Broadband News

Wed, 04th Dec 2013

Ookla Net Index delivers verdict on Australian Internet speed

Internet metrics company, Ookla, has ranked Australia 48th for download speed and 96th for upload speed in its most recent Net Index which covers tests recorded on Speedtest.net from June 3, 2011, to December 2, 2013.

Source: ARN

Tue, 03rd Dec 2013

Turnbull to defy Senate order to produce NBN report

Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has indicated he will not release the NBN Co strategic review on Monday, despite an order from the Senate to do so.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Massive Internode outage affects half of Victoria

A massive hardware fault has taken down service roughly half of Victoria's Internode ADSL customers, with still no ETA on a fix.

Source: iTWire

Nextgen trials 400Gbps Sydney-Canberra link

Nextgen Networks has trialled a 400Gbps link between two data centres in Sydney and Canberra to prove the future scalability of the company's intercapital network.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCAN supports Telstra's move to kill the CAPTCHA

The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is backing Telstra's move to eliminate online CAPTCHA tests from its websites, and is encouraging other companies to follow suit.

Source: ARN

Is Coalition's NBN endgame up in the air?

It's still not clear just how the Coalition plans to meet its difficult FttN NBN goals. But as new information about its operating parameters continues to emerge, it's worth considering one way it might make everything work.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Don't let politics distort NBN cost: Former NBN Co CEO

Former NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley has sought to set the record straight on the cost for the NBN fibre-to-the-premises rollout ahead of the release of the strategic review conducted after he left the company.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co must not become 'Telstra reseller': CCC

The Competitive Carriers Coalition has slammed advice from former NBN Co management that it should not acquire Telstra's copper network for its alternative fibre-to-the-node plan.

Source: ARN

Quigley says NBN has no time to spare

Former NBN chief Mike Quigley has made a spirited defence of NBN Co's achievements under his leadership. The hard work has been done, he says.

Source: iTWire

Former NBN Co boss warns Government review not to rewrite history

The former head of the National Broadband Network has warned the new management team not to rewrite history in its review of the NBN.

Source: ABC News

Mon, 02nd Dec 2013

The 12 labours of Turnbull: NBN hurdles Coalition must cross in 18 months to meet 2019 deadline

An internal review of Australia's national broadband network (NBN) has identified 12 major issues that must be resolved within the next 18 months or so if there is any chance of the Australian government meeting its promised 2019 date for completing the massive project.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Labor demands release of NBN review

The long awaited NBN Strategic Review has been handed to Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull.

Source: iTWire

Labor calls on Turnbull to lay out FTTN costs

The federal opposition wants the 60-day NBN review to be publicly released so costs of switching to a fibre-to-the-node model can be evaluated before "any weighty decisions" are made.

Source: iTnews Australia

Clare wants NBN review released

The federal opposition is calling on Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull to immediately release the government's strategic review of the national broadband network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Australian government data found on old memory sticks

Used memory sticks being sold on the internet have been found to contain sensitive Australian government data, according to a new study.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN not as cheap, not as soon - but it will be slow

NBN chief Ziggy Switkowski is already casting doubts on the Malcolm's Turnbull’s promise to finish the network sooner and at a lower cost.

Source: iTWire

Sat, 30th Nov 2013

Australian government using wrong NBN rollout strategy, leaked report warns

Australia's new Liberal Party government is using the wrong strategy for rolling out the country's national broadband network (NBN) and should consolidate the planned two-stage deployment of fibre-to-the-node (FttN) technology into one rollout, a leaked internal report has revealed.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Fri, 29th Nov 2013

Ziggy brands 2016 NBN deadline 'demanding'

NBN Co's interim CEO Ziggy Switkowski has warned that meeting the Coalition's 2016 deadline for a 25Mbps service to all homes in Australia will be "very, very demanding".

Source: iTnews Australia

Copper pits for NBN a 'disgrace': Union

The union representing Telstra field staff estimates up to 80 per cent of the telco's "disgraceful" copper-wire network pits have been patched together by plastic bags or ring-barked cables.

Source: Computerworld

Government unlikely to hit NBN deadline: report

The government's 2016 delivery deadline for the national broadband network looks likely to be blown out, according to a leaked internal NBN Co document

Source: ARN

NBN Co chair says copper in 'reasonable condition'

Copper has proven to be more resilient than NBN Co Chairman Ziggy Switkowski once thought, the former Telstra executive has told a parliamentary committee today.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Costs 'rising as we speak', roll out targets proving 'very challenging': Switkowski

The cost of the NBN is rising as we speak - that’s according to NBN Co Chairman Ziggy Switkowski, who was grilled today at a hearing of the Senate Select Committee on NBN.

Source: ARN

Thu, 28th Nov 2013

Department confirms NBN revenue may drop under Coalition plan

A federal bureaucrat has confirmed it is likely the National Broadband Network revenue forecasts will have to be revised down under the Coalition's plan.

Source: ABC News

Telstra copper network an 'absolute disgrace': Comms Union

A communications union official has said that Telstra is 'hiding behind the statistics' for the quality of its copper network, and that the network is much worse than even Telstra knows.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Coalition's slower NBN will 'make less money'

The Abbott government expects to make less money from the NBN because of slower speeds available under the Coalition's copper-based network, a Senate committee has heard.

Source: SMH

Clare warns of Gonski-like backflips on the NBN

Ahead of the completion of NBN Co's strategic review, Shadow Communications Minister Jason Clare has told ZDNet that Labor is concerned the government will rescind its NBN promises, as it did for education funding.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Wed, 27th Nov 2013

Senate compels NBN Co execs to front committee

The newly-formed senate committee examining the NBN said it has been forced to summons NBN Co executives to appear as witnesses at planned hearings this week.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus claims global innovation award

Optus has taken home two global awards for its use of social media and call centre solutions at the recent Contact Centre World’s annual global award ceremony.

Source: ARN

NBN battery backup needs regulating: ACMA

Unsatisfied with NBN Co requiring ISPs to get informed consent from users who don't want battery backup for their NBN services, the media regulator is seeking to step in and oversee the process.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 26th Nov 2013

NBN protest an epic fail

Australia's FTTP future is in serious doubt after a not-so-impressive turnout at Malcolm Turnbull's office for the NBN day of 'action' today.

Source: iTWire