Broadband News

Tue, 28th Apr 2015

TPG or M2: Which company is iiNet's perfect match?

iiNet now has two potential buyers in M2 and TPG, but what is the difference, and which would be better for iiNet customers?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Most 2G/3G networks to stay on until 2020

Operators in the US and Asia Pacific who have announced network closures are the exceptions, with most to remain in use until 2020.

Source: iTWire

SingTel shares still an option for Aussies after delisting

The delisting of Optus parent company SingTel from the Australian Securities Exchange has moved a step closer to completion with Australian shareholders of SingTel formally notified of their options for retaining an interest in the company or selling their shares.

Source: iTWire

TPG beats NBN in court battle over FTTB

TPG has successfully defended itself against NBN (formerly NBN Co) over misleading and deceptive conduct claims arising from its rollout of fibre-to-the-basement.

Source: iTnews Australia

NSW Supreme Court rules against NBN in TPG Fibre-to-the-Building case

NBN has lost its case against TPG and Pipe Networks in the Supreme Court of NSW.

Source: ARN

ACCC warns site-blocking Bill may be used to 'intimidate' VPN users

Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman Rod Sims has warned against rights holders 'inappropriately' threatening to block services that grant Australians access to geoblocked services like Hulu and HBO Now.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 27th Apr 2015

M2 launches AU$2.25 billion counter bid for iiNet

TPG is facing a fight in its bid to take over rival ISP iiNet, with M2 Group launching a counter offer of AU$2.25 billion for the telco.

Source: ZDNet Australia

M2 pledges to keep iiNet brand alive

M2 CEO Geoff Horth has promised to maintain the iiNet brand as a standalone operation and preserve its much-touted customer advocacy should its $1.6 billion offer for the company be accepted.

Source: iTnews Australia

M2 CEO: Acquiring iiNet would 'bring two great businesses together'

The potential acquisition of iiNet would be an "opportunity to bring two great businesses together," the CEO of M2, Geoff Horth, said this morning.

Source: Computerworld

M2 Group confirms rival iiNet bid

M2 Group has confirmed it has submitted a rival bid for iiNet, following TPG's $1.4 billion all-cash takeover proposal it signed with the company in March.

Source: ARN

Fri, 24th Apr 2015

NBN Co ditches the 'co' from name

NBN Co will on Monday introduce a new name for the company, ditching the 'co' in favour of a streamlined "NBN" brand it hopes will spur sales of products on the national broadband network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra in talks with Netflix despite Foxtel stake

Telstra is in talks with Netflix about how to jointly market, promote and host the hugely popular streaming video provider's services despite its partial ownership of direct rival, Foxtel.

Source: SMH

Site blocking laws will stifle tech investment: Google

Search giant Google has warned the Government that proposed site-blocking legislation, combined with existing copyright enforcement efforts, will damage Australia’s prospects as a site of digital investment.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 23rd Apr 2015

Amaysim amazingly adds more 4G data at no extra cost

Amaysim has boosted its 6GB plan to 7GB, its 4GB plan to 5GB and 1.5GB plan to 2GB at no extra cost from today onwards.

Source: iTWire

Telstra hits 590Mbps mobile data speeds using LTE-A

Telstra managed yesterday to hit speeds of up to 590 megabits per second using LTE-Advanced carrier aggregation on its network, the telco's group managing director for networks, Mike Wright, said today.

Source: Computerworld

Mobile competition hurting Telstra customer revenue

Australia's increasingly heated mobile market is hurting the amount of money Telstra makes from each customer, according to Telstra Mobile and Wireline executive director Warwick Bray.

Source: SMH

Wed, 22nd Apr 2015

Dallas Buyers Club and ISPs wrangle over costs

Dallas Buyers Club LLC and a group of ISPs, including iiNet and a number of its subsidiaries, were this morning back in court as the judge presiding over the legal wrangle prepares to make orders on costs.

Source: Computerworld

The censorship end game of the piracy site-blocking Bill

A call for the government to implement a widespread internet filter in addition to allowing rights holders to get piracy sites blocked shows that the legislation will be an open door for full internet censorship in Australia.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Microsoft phishing filter blocks legitimate Aussie sites

A number of legitimate websites for Australian business and educational institutions were blocked for up to five hours today by Microsoft's SmartScreen phishing and malware filter.

Source: iTnews Australia

Sydney weather: How storms slow the internet

Phone and internet issues in NSW after the state's wettest two-day soaking in 18 years are not all caused by power outages and trees bringing down phones lines. A big part of the problem is caused by rain water filling up Telstra pits which aren't adequately sealed.

Source: SMH

Fears thousands of legitimate websites could be blocked under anti-piracy, site-blocking regime

Australians could be blocked from accessing thousands of legitimate websites under the government's anti-piracy, website-blocking regime, consumer and industry groups have warned.

Source: SMH

Dallas Buyers Club wants ISP user details in two weeks

The owners of the Dallas Buyers Club film want iiNet and a number of other internet service providers to hand over the details of 4700 alleged copyright infringers within two weeks.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 21st Apr 2015

Telstra not committing to premium charges for Netflix

Telstra has no plans to charge over-the-top players like Netflix to ensure the delivery of their traffic, according to chief operations officer Kate McKenzie.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Former NBN Co boss Mike Quigley defends building own satellites amid NewSat collapse

NBN Co's former chief executive has defended the decision to build its own satellites as the much touted private-sector alternative, Melbourne-based NewSat, files for bankruptcy and heads into voluntary administration amid allegations of mismanagement and mis-spending.

Source: SMH

Singtel to delist from ASX

Optus parent Singtel has requested approval to delist from the Australian Stock Exchange over low trade volumes, the company said today.

Source: iTnews Australia

Why the journey to IPv6 is still the road less traveled

The writing's on the wall about the short supply of IPv4 addresses, and IPv6 has been around since 1999. Then why does the new protocol still make up just a fraction of the Internet?

Source: Computerworld

Mon, 20th Apr 2015

HBO tracking down pirates who downloaded leaked Game of Thrones episodes

HBO continues to manage the fallout from this month's incredibly high-profile leak of the first four episodes of Game of Thrones season 5, sending out a flurry of take-down notices and sending letters to those who downloaded the files via BitTorrent.

Source: SMH

Telcos label site-blocking bill 'deficient'

Australia's telecommunications industry body has accused the Government of leaving two crucial requirements out of its proposed site-blocking bill, labelling the draft legislation "deficient".

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co to start second FTTN trial

NBN Co has embarked on a second trial of fibre-to-the-node technology for 200 end-users to test the network ahead of the commercial launch of an FTTN product.

Source: iTnews Australia

Rights holders want access to site blocking to be more affordable

The Australian Copyright Council has said that the Federal Circuit Court, rather than the Federal Court, should be able to force ISPs to block websites, because the cost of cases would be lower for rights holders.

Source: ZDNet Australia