Broadband News
Tue, 17th Mar 2015
Australian 4G speeds not improving
Australia mobile customers get some of the best 4G LTE coverage in the world but are receiving less than impressive data speeds, large-scale user research shows.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 16th Mar 2015
Telcos demand Commonwealth stump up for data retention
The CEOs of Telstra, Optus, Vodafone, iiNet, Macquarie Telecom, M2, and others have signed a letter demanding Australian Attorney-General George Brandis and Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull detail how much the government is willing to pay for the mandatory data-retention scheme.
Source: ZDNet Australia
How the AFP sold Abbott on mandatory data retention
Inside the Australian Federal Police's lobbying of Prime Minister Tony Abbott to pass mandatory data-retention legislation.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra’s free tool to help manage kids’ screen time
Telstra has released a free cyber-safety tool that parents can use to set time-of-day limits on kids’ calls and mobile web use.
Source: iTWire
Government should delay data retention bill, Ludlam says
The government should delay debate on its proposed mandatory data retention legislation at least until a parliamentary committee has investigated its potential impact on journalism, Greens Senator Scott Ludlam has argued.
Source: Computerworld
TPG swipes NBN city customers via rival Fibre-to-the-Basement network
Australian ISP, AusBBS, has started connecting customers to TPG's Fibre-to-the-Basement rival National Broadband Network product via its AAPT wholesale business.
Source: ARN
iiNet sale to TPG: what happens to the customer?
The sale of iiNet to TPG is being greeted by business people and analysts as though it is the equivalent of the second coming.
Source: iTWire
IPv6 laggards to face tough questions from investors
The head of North America’s regional internet naming authority has sent a global warning to ISPs that their IPv4 infrastructure will be redundant within five years.
Source: iTnews Australia
Sat, 14th Mar 2015
TPG's iiNet buyout won't harm NBN: Turnbull
TPG's AU$1.4 billion acquisition of iiNet is 'what the market does', according to Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet to live on as a 'premium brand' for TPG
iiNet will live on as a "premium brand" if TPG's acquisition of the ISP goes ahead, TPG executives said at an investor briefing this morning.
Source: Computerworld
Internet rivals TPG and iiNet may not prove to be a good fit
TPG’s $1.4 billion offer to buy rival iiNet marks the end of an era that began in a Perth garage in the early 1990s.
Source: The Australian
Fri, 13th Mar 2015
NBN Co fibre-on-demand product launches
Australians wanting the lifestyle choice of fibre to the premises must soon pay NBN Co for the privilege.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone’s Hobart-based customer centre opened by PM Tony Abbott
Vodafone has announced ‘a boost for Australian jobs and Australian customer service’ with its new customer care centre officially opened in Hobart this morning.
Source: iTWire
iiNet and TPG: when two cultures clash
iiNet customers will be waiting with bated breath to learn what will happen to their ISP - the champion of the customer - once it integrates with new parent and unashamedly low-cost operator TPG.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC: Be on guard for NBN scammers
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) warns NBN scams through emails, calls, or door knocks selling you equipment or seeking financial details are coming.
Source: iTWire
NBN Co trials HFC, promises upgrade to fibre speeds
NBN Co will upgrade the hybrid coaxial-fibre (HFC) cable networks it bought from Telstra and Optus to a new high-speed technology standard that can deliver fibre-like speeds.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co confirms gigabit tech upgrade for HFC
NBN Co has confirmed it will roll out the DOCSIS 3.1 standard for the Hybrid Fibre Coaxial (HFC) cable broadband networks it is acquiring from Telstra and Optus.
Source: Computerworld
TPG to buy iiNet for $1.4 billion
TPG is set to acquire iiNet for about $1.4 billion. iiNet chairman, Michael Smith, said the board viewed it as a significant reward for shareholders who have shown their faith in iiNet.
Source: ARN
Thu, 12th Mar 2015
NBN Co reveals costs for users to switch to fibre
NBN Co will allow users to choose the type of technology to be rolled out to their home or community, for a price.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co to trial HFC in Queensland and New South Wales
NBN Co has named four suburbs in Queensland and New South Wales that will be the first to trial the company's hybrid fibre-coaxial networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co to test hooking up more premises to HFC
NBN Co will undertake construction trials in NSW and Queensland to test hooking up to the NBN homes that sit within the footprint of Optus's and Telstra's Hybrid Fibre Coaxial networks but do not currently have HFC connections.
Source: Computerworld
Vodafone completes carrier aggregation across 4G metro network
Vodafone has completed its deployment of a 850-1800 MHz carrier aggregation across its 4G metropolitan network.
Source: ARN
NBN Co launches construction trials to speed up rollout
NBN Co is set to conduct construction trials designed to speed up the rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Source: ARN
Optus and Netflix versus Telstra and Presto
Netflix’s entry to the Australian market is seeing the battle lines drawn against Telstra, which owns half of Presto. Telstra’s rivals, who are lining up with Netflix.
Source: iTWire
TPG offers $45 monthly wholesale FTTB package
TPG has opened wholesale access to its fibre-to-the-basement network for $45 a month in a bid to meet a new carrier license condition imposed by the Government on would-be NBN competitors.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 11th Mar 2015
Turnbull argues government should be run like NBN
'With the NBN, the first thing we threw out was ideology, lies, and spin': Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has argued that the Australian government should engage with the public in the same way he has around the National Broadband Network.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra set to lose fight for 7 percent wholesale price hike
Telstra is likely to lose its push for a 7 percent increase to fees it charges wholesale partners to access its fixed-line copper network, and may instead be forced to drop its charges by 12 percent in real terms over the next four years.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC rejects Telstra push for wholesale broadband price hike
In a draft decision the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has rejected Telstra's push to increase the prices it charges other telcos that deliver services over its copper network.
Source: Computerworld
Optus unveils Netflix streaming deal
Optus has inked a deal with US streaming giant Netflix to provide customers with six months free access to the service - providing they are either new or re-contracting customers.
Source: ARN
Service providers to pay 12 less to access Telstra copper: ACCC
Telco operators are set to pay 12 per cent less to access the Telstra copper network after the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission issued its draft decision on prices to promote competition in the transition to the NBN.
Source: ARN