Broadband News

Thu, 25th Jul 2013

Albanese says NBN contractors' costs not his problem

Communications Minister Anthony Albanese says that disputes with NBN subcontractors are not the Government's concern, despite reports that a blowout in contractor fees could send the cost of constructing the NBN as high as $70 billion.

Source: iTWire

Optus blames router for Queensland outage

Optus has attributed a "router issue" to a telecommunications outage that affected fixed and mobile data services in parts of Brisbane, the Gold Coast and Sunshine Coast this morning.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN services go live in Brunswick, Strathfield

More homes and businesses in Brunswick and Strathfield have gained access to the National Broadband Network fibre network.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 24th Jul 2013

Australian internet speeds 'peak' above 26 Mbps

Australia's "peak" internet connection speed is hovering above 26 Mbps for the first time, new figures by Akamai show.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 23rd Jul 2013

Senate backs police bid for unsold 700 MHz

A Senate Committee has backed a last-ditch bid by emergency services for a chunk of unsold 700 MHz spectrum in which to host a private 4G network.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telco differentiation comes down to customer experience

The growing importance of customer experience is one way for telcos to win and retain mobile customers, according to a new study by KPMG.

Source: ARN

Telstra's takeover bid for Adam falls through

The rumoured AU$60 million takover of Adam Internet by Telstra will not go ahead after concerns were raised by the competition watchdog.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Network costs 'to halve' in five years

Future networks will cost about half of what traditional networks cost today. They will require a smaller capital investment to roll out, and will be cheaper to operate because they'll be easier to manage, provide unified access, and require less power and cooling.

Source: iTWire

Mon, 22nd Jul 2013

Google accounts for 25 percent of all Internet traffic, study finds

The diversified range of new products being built and provided by Google now make the company accountable for nearly 25 percent of all Internet traffic, up from a mere 6 percent just three years ago, according to a new study.

Source: ARN

Australia must improve OECD broadband ranking: Husic

The NBN is critical to improving Australia's lagging broadband ranking in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, said parliamentary secretary for broadband, Ed Husic.

Source: Computerworld

Optus crowdsources to improve mobile network

In an effort to improve network experience, telecommunications services provider, Optus, is crowdsourcing to its customers feedback about its network.

Source: ARN

Fri, 19th Jul 2013

Vodafone customer losses balloon in June quarter

Vodafone continues to shed mobile customers at an alarming rate in Australia, losing 551,000 in the first half of this year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Vodafone boasts fastest 4G in Sydney and Melbourne

Vodafone has the fastest 4G data speeds in Sydney and Melbourne, according to Ookla speedtests done by thousands of Samsung and HTC smartphone users in the first week of July.

Source: ARN

Simon Hackett's blueprint to cut NBN cost

NBN Co could reduce subcontractor stress, lower its build costs and speed up the rollout by taking the knife to its network construct, according to internet visionary Simon Hackett.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 18th Jul 2013

Telstra expands 4G network rollout

Telstra will extend its 4G network to around 200 more regional towns across Australia by the end of the year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull probes NBN Co board on lobbying

NBN Co's chairwoman Siobhan McKenna has confirmed to Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull that the board hired a lobbyist to represent it to the Coalition.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Back off, NBN Co warns Turnbull

The relationship between NBN Co and Malcolm Turnbull has deteriorated further, with the company criticising the Opposition spokesman for politicising the debate.

Source: iTWire

NBN to enable online applications for construction of buildings in South Perth

Communications minister Anthony Albanese has announced an upcoming online application system for the construction of buildings in South Perth that the National Broadband Network will enable.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 17th Jul 2013

Direct fibre could make NBN cheaper: Hackett

Removing the so-called NBN connection boxes are one of the many ways Internode founder Simon Hackett believes the NBN could be rolled out cheaper.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN powers robotic farms in rural Tasmania

The NBN is helping electrical contractors in rural Tasmania better support robotic dairies and remote-controlled farm irrigation systems, according to Andrew Dare Electrical Services managing director, John Dare.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra readies for an IPTV future

Telstra is restructuring its digital media division to meet the threat from OTT players. Foxtel penetration is stuck at 30% - the big growth will come from IPTV.

Source: iTWire

NBN Co to reserve data port for government

NBN Co plans to reserve one of four data ports on its customer equipment exclusively for government agencies to deliver unmetered online services into homes.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 16th Jul 2013

Online shopping set to soar

The online shopping market in Australia continues to grow strongly and in 2013 is expected to account for 7% of total retail sales, according to fresh research.

Source: iTWire

NBN to improve school lesson delivery: Tecala Group

The NBN will potentially impact the independent schools sector by improving the delivery of school teaching, according to Australian ICT consulting and solutions provider, Tecala Group.

Source: ARN

Telco metadata 'loss' mooted under Greens' warrant plan

Victoria's anti-corruption commissioner believes authorities may not have enough time to get a warrant to access metadata before it is deleted by telcos, if proposed laws are passed.

Source: iTnews Australia

Internode launches 4G NodeMobile plans

Internet service provider and subsidiary of iiNet, Internode, has launched its first 4G NodeMobile phone plans, which offers large data quotas and no lock-in contracts.

Source: ARN

Mon, 15th Jul 2013

NBN Co appoints new contractor in SA

NBN Co has awarded a new three-year contract for the rollout of fibre to 300,000 premises in South Australia.

Source: iTnews Australia

Turnbull hints at NBN Co board change

The federal opposition's communications spokesman has criticised the NBN Co board over its lack of experience in telecommunications.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Turnbull says Quigley was sacked - then attacks McKenna

Opposition communications spokesman Malcolm Turnbull says Mike Quigley was sacked and Chairman Siobhan McKenna was responsible.

Source: iTWire

Vodafone class action delayed further

A class action lawsuit legal firm Piper Alderman is attempting to get up against Vodafone has been further delayed, according to an update sent out by the lawsuit's financer.

Source: iTnews Australia