Broadband News

Thu, 21st May 2015

Dallas Buyers Club will chase other ISP customers over piracy

The owners of the film Dallas Buyers Club plan to go after customers of more internet service providers for alleged copyright infringement following their court battle with iiNet.

Source: iTnews Australia

Gathering Dallas Buyers Club downloader details not cheap, say ISPs

Dallas Buyers Club LLC has questioned an estimate produced by ISPs of how much it could cost to gather the details of customers linked to a collection of IP addresses. Lawyers representing DBC LLC today also hinted at casting a wider net to catch pirates, potentially opening up other ISPs' customers to court action.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 20th May 2015

Free legal advice from iiNet and $10 fines expected for Dallas downloaders

Broadband provider iiNet has said it is working with a law firm to offer free legal advice to customers who receive a warning letter or speculative invoice from the copyright holders of the Dallas Buyers Club movie.

Source: iTWire

2015 already a record year for DDoS: Akamai

The first quarter of 2015 saw a record number of direct denial of service (DDoS) attacks according to network service provider, Akamai.

Source: ARN

Vodafone Australia returns to growth

Vodafone has recorded its first growth in revenue since its infamous mobile network failures in 2010.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 19th May 2015

Vodafone Australia posts first revenue growth since 2010

Vodafone Hutchison Australia has returned to revenue growth for the first time in almost five years, in the firmest sign yet that the nation's third-largest telecommunications company is bouncing back from the brink of collapse.

Source: SMH

iiNet to offer free legal advice to DBC pirates

iiNet is planning to offer free legal advice to customers alleged to have shared infringing copies of Dallas Buyers Club online.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet to offer pro-bono services to Dallas Buyers Club infringers

iiNet has said it will alert the customers who have had their names and details handed over to Voltage Pictures for alleged online copyright infringement and will work to provide pro-bono legal services to customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Michael Malone joins Yatango board

Mobile virtual network operator (MVNO) Yatango has lured three big names in the telecommunications industry to its board ahead of its impending initial public offering (IPO).

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 18th May 2015

Internet capacity crunch ahead as web runs out of puff

As the spirit of the internet age races ahead — every device connected, any content, anytime, anywhere — the actual flesh and bones of the internet is wheezing under the strain.

Source: SMH

Australia is the top destination for ransomware: Websense

Australia has become something of a Mecca for Crypto ransomware according to data from the Websense ThreatSeeker Network.

Source: ARN

Fri, 15th May 2015

Optus: Netflix speed guarantees are about collaboration

Optus has said that its proposal to get content providers to pay for bandwidth guarantees is about collaborating with telcos and providing the products that consumers want.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vocus sells 10 percent stake in Amcom

Vocus Communications has sold its 10 percent stake in rival internet service provider Amcom in the hopes it will increase the chance of a planned merger between the two going ahead.

Source: iTnews Australia

Australian government quietly expands access to retained data

Less than two months after passing legislation that was designed to limit access to stored telecommunications data, the Australian government has quietly added Immigration and Border Protection to the list of agencies that can access data.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Macquarie Bank buys Australia’s mobile towers for $2B

Nearly 2000 mobile phone towers around Australia are back in local hands thanks a large wad of cash to be handed over to the current US owner by Macquarie Bank.

Source: iTWire

Thu, 14th May 2015

Piracy site-blocking Bill limits right to expression: Committee

The Australian parliamentary committee for human rights has said that legislation to block websites that infringe on copyright may limit the right to expression.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra named Australia's most complained about telco

Telstra customers made more complaints about their service provider than any other telco's users in the last three months, placing the company at the top of the TIO's complaint list for the first time in years.

Source: iTnews Australia

Parliament's human rights committee questions anti-piracy bill

The latest report of the Parliamentary Joint Committee on Human Rights raises concerns about the proportionality of proposed government legislation aimed at blocking Australian access to piracy websites.

Source: Computerworld

4G growth helps boost Optus revenue

Optus today reported an increase of operating revenue of 4 per cent to $8.79 billion for the year, on the back of an 11 per cent revenue increase for its fourth quarter.

Source: Computerworld

NBN customers complain about connection issues

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman saw connection complaints make up 44.8 percent of all NBN-related complaints between January and March 2015.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Optus customer numbers bounce back to March 2014 levels

Australia's second-largest mobile company Optus has reported Q4 operating revenue up 11.9 percent with the net addition of 42,000 new mobile customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

TIO: Net and landline complaints up, overall complaints down

Landline complaints up to highest quarterly number in two years, Net complaints are up to second highest in four years, yet overall complaints are down.

Source: iTWire

SingTel boosts Optus capex to fight fixed-line, 4G rivals

Optus parent SingTel will boost its investment in the telco to S$1.9 billion (A$1.8 billion) over the coming year to improve Optus's mobile network and increase its share in the fixed-line market in the face of competition from a merged TPG-iiNet.

Source: iTnews Australia

Quickflix to resell Foxtel's 'Presto' service

ASX-listed video streaming and DVD rental company Quickflix has struck an agreement with Foxtel under which Foxtel's Presto streaming service will be available through Quickflix.

Source: Computerworld

Metadata, internet and mobile privacy: from secure apps to VPN

The metadata attached to your phone calls and online activity is making you vulnerable. Here’s how to leave less of a trail.

Source: The Australian

Wed, 13th May 2015

Telstra rushes HFC network expansion ahead of NBN migration

Telstra is rolling out its hybrid fibre-coaxial network into new buildings to connect more customers, despite the network's pending sale to NBN.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra’s new Pre-Paid mobile data prices: impressive

Telstra has announced new pre-paid mobile broadband data passes, including data/credit rollover, lots of data, from 3 days to 2 years expiry!

Source: iTWire

POP: Virgin Mobile’s new plans deliver more data

Virgin Mobile is offering between 4GB and 7GB of bonus data on selected plans in addition to its Data Rollover feature to really challenge Vodafone.

Source: iTWire

ISPs back new rules for NBN data sharing

Australia's telcos - including incumbent Telstra - have backed a proposal to remove any advantage Telstra has from information it receives from NBN on the network rollout.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telcos want clarity on data funds

The nation’s top telecommunications companies have called for clarity on how the government will allocate the $131 million of funding it has set aside in the budget to help set up its controversial data retention scheme.

Source: The Australian