Broadband News
Mon, 23rd Sep 2013
Malcolm Turnbull asks NBN Co board to resign after cost blowouts and delays
The ABC has confirmed the board of NBN Co was asked to resign by the Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.Mr Turnbull has been severely critical of the board in the past, particularly its chairwoman, Siobhan McKenna, over cost blowouts and delays.
Source: ABC News
Optus lets its customers 'trade in, trade up'
Optus has launched what it describes as an Australian mobile first in 'Trade In, Trade Up', a deal where customers can receive credit on their next phone bill for trading in their old working smartphone.
Source: iTWire
Shorten slams 'undermining' of NBN Co board
Opposition leadership aspirant Bill Shorten has lashed out at the Government for "effectively undermining confidence" in NBN Co's board.
Source: iTnews Australia
Comms Alliance revises VDSL2 and vectoring standards
The Communications Alliance will help facilitate the rollout of a fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) National Broadband Network (NBN) by revising industry standards around VDSL2 and vectoring.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra last and least to reduce roaming charges
Telstra has finally unveiled its own global roaming price cuts, but Telstra customers will still pay more than Optus or Vodafone customers.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Cabinet to consider NBN board resignations
Federal cabinet is expected to consider the resignations of most of the board of NBN Co ahead of a review of the Labor government's broadband plans.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra and Alcatel-Lucent trial FttN for Coalition NBN
Telstra and Alcatel-Lucent are testing out fibre-to-the-node technology in what will no doubt be a pitch for construction work on the National Broadband Network under the Coalition government.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Mobile broadband - 'the fastest growing technology in human history'
Mobile broadband is the fastest growing technology in human history, according to the 2013 edition of the United Nations 'State of Broadband Report'.
Source: iTWire
Sun, 22nd Sep 2013
Vodafone CEO Bill Morrow confident company's fortunes will improve by 2014
Australia's number three mobile phone player Vodafone says it is still losing customers, but the situation should start to turn around next year.
Source: ABC News
Sat, 21st Sep 2013
Trans-Pacific cable plans mired in geopolitics
Rivalry between the US and China for dominance in the Pacific will determine the structure of any new trans-Pacific cable linking Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific Islands and the United States.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 20th Sep 2013
One competitor is enough, says Telstra
Telstra is hoping to redefine what makes a transmission route 'competitive', believing it could mean having as few as one rival operator present.
Source: iTnews Australia
Service Stream records $19.5m loss due to Syntheo JV
Service Stream has incurred a $19.5 million loss due to its 50 per cent stake in Syntheo, which is rolling out the National Broadband Network (NBN) in Western Australia and South Australia.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra overhauls process to kill duplicate sessions
Telstra has found a new way to deal with duplicate internet sessions on its network, where two users connect with the same login credentials.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus taps Visionstream for 4G LTE build
Visionstream has won a $240 million contract with Optus to build and upgrade mobile sites for the number-two telco's LTE network in Australia.
Source: Computerworld
Open access networks and the NBN – the winners and losers
A Coalition NBN could allow more private companies to develop networks that compete with the National Broadband Network (NBN), with TPG announcing this week that it was launching fibre-to-the-basement (FTTB) plans.
Source: Computerworld
Thu, 19th Sep 2013
MyNetFone slams ACCC's redaction fightback
ISP MyNetFone is railing against the prospect of having confidential submissions to the ACCC afforded less weight in the regulatory decision-making process.
Source: iTnews Australia
Wed, 18th Sep 2013
Telstra BigPond to 'suppress' malware
Telstra will implement malware suppression technology for its BigPond broadband network from October, the telco revealed today.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 17th Sep 2013
TPG considers speed limit for fibre expansion
TPG may be forced to limit the download speed of a planned fibre expansion into new residential unit blocks to under 25 Mbps to avoid falling foul of strict anti-cherry picking laws.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC urges telcos to ease up on confidentiality
The Australian competition regulator has urged Australia's telcos to consider disclosing as much information as possible in order to have their concerns about regulation of the fixed-line market heard.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG plans fibre to the building NBN alternative
Internet service provider TPG plans on expanding its fibre-to-the-building offering to 500,000 places in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide, and Perth.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC seeks more transparency from telcos
The ACCC is looking to restore telco industry confidence in its decision-making with a clampdown on the amount of confidential information it accepts and uses from carriers and ISPs.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG to build fibre to the basement
TPG plans to roll out fibre to the basements of an extra 500,000 buildings across five Australian cities, in a move mimicking the Coalition’s plans for the national broadband network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Industry welcomes Turnbull as Comms Minister
Malcolm Turnbull has been appointed Australia’s newest Communications Minister, and the telco and IT industry is optimistic about the impact he might have on the sector.
Source: Computerworld
TPG launches unlimited 100Mbps plans for $69.99
TPG has announced fibre to the basement plans offering up to 100Mbps for $69.99 per month.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 16th Sep 2013
Experts tackle NBN at national workshop
Telco experts from Australia’s leading companies are set to join forces to devise the best way forward for the NBN roll-out under a coalition government.
Source: ARN
Turnbull confirmed as Minister
As expected, the Hon Malcolm Turnbull MP will be Australia's next Minister for Communications. No mention of 'broadband and digital economy'.
Source: iTWire
Communications regulator ACMA warns Telstra after it overcharged customers for data use
The regulator has warned the telco after it overcharged customers for using data services while overseas.
Source: ABC News
Telstra overcharges customers $30 million; breaches TCP code
Telstra has received a formal warning from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for incorrectly overcharging $30 million in global roaming fees to 260,000 customers.
Source: Computerworld
FttN NBN will leave a bad taste in voters' mouths
Incoming Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull is taking the Coalition's rout of Labor as a mandate for FttN. Yet while Labor's implosion has empowered him to do pretty much what he wants, that doesn't mean Australians are going to like it.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra hits back after Optus launch
Telstra has returned serve after Optus' dual-band 4G launch next week, saying its plans will be much faster and offer more capacity.
Source: iTWire