Broadband News
Mon, 24th Nov 2014
Google flying more, longer-lasting Project Loon balloons
Google is now able to deploy internet-equipped balloons into the stratosphere faster and fly them for longer, the search giant revealed in in update to its Project Loon initiative over the weekend.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 21st Nov 2014
Render methodology may return after NBN Co's Melton review
NBN Co paid AU$330,000 to use project-management methodology in six sites, but only used it in one despite FttP rollout improvements.
Source: ZDNet Australia
One week, two corporate plans, three strained NBN Co execs
It's hard to know which is more interesting: That the NBN Co 2014-17 Corporate Plan readily admits that we still know almost nothing concrete about this government's multi-technology mix rollout, or that a leaked final version of the never-released 2013-16 plan suggests the previous government was indeed getting its act together.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Clearer NBN view in sight
Many households are poised to get a clearer idea within weeks when their suburb will get the $41 billion superfast internet network and whether they will get the fibre-to-the-premise version.
Source: The Australian
Vodafone would sell Australian operation 'for the right price'
Vodafone Group would sell the company's Australian operation for the right price, the telco's chief executive Vittorio Colao said overnight.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 20th Nov 2014
TPG presence won't stop NBN Co installing FTTB equipment
NBN Co will be willing to deploy its equipment in the basements of apartment blocks — so-called multi-dwelling units (or MDUs) — even if rival infrastructure is already in place, an executive of the government-owned company said today at a Senate Estimates hearing.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co construction hits 1 million premises mark
This week, NBN Co commenced construction on its one millionth premises, the company said in a Senate Estimates hearing, where it also revealed that it has yet to gain access to any part of the hybrid fibre-coaxial networks that it expects will make up almost a third of its final footprint.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co won't shadow TPG for basement fibre
NBN Co plans to expand its fibre footprint in multi-dwelling units at a rate of 20 new buildings per month, but won't seek to directly shadow competitor TPG’s fibre-to-the basement rollout, the company today revealed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 19th Nov 2014
NBN Co 'historical curiosity' plan shows improved FttP rollout
An unreleased September 2013 draft of NBN Co's 2013-16 Corporate Plan suggests the previous board adjusted for rollout difficulties.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Southern Cross Cable locks in large customers
With a challenge to its international cable monopoly looming, Southern Cross Cable extends its contracts with its largest customers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra hots up hotspot Wi-Fi war with initial free trial
The first 150 Telstra Wi-Fi hotspots have been switched on, with over 100 towns and cities to get 1000 trial hotspots before 25 December 2014 - all free to use as part of a pre-launch trial.
Source: iTWire
Netflix announces Australian launch
Streaming video service Netflix has announced it will launch services in Australia and New Zealand from March 2015.
Source: iTnews Australia
Huawei claims 100Mbps possible over 800m copper lines
Chinese networking vendor Huawei claims to have built a SuperVector prototype that provides up to three times the bandwidth over copper lines of standard VDSL2 vectoring.
Source: iTnews Australia
Amcom expands Northern Territory network deal
ASX-listed telecommunications and IT provider, Amcom Telecommunications (ASX:AMM) has expanded its agreement with the Northern Territory government to supply additional data network services across the region.
Source: ARN
Tue, 18th Nov 2014
Hard to switch NBN back to fibre after Turnbull: Clare
Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has said that a future Labor government would be hard pressed to switch back to a fibre-to-the-premises NBN delivery model, but hopes to develop a policy with stakeholders outlining a path to a fibre 'end game'.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co's plan for HFC networks can work: Arris
Telco equipment manufacturing company Arris is convinced that NBN Co's strategy for HFC networks will work, drawing on overseas examples as evidence.
Source: ZDNet Australia
How Dallas Buyers Club gained IP addresses locked down until 2015
Exactly how the rights holders for the film Dallas Buyers Club obtained the IP addresses of users alleged to have downloaded infringing copies of the film will remain under wraps until at least the public hearing set for February next year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Labor seeks fibre future, but still working on NBN policy: Clare
A future Labor government cannot simply switch back the National Broadband Network to a fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) model, shadow communications minister Jason Clare has said.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 17th Nov 2014
Vodafone switches on 4G+ for Melbourne customers
Melbourne is the second city to have access to Vodafone's 4G+ network, which was switched on today.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Watch out Optus and Telstra: local councils want to become NBN internet providers
Local councils are already flat-chat maintaining roads and managing rubbish, now they want to add keeping you connected to their to-do list.
Source: SMH
Google, Telstra trial balloon internet in Queensland
Google's mission to bring internet to regional areas of the world via high-altitude balloons has arrived in Australia, as the company prepares to kick off a 20-balloon trial with Telstra in Queensland.
Source: iTnews Australia
State of NBN too uncertain for full corporate plan
The state of the Government’s multi-technology mix national broadband network is currently too uncertain for NBN Co to make forecasts on revenue and rollout targets beyond mid-next year, the company revealed today.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus switches on 4G in 40 regional areas
Optus is accelerating its 4G rollout across Australian regional areas, with 4G 2600MHz services now switched on in sites across 40 regional centres.
Source: ARN
NBN Co charts course in uncertain waters
NBN Co has used its updated corporate plan, dated 11 November but released for public scrutiny today, to outline ambitious targets for the rollout of the National Broadband Network in its 2015 financial year. But it has also noted significant areas of uncertainty as the government-owned corporation continues its transition to a new model for the NBN rollout.
Source: Computerworld
ACCC urges Federal government to split and sell NBN Co
NBN Co must be split up and sold off to provide a platform for future infrastructure based competition, Australian Competition and Consumer Commission chairman.
Source: ARN
Fri, 14th Nov 2014
ACCAN examines soaring complaints about telco excess data charges
Complaints about excess mobile data charges have soared by 27.2% from last year, making it a sore issue with consumers, but the market has started responding, with lower per MB charges and flat fees per GB to counter the dreaded bill shock.
Source: iTWire
Game of Thrones pirates can be prosecuted: why Malcolm Turnbull and George Brandis are wrong on data retention
When Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Attorney-General George Brandis said the Australian Federal Police and spy agency the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation weren't interested in going after those who pirated shows like Game of Thrones under the proposed data retention regime, they were telling the truth.
Source: SMH
NBN to be a landmark: Alcatel-Lucent
The Australian government's push to make the National Broadband Network a mixture of technologies will likely become a landmark that is followed by other countries, according to Alcatel-Lucent CEO Michel Combes.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 13th Nov 2014
NBN Co to work with communities that want to co-fund FTTP
NBN Co has set out in broad outline the principles that will guide the roll out of the National Broadband Network as it continues the shift to a 'multi-technology mix' (MTM) that has an emphasis on the use of the existing copper network for 'last mile' connections to premises.
Source: Computerworld
Fibre to the node becomes default NBN deployment
NBN Co has formally ended the plans to roll out fibre to the premises to 93 percent of Australian premises, mandating that fibre to the node should be the default technology choice.
Source: ZDNet Australia