Broadband News

Thu, 16th Jul 2015

Our wireless is the best, says NBN

The NBN might be delivering a sub-optimal wired service now the Government has directed it to use copper rather than fibre, but it says its wireless service will be first rate.

Source: iTWire

NBN downplays 5G plans while 4G beats international peers

5G is the end game for NBN's fixed-wireless network, but the company's 4G network is already world-leading, according to an Ericsson-commissioned report.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Japanese telcos plan DSL shutdown to favour FttH: report

Fibre to the Home connections are something many Japanese have signed up to in the tens of millions for years, but DSL connections are steadily falling.

Source: iTWire

ISPs cry out for extension to data retention deadline

The telecommunications industry has urged the government to roll back its deadline for when internet and carrier service providers must comply with the data retention scheme due to ongoing confusion over their obligations.

Source: iTnews Australia

Government moves to tackle potential FTTB problems

The government has moved to allow the telecommunications industry to regulate interference issues potentially caused by the deployment of so-called 'next-generation' broadband technologies that rely on copper twisted pair cables.

Source: Computerworld

Report names nbn fixed wireless service a world leader

The delivery of fast broadband services to rural and regional Australia via the nbn fixed wireless network will help to close the digital divide and deliver new opportunities, according to a new report.

Source: ARN

Wed, 15th Jul 2015

iiNet takes top place in Netflix speed rankings

As research estimates that over 1.4 million Australians are accessing the streaming video-on-demand service, Netflix has given iiNet the crown for the best prime-time Netflix speed performance for the month of June.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Seven maps that show how unequal internet access is

Internet access around the world is changing. These eight maps show the disparity of our digital lives.

Source: PC Authority

Tue, 14th Jul 2015

TPG's NBN rival reaches 352 buildings

TPG's fibre-to-the-building network has reached 352 buildings in a year since first launching the service, according to data from Whirlpool cited by the Department of Communications.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Here's what to takes to lay Google's 9,000km undersea cable

It takes a plow the size of a small house, a robot the size of a truck and a purpose-built ship to install Google's latest oceanic infrastructure project -- a super-fast submarine Internet cable linking the U.S. and Japan.

Source: Computerworld

iiNet lands Tasmanian Government Internet services deal

ASX-listed ISP, iiNet (ASX:IIN), has landed a two-year whole-of-government Internet services agreement with the Tasmanian Government.

Source: ARN

NBN exceeds low expectations

Who’d a thought it? Malcolm Turnbull has announced how pleased he is that the NBN has exceeded its targets. Easy, if you know how.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 13th Jul 2015

Telstra to hike line rental, call prices

Telstra will raise its monthly phone line rental charges from October 1 to account for the increased investment it is making in its network, the telco said today.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull lauds NBN Co for latest rollout figures

NBN (the government-owned company formerly known as NBN Co) has hit its target for the number of premises able to order services on the NBN (the National Broadband Network, not the company).

Source: Computerworld

Does Abbott have the cyber-patience Australia needs?

With an election year approaching, will Prime Minister Tony Abbott manage to resist the urge to act tough on cyber security?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra GSM switch off 2016, Nokia says 100% GSM data growth

As Telstra prepares for its GSM 2G network switch off in 18 months time, to the chagrin of many customers, Nokia separately says telcos should prepare for 100% GSM data growth.

Source: iTWire

DDoS attack downs iiNet services

iiNet broadband customers in New South Wales had a rough ride over the weekend, facing long service interruptions as their internet provider struggled to mitigate against a large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack.

Source: iTnews Australia

Apple to give IPv6 traffic a boost

The next versions of Apple's OS X and iOS operating systems could deliver a significant boost to worldwide IPv6 traffic.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 09th Jul 2015

Telstra to boost mobile investment to $5bn

Telstra chief executive Andy Penn has committed to investing more than $5 billion in the telco's mobile network over the next three years during his first major speech since taking the job.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra to pump another $500 million into mobile network

Telstra CEO Andy Penn has used a Committee for Economic Development of Australia (CEDA) event to announce a boost to the telco’s spending on its mobile network.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra to spend $5 billion in mobile war with Optus

Telstra is ramping up the amount it spends on phone and internet networks spending $5 billion in the three years to June 2017 to fend off competition from key rivals like Singtel-Optus.

Source: SMH

Partnership sealed to build new trans-Pacific cable

New Zealand cable company Hawaiki Cable and SIL Long Term Holdings, the investment vehicle of Sir Eion Edgar, have signed an agreement to build the Hawaiki submarine cable system.

Source: iTWire

Trust us: Telcos told they can't verify journalist metadata warrants

Australian telecommunications companies will have to accept, at face value, that government agencies have obtained a warrant to access the metadata of a journalist.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 08th Jul 2015

Vodafone's core upgrade to aid network expansion

Vodafone Australia's core network upgrade will help the company with its plans to grow the 4G mobile network over the next 18 months, according to CTO Benoit Hanssen.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Perth asks ISPs to set up public transport wi-fi for free

Western Australia’s Public Transport Authority is pushing ahead with plans to install free public wi-fi across the city’s trains, buses and ferries despite having no money to pay for the initiative.

Source: iTnews Australia

Major Vodafone network upgrade goes live

Vodafone has switched traffic from its 4G data customers over to its new core Ericsson-based network ahead of the rollout of voice over LTE (VoLTE) services later this year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Defence extends Optus satellite contract until 2020

The Department of Defence has extended until 2020 its managed satellite services agreement with Optus.

Source: Computerworld

Vodafone switches 4G data to new core network

Vodafone's new Ericsson-designed network is now being used for all 4G data by the telco's customers.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 07th Jul 2015

Rural dwellers employ elaborate setups for internet

Rural residents are spending thousands of dollars on aerials and repeaters while paying large amounts of money for internet plans with small usage allowances, despite the NBN rollout and the government's efforts to address mobile blackspots.

Source: iTnews Australia

Hardware failure hits iiNet broadband and 3G data

An unspecified hardware failure created disruption for iiNet broadband customers in New South Wales and affected its 3G mobile data services nationwide throughout yesterday.

Source: iTnews Australia