Broadband News

Thu, 25th Aug 2016

NBN leak: Bernardi seeks advice about parliamentary privilege

Government senator Cory Bernardi questions whether emails held on the parliamentary server in relation to the NBN investigation should be made public.

Source: ABC News

Wed, 24th Aug 2016

Inabox launches 4G mobile product across Telstra Wholesale

Inabox has said its new wholesale mobile offering combining Telstra's 3G and 4G networks will ensure its IT and managed communication services are market leading.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra announces AU$1.5b share buyback

Telstra will be using the proceeds from the sale of Chinese company Autohome to buy back around AU$1.5 billion worth of shares.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN prompts Vodafone to mull entry into fixed-line market

Vodafone will spend the next year looking in earnest at its options in the fixed-line market as the national broadband network rollout ramps up, the telco revealed today.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone Australia announces 5G trials for 2016

Following its NB-IoT trials earlier this year with Huawei, Vodafone will be conducting lab tests of 5G network technology in the second half of 2016.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Turnbull wafts into Conrovia as Labor demands transparency around NBN raids

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused Senator Stephen Conroy of bullying the Australian Federal Police over its raids on his offices.

Source: ZDNet Australia

From 5G To NBN: Here's Everything Vodafone Is Working On

Vodafone is on the rise, with the last two years spent heavily investing in ditching the “Vodafail” moniker. At the mid-year briefing this morning, Chief Executive Officer Iñaki Berroeta and Executive General Manager Enterprise Stuart Kelly outlined the telco’s plans for customer service, pricing plans, fixed line rollout and 5G tests.

Source: Gizmodo

Communications minister slams nbn raid claim as police move in

Communications minister rejects claims that raids on Labor Party staffers' emails in relation to alleged nbn document leaks are political.

Source: ARN

AFP to search Parliament House email servers over NBN leak

Australian Federal Police will this morning search the Department of Parliamentary Services at Parliament House over leaked documents from the NBN, the Federal Opposition says.

Source: ABC News

AFP to raid Parliament House department over NBN leaks: Stephen Conroy

The federal opposition says the Australian Federal Police are preparing to raid the department that controls Canberra's Parliament House, as part of an investigation into leaks related to the National Broadband Network.

Source: SMH

Tue, 23rd Aug 2016

Optus and Telstra compete on streaming inclusions

Optus is offering greater instances of unmetered streaming, while Telstra throws in more free subscriptions for streaming services in an effort to attract customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus Is Offering Free Data-Free Netflix And Spotify Streaming

Optus is giving you the option to stream movies, TV and music without tapping into your monthly data allowance, either for free or for a monthly $10 fee, depending on your plan. But you still have to pay for the data used watching ads.

Source: Gizmodo

​Vocus sees profit surge after year of ‘significant transformation’

Mergers and acquisitions have helped Vocus deliver an annual profit boost of 222.9 per cent, to $64.09 million for the year ending June 2016.

Source: ARN

Mon, 22nd Aug 2016

Equinix expands Sydney campus with a fourth datacentre

Equinix has opened another international business exchange datacentre in Sydney, which is already being utilised by 20 customers and will eventually house the Hawaiki subsea cable.

Source: ZDNet Australia

TPG denies rumours of 2degrees acquisition

2degrees and TPG are not currently discussing a multimillion-dollar acquisition deal, contrary to reports by the Australian media.

Source: ZDNet Australia

'Full stack' ACMA wins marginal telco support

A proposal to hand the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) a deeper remit has been met with a cautious response from telcos.

Source: iTnews Australia

Netflix may have to delay shows for Aussie users

Netflix is warning Australian users that they could soon face delays seeing new shows because classification of the content is taking too long.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra's New Frontier Gateway Modem Includes A 4G SIM For Backup Internet

Anyone who’s ever signed up for a NBN connection or even a regular ADSL line knows how frustrating it is to wait for a tech appointment. But eventually, one day that might be a distant memory. Telstra has just announced plans to release a home modem router early next year that includes integrated 4G as well as a fixed-line connection — cutting what can sometimes be a painful wait for customers to get their home ‘net connected.

Source: Gizmodo

Fri, 19th Aug 2016

Amaysim reports AU$12m net profit after Vaya, AusBBS purchases

The low-cost telco has reported a net profit of AU$12.31 million on revenue of AU$253.5 million and EBITDA of AU$25.1 million after purchasing MVNO Vaya and broadband provider AusBBS.

Source: ZDNet Australia

In Melbourne, A Telco Is Rolling Its Own Gigabit Fibre Internet

Following the lead of Google in the US, Melbourne telco DGtek is launching a 1 Gbps suburban GPON fibre service this month to serve homes and businesses hungry for bandwidth. The service will begin connecting customers at the end of August, starting in the beachside suburb of Elwood and extending across Melbourne’s densely-populated inner south-eastern suburbs. DGtek is also evaluating plans to extend to Adelaide and Sydney, along with regional Victoria starting with Geelong.

Source: Gizmodo

CloudFlare bandwidth cost claims overstated, Telstra says

Telstra and Optus are two of half a dozen network operators around the world whose pricing is significantly higher than other bandwidth providers, according to CloudFlare.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 18th Aug 2016

Telstra, Optus network fees among world's highest: Cloudflare

Reverse proxy provider Cloudflare claims Australian carriers Optus and Telstra are abusing their monopoly positions to jack up network charges.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra Is Giving Away Free Netflix, Stan And Presto On Some Mobile Plans

Telstra knows that if you’re a tech-savvy early adopter, traditional TV is as good as dead — especially when you’re away from home and your big screen telly. To that end, it knows that streaming video services like Netflix, Stan and Presto are the future — and if you pony up for a decent mobile plan, it’ll give you them for free for three months.

Source: Gizmodo

Telstra reaches 60 mobile blackspots under government initiative

60 locations across NSW, Victoria, SA, WA, and Queensland now have mobile coverage thanks to Telstra activating new or upgraded base stations under the federal government project.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra flags new mobile and broadband plans, streaming app

In an effort to offer 'unrivalled' access to streaming services content, Telstra is throwing in subscriptions and unmetered offers for mobile and broadband customers, as well as a new app.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 17th Aug 2016

Ask Gizmodo: Why Are My iTunes Downloads Slow?

Hi Gizmodo! Long time reader, first time Asker. Hopefully the old adage of there being no stupid questions holds true here. So, I reside in the Guantanamo Bay of the Apple universe and, as such, watch most of my content via two Apple TVs (third and fourth gen). What has me puzzled is that they both stream Netflix in HD silky smooth, and movies via iTunes are completely downloaded minutes after starting them.

Source: Gizmodo

Optus Business strikes $20m Wi-Fi deal

Optus Business will roll out Wi-Fi to 81 shopping centres and six corporate sites under a $20 million deal struck with Vicinity Centres.

Source: Computerworld

NBN quietly removes all non-FttP areas from build prep map

At the end of 2015, NBN decided to remove all areas from its build prep map that are not slated to get fibre-to-the-premises technology.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 16th Aug 2016

MNF net profit up 25 percent to AU$9m

VoIP provider MNF has announced net profit of AU$9 million on revenue of AU$161.2 million and EBITDA of AU$17.8 million, rising across all three despite customer losses due to NBN migration.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN grows customer base, but suffers EBITDA loss

Australian broadband network, nbn, has reported an EBITDA loss of $1.6 billion for the year ending June 30​, compared to $1.1 billion the same time last year.

Source: ARN