Broadband News
Thu, 13th Nov 2014
Yes, people will still pirate stuff even with cheap legal prices
With falling legal download prices still higher than they are in the US and even with streaming movie and music services, there will always be people that pirate.
Source: iTWire
Optus’ 4G cash splash pays off as users jump aboard
Optus is beginning to see tangible results from its $2 billion investment into its 4G network, today reporting an almost 100 percent increase in mobile subscribers to its 4G services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus posts 5.4 per cent increase in third quarter profit
Optus has recorded a 5.4 per cent increase in third quarter net profit on the back of a return to growth in operating and mobile service revenue.
Source: ARN
Investors attack ACCC over NBN advice
Australia’s competition watchdog has come under fire from telecommunications investors concerned about the role it played in the conception of the Labor Party’s national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Piracy warning letters sent to iiNet before film leak
The law firm seeking the details of Australian internet users alleged to have downloaded infringing copies of the film Dallas Buyers Club began sending generic letters to ISPs before the film had even been leaked.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 12th Nov 2014
ACCAN applauds Telstra for data alerts move
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) has welcomed Telstra’s announcement of real time mobile data usage alerts as a win for consumers.
Source: ARN
Tue, 11th Nov 2014
Net discrimination horse has already bolted
When telcos have already begun forming partnerships for content and services to consumers, how exactly can net neutrality be protected?
Source: ZDNet Australia
Turnbull floats sharing of unused spectrum
Public and private sector bodies could be allowed greater access to spectrum that is reserved but not used under a proposal by Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to address a shortage of wireless capacity.
Source: iTnews Australia
As Firefox turns 10, Mozilla trumpets privacy
Mozilla today pulled out the PR stops to trumpet the 10th anniversary of Firefox, and in celebration released an interim build of Firefox 33 that includes a new privacy tool and access to the DuckDuckGo search engine.
Source: ARN
Inside Telstra's Clayton data centre
Telstra has unveiled its new data centre facilities in Clayton, Melbourne – two years after announcing it would pour $100 million into its construction.
Source: iTnews Australia
Barack Obama endorses net neutrality
US president Barack Obama says Internet providers should be overseen more like public utilities are and higher-fee "fast lanes" for Internet traffic should be banned.
Source: ABC News
Mon, 10th Nov 2014
Biggest ever Tor raid sees 16 arrested
US and European authorities over the weekend announced the seizure of 27 websites and the arrests of 16 people in a sweep targeting black markets for drugs and other illegal services.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vocus, Amcom enter due diligence over merger
The potential merger of Vocus Communications and Perth-based Amcom has progressed to the due dilligence stage after Vocus last month took a 10 percent stake in Amcom while it gauged its rival's interest in the proposal.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet seeks details of P2P monitoring system in piracy case
iiNet today sought to delay a court hearing on a motion to force the Internet service provider to reveal details of customers associated with particular IP addresses.
Source: Computerworld
Telcos scramble to virtualise network functions
The goal of having all the dedicated hardware and software needed to operate a telecommunications network replaced by software running on standard servers - or 'network functions virtualisation' (NFV) - is proving to be the nirvana of the telecoms world.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 07th Nov 2014
TPG should outbid NBN Co to buy the Optus HFC network
The Australian government expects the telecoms industry to passively wait while regulations are reworked to enable its multi-technology mix NBN, but this process has created new opportunities for market disruption. One of the biggest lies in the future of the Optus HFC network - and there is a strong argument for TPG to buy it.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG Telecom buys into Amcom and Vocus merger talks
TPG Telecom has dramatically dealt itself a seat at the table in merger talks between Amcom and Vocus by becoming a substantial shareholder in one of the players.
Source: SMH
Nextgen ditches NBN virtual connect product
Nextgen Networks has stopped taking new connection orders for its NBN virtual connect product after claiming technical changes to be introduced by NBN Co would force it to spend big to change its infrastructure.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 06th Nov 2014
Why I want my Telstra metadata
Since publishing the story about my 15-month battle for my mobile phone metadata, several readers have asked me why I'm pursuing access considering I already know who I've called, who's called me, where I've been, which websites I've visited and so on.
Source: SMH
Graeme Samuel unloads on Scales, defends Telstra and says content is king
Former head of the ACCC Graeme Samuel has roundly criticised the Scales Report into the NBN for being 'fundamentally flawed' and 'factually wrong'.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 05th Nov 2014
Telstra fined $18k for publishing judge's home address
A Sydney judge claims to have been forced out of his home after Telstra listed his name and address in the White Pages following its connection of a phone line for his home security system.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC should give up telecom regulatory powers, says former head
A former chairperson of the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has supported spinning off the agency’s telecom regulatory role to a specialist entity.
Source: Computerworld
Data retention: what happens when bytes go missing?
At this stage of the Australian government's clumsy effort to put data retention laws in place, it is clear that the public is not being told the whole truth. Or even a fraction of it.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 04th Nov 2014
Australian government's metadata access may be widened
The Attorney-General's Department has admitted that proposed mandatory data retention legislation may be used for far more than what the government has claimed it will be required for.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN review costs top AU$2 million
The Department of Communications has revealed the full extent of the cost for the panel tasked with conducting a cost-benefit analysis into Australia's broadband options, and the other reviews it has undertaken since the election of the Coalition government.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Brandis wrong on copyright and data retention: IP expert
Attorney-General George Brandis appears to have erred in his claim that the government's proposed data retention regime couldn't be used to pursue people who engage in online copyright violations, according to an expert on Australian intellectual property law.
Source: Computerworld
We don't have any pre-existing metadata laws: Brandis
While on the one hand, the Australian government is claiming that security agencies will not get access to any new data under mandatory data retention, Attorney-General George Brandis has claimed that the legislation is required because there aren't any existing metadata laws.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra class action won't end like Vodafone, says law firm
The lawyers behind a class action levelled at Telstra over late fees are confident their efforts will be more successful than a recent class action over network issues that failed to get up against against Vodafone.
Source: iTnews Australia
Data retention laws 'can't be and they won't be' used against pirates: Brandis
Attorney-General George Brandis has said that the government's proposed data retention laws "can't be and they won't be" used to pursue Australians engaged in online copyright violation.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 03rd Nov 2014
iiNet reports fibre break in Darwin
Approximately 4,000 iiNet customers in Darwin won't be able to access the Internet due to an unplanned outage, the ISP has reported.
Source: Computerworld