Broadband News
Wed, 23rd Sep 2015
TPG signals big things to come with solid financials
TPG, now Australia’s number two telco, has announced a healthy set of numbers for its 2015 year, although not quite as much as some analysts expected. With iiNet soon to be assimilated, TPG has sounded an ominous warning to its rivals.
Source: iTWire
Police, firies set to lose hard-fought spectrum fight
Public safety agencies would be best served by commercial carriers when it comes to a national mobile capability for emergency services, the Productivity Commission has recommended, in a report that provoked a fierce backlash from police around the country.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG founder David Teoh has warned he will keep building his NBN rival network
Newly crowned as Australia's second-largest internet service provider TPG Telecom will plough on with construction of its rival to the federal government's $56 billion national broadband network and may even start offering access through its booming retail brands.
Source: SMH
Tue, 22nd Sep 2015
Brandis loses hold on copyright
Australia's new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has taken responsibility for copyright policy off Attorney-General George Brandis and handed it to the country's new Communications Minister Mitch Fifield.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra's Wi-Fi 4GX Advanced III: Hands On With The World's First 600Mbps Mobile Hotspot
Telstra is Australia’s largest telco, and that means it can spend a bit of cash on keeping its 4GX mobile network world-class and super-fast. Alongside switching on Voice Over LTE, the new Wi-Fi mobile hotspot that Telstra calls the Wi-Fi 4GX Advanced III is capable of 600Mbps download speeds — theoretically.
Source: Gizmodo
Fifield to oversee govt's anti-piracy efforts
Prime minister Malcolm Turnbull's newly minted communications minister, senator Mitch Fifield, will oversee administration of Australia's copyright regime.
Source: Computerworld
Organic growth drives TPG's 31 percent lift in net profit for FY15
TPG has achieved AU$224.1 million in net profit for the 2015 financial year due to organic growth it experienced in both its consumer and corporate division.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Billion-dollar TPG flags iiNet 'product refreshes'
TPG has shown its financial muscle with 30 percent growth in revenue, profits and earnings for the fiscal year just completed, even before iiNet came on to its books.
Source: CRN
TPG boosts profit 31%
TPG has reported net profit after tax of $221.4 million on revenue of $1.27 billion for the year ended 31 July.
Source: Computerworld
Optus Wholesale 100Gbps international service goes live
Telecommunications provider, Optus, has lit up its first international 100Gbps service. Optus Wholesale has officially delivered the service for a US-based partner on the Southern Cross Cable Network (SCCN) that connects Australia to the US’ West Coast via New Zealand, Fiji and Hawaii.
Source: ARN
Mon, 21st Sep 2015
ACCAN welcomes Sen Mitch Fifield as new Comms Minister
ACCAN, the Australian Communications Consumer Action Network has welcomed the appointment of Senator Mitch Fifield as Comms Minister and looks forward to working with him.
Source: iTWire
NBN switches on FttN network
NBN has switched on the fibre-to-the-node portion of its multi-technology mix high-speed broadband network, with promises that it will deliver speeds of 100Mbps.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN's fibre-to-the-node services go live
NBN has launched its first live services for end users on fibre-to-the-node technology, claiming most ADSL users won't need an on-premises appointment to switch over to the network.
Source: iTnews Australia
MyNetFone launches short-term internet contract aimed at renters
VoIP network provider and telco MyNetFone has launched an internet plan specifically for Australian renters.
Source: CRN
Sun, 20th Sep 2015
Senator Mitch Fifield to oversee NBN rollout as comms minister
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has appointed Senator Mitch Fifield to the communications portfolio as part of the new-look Coalition ministry.
Source: Computerworld
Mitch Fifield named Australia's new Communications Minister
Victorian Liberal senator Mitch Fifield will become the country's new Communications Minister following a cabinet reshuffle under new Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 18th Sep 2015
Dear Mr PM, an MTM NBN is simply not good enough
COMMENT: Just before he became Prime Minister I had a telephone discussion with the then Minister for Communication, Malcolm Turnbull, regarding an article I wrote in which I expressed my disappointment about various issues around the NBN.
Source: iTWire
Service Stream signs new NBN contract
Service Stream has signed a new contract with NBN to roll out National Broadband Network infrastructure including fibre-to-the-node (FTTN), fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) and fibre-to-the-building (FTTB).
Source: Computerworld
Thu, 17th Sep 2015
Senate calls for NBN operating plan
The upper house of parliament has demanded to see NBN's financial forecasts and rollout plans after the corporate plan was unveiled last month.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Turnbull considers communications minister replacement
The topic of who will become the next communications minister after the last one was elevated to prime minister is continuing, with Hockey, Pyne, and Fletcher all rumoured possibilities.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Senate demands release of NBN FTTP analysis
The Senate has backed a motion from Labor's Steven Conroy demanding that NBN release a number of documents including an analysis of the cost of an all-fibre rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Source: Computerworld
Don't expect an NBN backflip under Prime Minister Turnbull
We're still waiting for a new Communications Minister, but don't expect Turnbull's ousting of Abbott to put an all-fibre NBN back on the table.
Source: SMH
Wed, 16th Sep 2015
Telstra begins rolling out the next-generation of 4G services
Telstra announced today that it had progressively begin enabling voice over LTE (VoLTE) across its network.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra announces super-fast mobile broadband world first
A new mobile device announced by Telstra on Wednesday will theoretically deliver download speeds of up to 600 megabits per second in select areas - up to six times faster than what the Turnbull government's fibre-to-the-node network will be able to deliver under its current design.
Source: SMH
Telstra claims Aussie first with 4G voice calls
Telstra has claimed an Australian-first with Voice over LTE, an offering that allows mobile users to remain on the 4G network during voice calls.
Source: CRN
NBN CEO wants to boost RSP choice for end users
NBN CEO Bill Morrow today said the company wants to look at ways of making it easier for retail service providers to sell services on the National Broadband Network.
Source: Computerworld
Turnbull as PM may ‘recalibrate NBN’ with shift to FttP: Ovum
Telecoms research group Ovum’s principal government technology analyst believes that Malcolm Turnbull’s appointment as Australia’s Prime Minister will see a change in the fortunes of the NBN, including a faster rollout and shift back towards FttP.
Source: iTWire
What now for the NBN under a Malcolm Turnbull government?
Now that Malcolm Turnbull has been sworn in as prime minister, the choice of a replacement Communications Minister is critically important, especially for the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: SMH
Tue, 15th Sep 2015
Optus upgrades wholesale fibre network across Australia to 100Gbps
The telco has upgraded its cross-continent network with Alcatel-Lucent wavelength technology to provide capacity of up to 100Gbps to wholesale customers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
‘Fast track’ the NBN, Internet Australia tells Turnbull
Internet Australia has called on incoming Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull to fast track construction of the National Broadband Network, claiming the Abbott Government failed to understand the importance of the Internet.
Source: iTWire