Broadband News
Tue, 01st Sep 2015
Australian anti-piracy notice scheme delayed
September 1, 2015, was supposed to be the start date of a new anti-piracy scheme that would see Australians receive "copyright infringement" notices from their ISP if they were caught downloading music, TV shows or films illicitly online.
Source: SMH
Telstra rolls over and offers data/call credit roll over on pre-paid
Telstra’s Pre-Paid Freedom Plus plans now come with data and call credit roll over, matching some competitors at long last with much better value.
Source: iTWire
Presto's HD Content Library Goes Live Today, So How Much Bandwidth Will It Need?
After a few months in testing, Presto’s HD offering goes out to the public today. Users will be able to experience 1080p content as well as 5.1 channel surround sound. We know just how much it takes to run a HD stream from Netflix, but what does it take from Presto? What sort of speed do you need?
Source: Gizmodo
NBN under fire for affordability, accessibility
NBN's satellite service is reportedly too expensive for lower socio-economic groups to afford, with critics saying the 'fair use' download restrictions constrain access and availability to those with limited choices.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC defends approval of TPG/iiNet merger
ACCC chairman Rod Sims has defended his decision to approve TPG’s takeover of iiNet, but admitted it was not a “black and white” issue.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN should be prepared for disaggregation: ACCC chair
The chair of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, Rod Sims, has repeated his belief that NBN should be prepared for a potential future breakup of the company into separate entities.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 31st Aug 2015
Battle of the blowouts: How real can Labor make its Real NBN?
If Labor wants to bring more fibre to the premises into the NBN mix, then it must decide how much extra money it will allow NBN to spend.
Source: ZDNet Australia
More data, longer expires says Optus
Optus has upped data allowances with a new mobile broadband plan, now giving its mobile customers 50GB with a one year expiry.
Source: iTWire
Aussie telcos push for severe restructure of ACMA
Australia's telcos have put forward their proposals for the future of communications regulator ACMA, with the country's two largest carriers recommending the regulator be severely wound back or scrapped altogether.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet CEO David Buckingham leaves company
CEO of Perth-based internet service provider iiNet, David Buckingham, has left the company, according to multiple sources.
Source: SMH
Fri, 28th Aug 2015
ACCC approves Optus HFC NBN deal
The competition regulator has given the go-ahead to Optus’ agreement to transfer its HFC cable network to the NBN, clearing one of the final regulatory roadblocks to the rollout of the Coalition's multi-technology mix network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Spammers take advantage of Ashley Madison data breach
Spammers have been quick to try to cash in on the Ashley Madison data breach, with a spike in email campaigns mentioning the ‘infidelity’ website, according to a global security firm.
Source: iTWire
Optus’ revised NBN deal gets the nod from ACCC
Optus and nbn Co. are free to complete a deal that will see the telco sell its hybrid-fiber coaxial (HFC) network after getting the green light from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).
Source: ARN
Facebook hits new record with one billion active users in a single day
Facebook hits a new benchmark in its seemingly inexorable march to Internet ubiquity, with one billion people using the social network in a single day.
Source: ABC News
Stan reaches 300,000 subscribers, says Nine
Unlike Netflix and Presto, VOD service Stan has published subscriber numbers. It reaches nearly a million Australians, but is still losing money.
Source: iTWire
M2 hunting for a takeover following TPG’s iiNet deal
M2 Telecommunications chief executive Geoff Horth is on the prowl for potential acquisitions in both the telco and energy markets in the wake of TPG’s approved takeover of iiNet.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 27th Aug 2015
Piracy prevention vs. policing: Industry debates piracy code, website blocking
Despite wide-ranging agreement that content availability can reduce online copyright infringement, at the behest of the government, 'education' and punitive measures are continuing to be pushed amid unresolved debates on cost sharing.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus' acquisitions drive FY15 revenue growth
Vocus Communications' acquisitions of FX Networks and ASG's Bentley datacentre has helped increase the company's revenue by 62 percent for the 2015 financial year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG opens Layer 2 FTTB product for wholesale
TPG is now offering wholesale partners the opportunity to access its fibre-to-the-basement network through a Layer 2 product for $27 per month, as demanded by the government's carrier license conditions.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 26th Aug 2015
Secret NBN plan aims to help big brands like Woolworths and others sell internet access
NBN Co. is working on a secret plan to help retailers like Woolworths and other companies compete with phone companies to sell internet access.
Source: SMH
iiNet pulls the plug on Fetch TV
iiNet's on-demand service TV with Fetch is no longer available for purchase on the company's website.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG forces iiNet to dump Fetch TV
After talks with Foxtel, TPG is forcing newly-acquired iiNet and its subsidiaries to abandon competing pay TV service Fetch TV.
Source: SMH
Tue, 25th Aug 2015
Australian government to overhaul spectrum laws
The Department of Communications has said it will go along with recommendations to revamp spectrum allocation and licensing laws in order to bring them in line with modern communications infrastructure.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN October map update extending to three-year outlook
NBN CEO Bill Morrow said on Monday that the next update to the NBN rollout maps will increase information from 18 months to 36 months.
Source: ZDNet Australia
MyNetFone comes in with record profits
Integrated telecommunications software and network provider, MyNetFone, has recorded record profits for the 2015 full year to the end of June, with net profit rising to $7.2 million, a 24% increase on the previous year.
Source: iTWire
ACCC cuts call, SMS charges for telcos
The ACCC has made the final decision on how much telcos can charge each other for receiving calls and text messages on their networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN’s new Corporate Plan exposes copper concerns
The NBN has released its long-awaited new Corporate Plan. It contains some troubling doubts about the state of Telstra’s copper network.
Source: iTWire
Australian Privacy Commissioner investigates Ashley Madison hack
Australia's Privacy Commissioner has opened an investigation into the breach of infidelity website Ashley Madison after hackers exposed the profiles of as many as 37 million customers.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra website pushes malvertising
Telstra's 'media content' home page has been infected with 'malvertising' which links to a malicious exploit kit.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 24th Aug 2015
NBN still not sure about the state of Telstra's copper
As NBN prepares for the commercial launch of fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) services on the National Broadband Network, the company's updated corporate plan reveals significant uncertainty remains about the state of Telstra's copper network.
Source: Computerworld