Broadband News

Tue, 22nd Oct 2013

Telstra launches low-cost ISP

Telstra has launched a simplified low-cost internet service provider business that appears to compete with iiNet's Jiva.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone's 4G speed advantage is 'temporary': CEO

Vodafone admits the current speed advantage of its 4G network in Australia is temporary.

Source: ARN

Campaign for fibre NBN comes to Malcolm Turnbull's front door

Supporters of fibre-to-the-premises broadband are taking their campaign to Malcolm Turnbull's electorate on Wednesday, having raised enough money to begin an advertising campaign in his local newspaper.

Source: SMH

Will TPG buy AAPT?

Telecom New Zealand has refused to deny increasing speculation that it is readying AAPT for sale. The logical purchaser is the ambitious TPG Group.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 21st Oct 2013

NBN Co turning into Telstra reunion?

New NBN Co head honcho Ziggy Switkowski has roped into some old mates to help with the infrastructure project, once described by Tony Abbott as "the biggest white elephant this country has ever seen."

Source: iTWire

Telco networks mostly unscathed by NSW bushfires

Telcos are not reporting major network problems despite severe bushfires continuing to burn in New South Wales.

Source: Computerworld

Oops! Optus says sorry 235,000 times

Optus has identified a system-based billing error related to the SurePage answering service. It is contacting customers about a refund.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 18th Oct 2013

Optus repays $9m to overcharged customers

Optus will pay $8.8 million back to 235,000 customers it overcharged over a two year period from July 2011.

Source: iTnews Australia

Labor taps Jason Clare to take on Turnbull

Jason Clare will take on the role of communications spokesperson in new Labor leader Bill Shorten's shadow ministry. Michelle Rowland, the member for Greenway, will be shadow assistant minister for communications.

Source: Computerworld

Smartphone usage up sharply, says Telstra

Telstra’s third annual Smartphone Index shows nearly three quarters of Australian adults now own one.

Source: iTWire

iiNet's NBN fibre customers use 60 percent more internet

ISP iiNet says its NBN fibre customers have set a "new norm" in internet usage that is 60 percent higher than its ADSL or Naked DSL customers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 17th Oct 2013

NBN Co seeks expert help for strategic review

A select number of consultants have been asked by NBN Co to help out with its strategic review.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN users uninterested in 12Mbps, PSTN voice: iiNet

Majority of customers opting for faster plans and VoIP over UNI-V, but lingering price and architectural concerns complicate satellite and equitable regional delivery.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Dodo announces NBN pricing

The M2-owned budget telco has revealed its NBN pricing, with the cheapest plans to date and an unlimited offering as well.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone brings prepaid users onto 4G

Vodafone is expanding the number of users that can access its 4G network by opening the asset to prepaid users for the first time.

Source: iTnews Australia

Majority of NBN customers still snubbing 12/1 speeds: iiNet

Only 30 per cent iiNet customers with National Broadband Network connections have chosen the lowest NBN speed tier of 12 megabits per second down/1 megabit per second up, according to a presentation by the ISP’s CEO, Michael Malone, and its CFO, David Buckingham, at the Macquarie WA Investor Conference.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 16th Oct 2013

Labor NBN obsession crippled digital economy talk: Turnbull

New Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull says it is possible to enjoy the benefits of the digital economy without having to possess a fibre connection to the premises.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Huawei throws NBN a lifeline - 1gbps over HFC

Huawei has demonstrated that it can deliver 1gbps (gigabit per second) symmetrical speeds over hybrid fibre-coaxial (HFC) cables used by cable pay TV operators worldwide.

Source: iTWire

AAPT breaches privacy rules over server hack

AAPT will escape financial penalties after being found in breach of the Privacy Act for failing to stop hackers from breaking into an externally-hosted server in July last year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wireless world record: Researchers transfer data at 100Gbps through the air

One of the major obstacles for delivering faster Internet to the home is the sheer amount of work and money it takes to lay the cable. Now, researchers are coming up with a workaround that transmits the data wirelessly.

Source: ARN

Huawei develops 1Gbps G.Fast over coax cable prototype

Chinese telco vendor giant Huawei says it has developed a one gigabit per second G.Fast over coax prototype, which it claims is the world's first such broadband delivery mechanism.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fast broadband critical to future of education: teachers

The NBN could be a transformational tool for teaching, according to educators who spoke at the Connected Australia conference this week.

Source: Computerworld

Dodo releases NBN plans including unlimited data plan

Dodo has today announced its new range of consumer NBN plans, including a plan offering unlimited data per month.

Source: ARN

Tue, 15th Oct 2013

Can Labor's NBN shadow be more than a paper tiger?

Ed Husic and Kate Lundy had the strongest profiles on ICT issues, but their omission from Bill Shorten's front bench leaves great uncertainty around who will be appointed to hold Turnbull's NBN to account. But will it even matter who is chosen?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Thodey looks to online as union protests job cuts at Telstra AGM

Telstra has admitted it's cutting Australian jobs and moving them offshore as protesters appeal for shareholders to take notice.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra shelves Microsoft email migration

Telstra has quietly shelved a major deal with Microsoft that would have seen it migrate 4.2 million email addresses to offshore hosting facilities.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra to maintain 4G spend

Telstra has maintained its forecasts of low single-digit income and earnings growth as it continues to pump money into its 4G mobile network.

Source: ARN

Fri, 11th Oct 2013

Labor 'underestimated' NBN construction challenge

Former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy has conceded the former government "clearly underestimated" the challenge required to meet the NBN's "ambitious" construction targets and timeframes.

Source: iTnews Australia

Construction woes slowed the NBN: Conroy

Labor's construction model for the NBN "could be legitimately criticised", according to former Communications Minister Stephen Conroy.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 10th Oct 2013

Few Australians have very high speed broadband: ABS

The latest internet activity figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics show comparatively few subscribers enjoy download speeds in 24 megabit/s and faster.

Source: iTnews Australia