Broadband News

Fri, 05th Aug 2016

​NBN and 5G under scrutiny as spotlight falls on Aussie telco sector

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission to launch market study of the communications industry.

Source: ARN

Thu, 04th Aug 2016

Telstra upgrades wireless core for 5G

Telstra is taking steps to prepare its mobile core network to underpin 5G services by deploying a set of undisclosed network function virtualisation (NFV) and software-defined networking (SDN) technologies.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra trialling 5G on Ericsson's radio test bed in September

Ahead of its 5G trial run in 2018, Telstra will use Ericsson's radio test bed to test 5G capabilities next month.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 03rd Aug 2016

NBN under competitive threat from wireless broadband: Former CTO

While NBN has locked down the wholesale fixed-line broadband competition through regulation, wireless broadband remains a strong competitor for internet access.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra chief information officer resigns

Telstra has now lost its CIO, COO, and CTO over the past six months, coinciding with seven network outages across the country during the same period of time.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Coles, Optus out to grab mobile users with data pitch

The increasingly competitive push by mobile operators to lure data-hungry consumers with much bigger data allowances has been ramped up by Coles in its latest deal with Optus.

Source: iTWire

Tue, 02nd Aug 2016

NBN update: The lowdown on HFC’s debut in Redcliffe

We look at the technology behind the recent Hybrid Fibre Coaxial in Queensland.

Source: PC Authority

Aussie consumers increasingly switch mobile providers

Loyalty to mobile service providers is increasingly becoming a thing of the past for Aussie mobile users as they discard their long-term contract plans and switch to a provider with no lock in contracts.

Source: iTWire

4G now connects 52 percent of Australian mobile users

Despite 4G penetration reaching up to 98 percent of the population, just 52 percent of mobile users in Australia are using a 4G network.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 01st Aug 2016

What's New On Stan, Netflix, Foxtel Anytime And Presto In August

From Mr Robot, to Fear The Walking Dead and every episode of Dexter — here’s just a taste of what Netflix, Presto, Stan and Foxtel Anytime are streaming for the month of August.

Source: Gizmodo

nbn passes the million home mark with Telstra leading the charge

Over a million Australian homes and businesses are now connected to the national broadband network (nbn) with Telstra responsible for the majority of the connections according to the Australian Competition Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Source: ARN

UK firm buys biggest NBN satellite retailer

Satellite Solutions Worldwide (SSW) will acquire Australian satellite Internet firm SkyMesh as well as Norwegian-based Breiband.no A.S for a total of GBP£11.7 million for be funded through the issue of £12.1 million worth of shares, the company has announced

Source: Computerworld

​Vodafone grows Aussie customer base as losses drop

Australia’s third-ranked mobile carrier, Vodafone, has achieved solid growth during the first six months of 2016, boosting customer numbers while trimming losses, despite a drop in revenue.

Source: ARN

​Aussie watchdog opens up superfast broadband networks to competition

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission will regulate access to wholesale superfast broadband services, declaring a five-year ‘superfast broadband access service’ (SBAS).

Source: ARN

Fri, 29th Jul 2016

Vodafone loses AU$10m in EBITDA due to ACCC decision

The ACCC's decision to slash wholesale call pricing cost Vodafone Australia AU$10 million in EBITDA and AU$230 million in revenue over the last six months.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra allowed to continue Olympic advertisements by court

The Australian Olympic Committee's application to get Telstra to stop its 'I go to Rio' marketing campaign has been dismissed by the Federal Court.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC to regulate super-fast broadband for next five years

Fibre and cable-based non-NBN wholesale broadband services with speeds of more than 25Mbps are to be regulated for the next five years by the ACCC.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ACCC makes telcos open ‘superfast’ broadband networks to competitors

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has pushed ahead with opening up so-called ‘superfast’ broadband (25 megabits per second or faster) networks, forcing network operators to allow other telcos to sell services over their infrastructure.

Source: Computerworld

Half of all NBN users still opting for speeds of just 25/5Mbps

Despite debate between political parties on the inability of the Coalition's technology-agnostic NBN model to attain high speeds, almost 50 percent of all premises connected are opting for just 25/5Mbps.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN launches HFC services on former Telstra network in WA

The first Telstra HFC network acquired by NBN has been declared ready for service, joining the former Optus HFC network launched in June.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra increases NBN market share

A snapshot provided by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission of National Broadband Network services reveals that Telstra continues to dominate the NBN market.

Source: Computerworld

NBN brings HFC to Western Australia

NBN has formally launched commercial hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) services in Western Australia.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 28th Jul 2016

Telstra complaints rise alongside market share

The TIO and Kantar have both published their latest stats on the Australian telecommunications industry, with outage-riddled Telstra increasing in both complaints and market share.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Trident Perth-Singapore subsea cable signs Equinix datacentres

The submarine cable that will connect Australia with Singapore and Indonesia has chosen to have points of presence in Equinix's Sydney, Singapore, Jakarta, and Melbourne datacentres.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra faces $2-3 billion earnings gap post-NBN: Moody's

Telstra will struggle to fill a $2-3 billion earnings gap once the NBN roll-out winds up, according to ratings agency Moody's.

Source: ABC News

Wed, 27th Jul 2016

Vodafone Australia CTO Benoit Hanssen departing

The CTO responsible for Vodafone's push into regional network coverage is departing for a role at Hutchison.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Singtel and Ericsson implementing 450Mbps 4G indoor technology in 2017

Singtel and Ericsson have aggregated licensed and unlicensed spectrum to extend network coverage indoors to attain throughput speeds of up to 450Mbps.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 26th Jul 2016

​Vodafone heads for New England with mobile blackspot rollout

Vodafone is adding a total of 26 new sites in the New England region, of which 18 will fall under the government's mobile blackspot program and the other eight will be of the company's own funding.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Investigator: The NBN nightmare

If there’s an experience more likely to turn to your preferred deity or superstition than getting an internet service cutover between different providers we’d like to know what is is. The experience of one reader, let’s call him Fred as he’d prefer to stay anonymous, is the stuff of nightmares.

Source: PC Authority

Broadband Advertising Is Too Vague, Says ACCC

Has a grinning olympian convinced you to upgrade to the NBN? Or maybe you’ve hooked up to “super fast high speed” internet. But do you most people actually know what they are buying when they sign up to an internet service provider deal?

Source: Gizmodo