Broadband News
Thu, 22nd Jan 2015
Internet not yet killing free-to-air television: Deloitte
Video might have killed the radio star according to the pop hit from the 1980s, but the internet has not yet killed free-to-air television.
Source: ABC News
Wed, 21st Jan 2015
How Netflix wants to end geoblocking
Netflix is negotiating its content deals now in a way that will mean people outside of the US will no longer need to use VPNs to access the shows and films they want to watch.
Source: ZDNet Australia
New Optus prepaid offer for more data and talk time
Optus is striking back at prepaid competitors with added data and talk time, but is it enough?
Source: iTWire
Vodafone’s new 4G Wi-Fi Cube connects up to 32 devices
With the ‘average home’ having eight connected devices, Vodafone’s new 4G Wi-Fi Cube can connect 32 devices, but wireless data is still more costly than wired.
Source: iTWire
Netflix ready for Aust, NZ market battle
US internet television network Netflix says it is ready to fight for Australian and New Zealand viewers in what it describes as highly competitive markets.
Source: Computerworld
Tue, 20th Jan 2015
Optus extends 4G Plus to its entire network
The 4G wars continue. Optus is making a big deal of its ‘4G Plus’ technology, which is now available across its entire Australian network.
Source: iTWire
Telstra tests solar fuel cell for backup power
Telstra is trialling the use of hydrogen-based backup power to keep exchange sites up and running in the event of a mains power outage.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus, iiNet concerned at 'relaxed' NBN infosec rules
Optus and iiNet have voiced concerns that hard-fought rules on how Telstra handles confidential information it receives in the course of migrating users onto the NBN are about to be "relaxed".
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 19th Jan 2015
NBN Co begins fibre-to-the-basement rollout
Approximately 6,000 premises in Sydney, Melbourne, and the ACT will be the first to be connected to the NBN via fibre to the basement.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra to sell 100G service on subsea cables
Telstra will offer 100 gigabit per second connectivity on several subsea cables to meet the need for increased international capacity, particularly the large amounts of bandwidth required for high definition video and ultra-high definition (UHD) television.
Source: iTnews Australia
Alan Jones will be among the first 6000 to be able to benefit from FTTB rollout
Radio personality Alan Jones will be one of the lucky 6000 users across 43 apartment buildings to be the first to be able to join the national broadband network's fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) rollout by the middle of 2015.
Source: SMH
Thu, 15th Jan 2015
How NBN Co will determine what connection you get
NBN Co is beginning to work out the exact process of how it will determine which technology in the 'multi-technology mix' will connect each premises across Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 14th Jan 2015
Telstra power outage downs BigPond services
A power outage at one of Telstra's data centres shuttered internet services to BigPond customers for up to four hours this morning.
Source: iTnews Australia
Darwin CBD to switch from copper phone lines to optic fibre NBN
More than 700 households and businesses in Darwin are told they need to switch to the National Broadband Network or lose their internet service, but some users of the network say it is no better than their old service.
Source: ABC News
Telstra Bigpond users reporting wide internet outage
Telstra Bigpond customers from across the country have flooded Facebook and Twitter this morning to report an internet service outage, with some saying they've been waiting on hold with customer service for hours.
Source: SMH
Queensland Optus mobile phones change to daylight saving time
Queensland Optus customers had a rude shock on Wednesday morning after their mobile phones clicked over to daylight saving time.
Source: Brisbane Times
Tue, 13th Jan 2015
Australian emergency services seek phone GPS access
Australian emergency service agencies want access to GPS data on phones to locate callers in emergencies, but Telstra has said it is up to users to ensure that GPS applications are turned on.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australia's broadband ranking isn't Turnbull's fault
To blame Australia's drop in the Akamai State of the Internet ranking for peak and average broadband speeds on the government's decision to move away from fibre to the premises for the NBN defies reality.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 12th Jan 2015
Western Sydney NBN cutover starts soon
Written by: Stephen Withers | Published in: Telecoms & NBNParts of western Sydney were connected to the NBN a while ago, and so it's nearly time for other landline phone and internet connections to be decommissioned.
Source: iTWire
Data retention 'an urgent priority': Brandis
Attorney-General George Brandis has linked the terrorist attack in Paris and the siege in Sydney to the government's push to pass mandatory data-retention legislation in Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australian internet speeds rank 44th in the world
A US study has delivered an unwelcome finding about Australian internet speeds, finding that they are well behind the international pack.
Source: ABC News
NBN: HFC transition plan alarms telco coalition
Allowing NBN Co to carry out construction work on Telstra's HFC network before ownership of the network is transferred to the government-owned company risks giving Telstra an unfair advantage over its competitors, according to the Competitive Carriers Coalition.
Source: Computerworld
Revealed: The lucky Sydney suburbs to get NBN next
Over the next two months, about 20,000 homes and businesses in western Sydney will have their landline and internet services replaced by high-speed internet, as the NBN is launched.
Source: SMH
Fri, 09th Jan 2015
TPG on NBN rival: 'We are not as bad as Telstra'
TPG has said that Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull acted too hastily in issuing a draft regulation forcing the company to develop a wholesale product for its fibre-to-the-basement networks.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 08th Jan 2015
Google, Facebook, eBay slam Australian 'de facto internet filter'
The digital policy group representing giants such as Google, Yahoo7, Facebook, and eBay in Australia have slammed the Australian government's use of the Telecommunications Act to compel ISPs to block websites.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN fibre to the world: New Caledonia
The New Caledonian incumbent telecommunications company is working with the government to upgrade 65,000 premises on the island to fibre to the premises, because 16Mbps is not enough for the population.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 07th Jan 2015
Vodafone CEO puts data and content first in comeback plans
Vodafone Australia could be known as the company that cried 'growth', but CEO Inaki Berroeta is confident that the company's long-awaited return is well under way.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Netflix, Apple, Adobe. How geoblocks rip you off
Netflix is about to come to Australia and as a thank-you to the 200,000 Australians who have been devotedly buying its content for years it is reportedly about to pull the plug.
Source: SMH
Tue, 06th Jan 2015
TPG bringing back FTTB network to rival NBN
TPG Telecom has promised to bring back its controversial superfast broadband product, which competes against NBN Co, despite tough new rules introduced by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.
Source: SMH
44C Perth heat forces iiNet datacentre offline
iiNet was yesterday forced to take its emails, websites, and customer portals offline due to a failure of the air conditioning in its Perth datacentre.
Source: ZDNet Australia