available in the middle of this year.
Source: Computerworld
Sydney buses to trial sponsored wi-fi
A sponsored wi-fi service will be trialled on 50 public buses in Sydney, with potential for the technology to be fitted to 1000 buses by the end of the year.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 05th Jan 2017
Intel announces 5G modem at CES
Following Qualcomm's announcement in October, Intel has jumped on the 5G modem bandwagon, unveiling its solution at CES on Wednesday.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 04th Jan 2017
Telstra backs calls to relax line-of-sight for drone flights
Telstra has thrown its weight behind calls to allow drones to operate in Australia beyond the visual line of sight (BVLOS) of a pilot.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 03rd Jan 2017
NBN: Four months to move 18k satellite customers to Sky Muster, fixed-wireless
Despite only connecting 29,760 customers to Sky Muster between April and October, NBN left itself just four months to shift over the 18,000 customers remaining on the old satellite service.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Brandis extends submission deadline on telco data retention for civil proceedings
After giving just 15 business days over the holiday period for submissions on whether to allow retained telco data to be used for civil proceedings, Brandis has extended the timeframe by two weeks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 02nd Jan 2017
What's New On Netflix And Stan For January
From Sherlock, to Captain America. Civil War - here's just a taste of what Netflix and Stan are streaming for the month of January.
Source: Gizmodo
Wed, 28th Dec 2016
Vodafone boosts 4G network for New Year's Eve
Vodafone Australia is pushing out temporary cells on wheels to boost mobile coverage over the holiday period in high-traffic areas around Sydney Harbour.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 23rd Dec 2016
TIO board shake-up sees ex-iiNet CTO join
Former iiNet and Internode CTO John Lindsay will sit on the board of the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) next year.
Source: iTnews Australia