Broadband News
Wed, 02nd Jul 2014
Unlimited and terrabyte plans in little demand: iiNet
Less than 5 percent of iiNet's customer base have taken up a broadband plan that offers more than 500GB a month, the company's chief regulatory officer Steve Dalby has revealed.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Not so splendid: Telstra looked to charge festival for mobile coverage
Telstra sought to charge promoters of the Splendour in the Grass music festival to supply mobile cells on wheels to the festival's grounds north of Byron Bay.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vocus Communications confirms acquisition of FX Networks
Vocus Communications (ASX: VOC) has confirmed that it will acquire New Zealand-based fibre provider FX Networks for $107.7 million (NZ$115.8 million).
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co to launch fibre-to-the-basement in 2015
NBN Co will launch its fibre-to-the-basement service five months later later than expected.
Source: ARN
Tue, 01st Jul 2014
No competition policy reform needed: NBN Co
NBN Co believes the existing competition policy is providing the organisation with sufficient structure and regulation that allows it to even out the playing field to the telecommunications market.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Free mobile calls to 1800 numbers coming
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has announced that call charges from mobile phones to 1800 numbers will be free, and those to 13/1300 numbers will be charged similarly to calls from landlines.
Source: iTWire
Botched Telstra upgrade downs Cabcharge network
Taxi passengers across Australia were forced to pay their fares in cash or with old-fashioned credit card facilities after a Telstra network outage took Cabcharge EFTPOS terminals offline this morning.
Source: iTnews Australia
NZ govt takes anchor tenancy on Hawaiki cable
The New Zealand government today announced it has signed up for capacity on the trans-Pacific Hawaiki data communications cable, and will become an anchor tenant once the link is constructed.
Source: iTnews Australia
Only 15 per cent of eligible households take up NBN wireless
NBN Co fixed wireless is now available to more than 100,000 premises, with the National Broadband Network wholesaler citing the rise in wireless coverage as evidence of progress in the NBN's rollout.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 30th Jun 2014
Vocus in talks to buy NZ backbone provider FX Networks
Stock exchange-listed telco and internet provider Vocus is said to be eyeing New Zealand national backbone operator FX Networks, in a deal worth over NZ$100 million (A$94 million), according to sources close to the discussions.
Source: iTnews Australia
Australian mobile phone market down
The Australian mobile phone market is still healthy, but as it reaches saturation point the days of massive growth are over.
Source: iTWire
Fri, 27th Jun 2014
Melbourne NBN fibre to the node trial stalled on power deal
As Telstra begins planning and design work for a fibre to the node trial in New South Wales and Queensland, the Victorian trial remains stalled.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Australia climbs average Internet connection speed world rankings
Australia has jumped up the world rankings of average internet connection speeds with a yearly increase of 39 per cent.
Source: ARN
NBN, Telstra under pressure to complete the real deal
Telstra and NBN Co still have a very long way to go to strike a deal that will enable what remains of Australia’s national broadband network to access Telstra's copper network.
Source: iTnews Australia
No more excuses, time to roll out IPv6, says registry boss
As the dwindling number of IPv4 addresses starts to cause problems for organizations around the world, time has come to roll out IPv6 on a larger scale and leave behind dead-end technologies that delay the inevitable, according to the chief of the regional Internet registry in Asia-Pacific.
Source: Computerworld
Thu, 26th Jun 2014
Dick Smith wins Vodafone post-paid, eyes up Telstra and Optus
Dick Smith has entered the direct post-paid mobile market through a new partnership with Vodafone, and has confirmed it is holding talks with both Telstra and Optus.
Source: ARN
Turnbull to announce Telstra-NBN copper deal
Telstra and NBN Co are believed to have signed an AU$150 million deal to rent copper for a fibre to the node rollout to 200,000 premises in New South Wales and Queensland.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co inks $150m Telstra FTTN deal
Telstra has won a $150 million deal with NBN Co for the Government's pilot of fibre-to-the-node technology in regional areas across Queensland and NSW.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN analysis 'like foxes reviewing the hen house': Clare
Appointing critics of Labor's National Broadband Network (NBN) project to the cost-benefit analysis review will result in the upcoming report stating the Coalition government's policy was correct, according to Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 25th Jun 2014
Australian airlines to offer uninterrupted mobile device use
Australia’s air safety regulator has concluded it is no longer unsafe for mobile phones and tablet computers to be switched on during take-off and landing.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC powers over Foxtel's content monopoly limited
Greens communications spokesperson Scott Ludlam has said the Australian competition watchdog should intervene and break Foxtel's stranglehold over shows like Game of Thrones, but the ACCC has indicated its powers are limited.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone, Optus demand fair competition
Vodafone and Optus have both submitted their responses to the Competition Policy Review outlining that Telstra's market dominance is impeding on their shot to increase any market power in the telco sector.
Source: ZDNet Australia
SA Government and Internode gifts Adelaide free public Wi-Fi
More than 30,000 people in Adelaide will now have access to free public Wi-Fi after the South Australian Government launched a new network with Internode.
Source: ARN
Tue, 24th Jun 2014
More data for many Internode customers
ISP Internode has increased the data quotas on several of its Easy Broadband, Easy Bundle, Easy Naked and Easy Reach plans.
Source: iTWire
Vodafone customers live up 'truly unlimited' data weekend
Customers of Australia's third biggest telco Vodafone may have been left without service for a few hours on Thursday but that didn't stop them taking advantage of a weekend of 'truly unlimited' data this past weekend, breaking a data record in the process.
Source: iTWire
New global P2P data sharing network promises to restore Internet privacy
Respect Network has opened public registration for what it deems will be the world's first global network for trusted private peer-to-peer (P2P) data sharing in a bid to restore privacy on the Internet.
Source: ARN
Vodafone customers break download record after weekend of unmetered data
Vodafone Australia customers consumed a record-breaking amount of data following the telco's announcement that it would not count usage this weekend as a way of saying sorry for an outage that left subscribers unable to make or receive calls for several hours last week.
Source: SMH
Competition watchdog should break up Foxtel monopoly: Ludlam
Greens communications spokesperson Scott Ludlam believes making Foxtel-exclusive content available on other platforms is the best method to reduce copyright infringement in Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mon, 23rd Jun 2014
Massive mobile outage affected 10 million
Outages on the Vodafone and Optus mobile networks affected 10 million Australians, showing who could and couldn't live without their phone.
Source: iTWire
Scale back NBN to save budget: Palmer
Key minority party leader, Clive Palmer, has said that the National Broadband Network could be scaled back to AU$7 billion in cost to reduce government spending.
Source: ZDNet Australia