Broadband News

Tue, 22nd Apr 2014

ACCC extends deal with Telstra's copper network until 2019

The Australian competition watchdog will continue to allow retail telecommunication service providers to use Telstra's copper network for another five years.

Source: ZDNet Australia

AT&T to roll out fibre-to-the-premise to 21 US cities

US telco AT&T will expand its fibre network to up to 21 new major metropolitan areas by next year, it announced today.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet chases over $241k in unbilled line rental

Internet service provider iiNet is chasing more than 8000 of its customers for outstanding payments after under-billing their accounts over a six month period.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 17th Apr 2014

Telstra sees red over expanded wholesale regulation

Telstra has hit back at the ACCC over its decision to re-regulate Telstra's wholesale line rental and local carriage services in a number of CBD areas, claiming that it runs contrary to the Coalition Government’s agenda to reduce red-tape.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telcos seek to strengthen NBN Co wholesale restrictions

Major telcos and Internet service providers including Telstra, Optus, Vodafone and iiNet have pushed for clarity on some aspects of NBN Co's wholesale role and the tightening of restrictions that prevent the company rolling out the National Broadband Network from supplying services to end users.

Source: Computerworld

Vodafone tackles FIFA World Cup with $5 roaming in Brazil

Vodafone is targeting Australians traveling to the 2014 FIFA World Cup with the addition of Brazil to its $5 per day roaming deal.

Source: ARN

NBN Co seeks 'early resolution' of TPG fibre threat

The company in charge of rolling out and operating the National Broadband Network has called for a speedy resolution to the issue of infrastructure-based competition.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 16th Apr 2014

iiNet bowls up success with cricket, football sponsorships

Perth-based national ISP iiNet has renewed its sponsorship of Big Bash cricket team the Sydney Sixers with a three-year principal partner deal, lauding the branding and sales benefits of sports sponsorship.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co reports $1.17 billion loss

NBN Co has reported a $1.1 billion loss after generating revenue of almost $70 million in the past nine months.

Source: ARN

Court slaps TPG with $400k fine over 000 failure

TPG has been fined $400,000 after court action taken by the Australian Communications and Media Authority relating to the telco's failure to provide triple zero access to all of its customers.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Co boss suggests levy for TPG

NBN Co’s new CEO Bill Morrow has suggested the Federal Government apply a levy onto NBN infrastructure competitors like TPG in order to ensure a sustainable economic model in the provision of broadband services to rural customers.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co chief calls for government subsidy to offset cost of rural NBN

NBN Co chief executive, Bill Morrow, has called on the federal government to impose a cross-subsidy or infrastructure levy on competitors to offset to the cost of delivering broadband to rural areas.

Source: ARN

NBN Co hits 105Mbps in limited FTTN trial

NBN Co achieved 105 megabits per second download speeds in a of test of fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) technology at a shop on the New South Wales Central Coast.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 15th Apr 2014

NBN Co set to tackle TPG head on

Fresh from making sweeping changes to the NBN Co executive team new CEO Bill Morrow is set to fight fire with fire and announce an aggressive fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) rollout to compete with TPG, which recently announced NBN plans of its own.

Source: iTWire

New NBN Co chief challenges TPG with early rollout

NBN Co has expedited its roll-out of Fibre-to-the-Basement technology in a direct challenge to TPG's attempt to cherrypick value inner-city customers.

Source: ARN

Small businesses divided over NBN benefits

Australian small businesses are split about the NBN and unsure if faster internet speeds will improve their lot.

Source: SMH

NBN Co drops speed guarantees for FTTN service

Australia's national broadband network will come with substantially lower speed guarantees than expected, as part of the Coalition mandated fibre-to-the-node redesign.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 14th Apr 2014

Revealed: NBN Co scales back fibre rollout

NBN Co is now only expecting to roll out fibre to 20 percent of Australia premises, down from the 22 percent in the Coalition's 2013 election policy.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co may have to pay Telstra $98b

Telstra could be paid over $98 billion by NBN Co over the next 55 years for infrastructure leases and other fees, according to a report in industry publication CommsDay.

Source: SMH

Bot masters in cut-throat DDoS fight

Botnet operators in the criminal underground are launching large denial of service attacks against each other in a bid to knock out rivals in the race to compromise computers.

Source: iTnews Australia

EscapeNet enjoys life as an indie ISP

Australia's Internet service provider market has gone through an extended period of consolidation.

Source: Computerworld

Fri, 11th Apr 2014

TPG's unlimited NBN plans enabled by AAPT buy

As debate rages over TPG competing against NBN Co, TPG has released its unlimited plans for services on NBN Co's network, which the company says were only possible through its large fibre infrastructure assets.

Source: ZDNet Australia

TPG pushes unlimited NBN fibre plans

Internet service provider TPG has launched its National Broadband Network plans, with all six of the offers including unlimited data quotas. The plans are TPG's first NBN offerings; the ISP foreshadowed offering an unlimited NBN data plan in 2012, but it hasn't started to sign up customers for NBN services until now.

Source: Computerworld

TPG releases NBN piggy back plans

TPG has released a range of NBN Internet and home phone bundle plans. Coincidence or good timing?

Source: iTWire

Thu, 10th Apr 2014

NBN Co in surprise executive clean out

Three highly experienced NBN Co executives have been sensationally turfed out of the company following a restructure by new CEO Bill Morrow a mere week after he took over the top job.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co execs out the door: Report

The chief financial officer, chief technology officer and head of corporate and commercial have all left NBN Co, the company charged with rolling out the National Broadband Network, according to a report in the Australian Financial Review.

Source: Computerworld

Turnbull walks away from NBN high ground claims

In one swift move on the fifth birthday of the NBN, Malcolm Turnbull has fallen into the same practice that he accused Labor of for years.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Aussie big business exposed to dangerous 'heartbleed' hole

Twenty of Australia's ASX top 200 organisations are exposed to the dangerous 'heartbleed' vulnerability in OpenSSL revealed this week.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 09th Apr 2014

NBN: Good-bye FTTP, we hardly knew ye

The Coalition government today signed the death warrant for the roll out of a predominantly fibre-to-the-premises-based National Broadband Network.

Source: Computerworld

Costs must be fixed first in piracy solution: Comms Alliance

Australia's peak telecommunications organisation has said ISPs are willing to come to the table on a new deterrence system for online copyright infringement but rights holders have to sort out who will pay for such a system first.

Source: ZDNet Australia