Broadband News
Fri, 31st Oct 2014
Telcos relieved at limited scope and cost of data retention law
Police will use new laws requiring customers' phone and internet records to be stored for two years to target terrorists, child abusers and potentially illegal music and movie downloaders.
Source: SMH
Thu, 30th Oct 2014
Secret government briefing admits metadata law cost and warns of 'internet tax' campaign
A leaked copy of a Coalition party room submission admits there is a cost attached to data retention and the government is anticipating a campaign against the laws that will describe it as an "internet tax".
Source: SMH
Optus beefs up home bundles
New home phone and internet bundles from Optus include Fetch TV.
Source: iTWire
Govt blasted over data retention laws
The Australian Government has "crossed the line" by trying to "rush through" legislation that will force telcos and service providers to retain customer metadata for two years, according to industry and political opponents of the bill.
Source: iTnews Australia
Turnbull introduces data retention legislation
The Coalition Government has introduced legislation governing the mandatory retention of telco metadata into Parliament - a bill that does not provide any explanation of what data is to be stored.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mandatory data retention legislation hits the Australian parliament
Australian Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has this morning introduced legislation that will force telecommunications companies to retain customer data for two years.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 29th Oct 2014
iiNet wins Victorian free wi-fi deal
iiNet will build and operate Victoria’s free wi-fi network under a $6.7 million deal with the state government and Melbourne City Council.
Source: iTnews Australia
Free public Wi-Fi network coming to Victoria
The Victorian government and iiNet have announced a free public Wi-Fi network in Melbourne, Ballarat and Bendigo.
Source: Computerworld
iiNet outflanks NBN Co with 100Mbps downloads in Geelong
iiNet is taking the fight to NBN Co in Geelong with download speeds of up to 100Mbps in a bid to cash in on unmet demand in the area.
Source: ARN
Today is stop Data Retention Day
A group led by three senators will gather at Parliament House today to protest against the Government’s plans to force telcos and ISPs to store customer data.
Source: iTWire
Telstra CIO resigns
Telstra CIO Patrick Eltridge has resigned and will leave the company in a month’s time, the telco has confirmed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra, NBN Co back in court this April
NBN Co and Telstra will this April resume their argument over consumer-price-index (CPI) adjustments in the companies' $11 billion agreement.
Source: Computerworld
'Camouflaged' internet concerns the Australian Federal Police
The Australian Federal Police has said that the use of virtual private networks and other methods for people to anonymise themselves on the internet is a continuing concern for the law-enforcement agency.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Tue, 28th Oct 2014
255 terabits a second: New fiber speed record?
Researchers from the University of Central Florida and Eindhoven University of Technology say that they've developed a new fiber optic medium that allows data to be sent and received at up to 255Tbps, a roughly twenty-fold increase over current fiber.
Source: Computerworld
Optus signs Foxtel HD satellite agreement
Optus has signed a new agrement with Foxtel to provide additional satellite services for nine new HD channels on a five year term.
Source: ARN
iiNet compromised by Dallas Buyers Club challenge
There can be no doubt that iiNet’s decision to keep Dallas Buyers Club’s nose out of its subscriber database is best practice in terms of championing the customer. But will the ISP inadvertently hand Hollywood and its lobbyists a political win?
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 27th Oct 2014
Vocus takes 10% stake in rival Amcom for combination proposal
Vocus Communications has taken a 10 percent stake in Amcom Telecommunications Limited, along with a conditional proposal that could see a combination of the rival businesses.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Megaport spins off fibre business
Network virtualisation company Megaport is splitting off its dark fibre assets into a separate business, to be named 'Superloop', and is reviewing whether the company should list on the Australian Stock Exchange.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet Downloaders Club - not that kind of club?
iiNet and copyright infringement is back in the news, with the owners of the Dallas Buyers Club movie applying to the Federal Court to force iiNet to divulge contact details for IP addresses alleged to have downloaded the movie.
Source: iTWire
ASIC pushes for telco data interception powers
Financial regulator ASIC has lobbied the Government to expand the agency's powers so it can receive telecommunications data from law enforcement bodies to aid in its efforts to combat financial crime.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 24th Oct 2014
Telstra, Optus not worth chasing in Dallas Buyers Club piracy crackdown: lawyers
Online pirates on the Telstra and Optus networks can breathe easy for now, while those downloading illegal copies of movies over iiNet and smaller providers may soon receive an invoice for up to $5000 if an unusual legal case in the Federal Court is successful.
Source: SMH
DDoS attacks skyrocket: Akamai State of Internet Report
Distributed denial of service attacks have acceleted in terms of size and volume in the third quarter of 2014, according to the Akamai State of the Internet - Security Report.
Source: ARN
NBN-Telstra deal 'in the home stretch'
NBN Co's renegotiation with Telstra over access to its copper network is in the 'home stretch', according to CEO Bill Morrow.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN a tangled web, not just with cabling
Australia's giant but trouble-prone infrastructure project, the National Broadband Network, declared it had rolled past 640,000 homes - an outcome that has taken five years to achieve.
Source: SMH
Thu, 23rd Oct 2014
'Red tape' Bill takes out reporting for telco customer data disclosures
The Australian government's 2014 'Spring Repeal Day' could see the removal of the Australian communication watchdog's unwarranted data request disclosure and reporting requirements.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co expects Telstra deal to be signed by Christmas
NBN Co expects to have reached a deal to resign its $11.2 billion definitive agreements with Telstra by the end of the year, with the network builder’s chief executive today revealing the two had reached material agreement on the new contract.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co posts $252 million loss in first quarter
NBN Co has recorded a loss of $252 million and revenue of $29 million in its 2015 first quarter financial results.
Source: ARN
Telstra's mobile growth slows
After years of adding millions of customers onto its mobile network, Telstra CEO David Thodey has admitted that the company is entering a phase of slowed growth.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Perth call centre staff have language problems, says Telstra chief David Thodey
The next time you get mad at Telstra's call centre staff for having poor English, there is a 50 per cent chance you should aim your rage at Perth and not Mumbai or Manila.
Source: SMH
TIO reports for the first time on NBN complaints
Delays in connecting users to the national broadband network dominated the first set of NBN-related complaints reported by the Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman.
Source: iTnews Australia