Broadband News
Wed, 31st Jul 2013
Work to begin on new Perth-SE Asia cable
Construction of a new cable system between Perth and SE Asia that will link resource extraction areas in the Pilbara may commence as early as next month, according to reports.
Source: iTnews Australia
Australian government keeps digital dividend spectrum price
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese last week quietly directed the industry regulator to keep the existing reserve price for the remaining 700MHz spectrum from the digital dividend auction.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Vodafone launches $5 global roaming flat rate
Vodafone has launched a new global roaming offering which will allow customers to use the same text, data and calls in their normal plan overseas for an additional $5 a day when travelling to select countries, in an effort to combat global roaming bill shock.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus expands mobile coverage to Lake Cathie
Telecommunications services provider, Optus, has switched on mobile coverage at Lake Cathie, in the mid-north coast region of NSW, with a dedicated mobile tower, bringing dedicated mobile coverage to the coastal community for the first time.
Source: ARN
Tue, 30th Jul 2013
Foxtel launches IPTV service
Australia's largest subscription television company Foxtel has launched its IPTV subscription service allowing customers to watch to Foxtel over the internet.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Albanese keeps high price on 700 MHz spectrum
Communications Minister Anthony Albanese will maintain reserve prices on unsold 700 MHz spectrum, keeping Telstra happy but ignoring calls by Vodafone to delay future pricing decisions.
Source: iTnews Australia
Vodafone makes call centre hires in Tasmania
Telecommunications company, Vodafone, has expanded its Australian call centre base with the hire of 150 new recruits to its customer care team in Tasmania.
Source: ARN
ACCAN cans ACMA's view on telco complaint handling
Following ACMA's reports that telcos are handling complaints better, consumer group ACCAN says much more needs to be done.
Source: iTWire
Optus reveals mobile data use thresholds
Optus is keeping tabs on continuous mobile data sessions in six-hour or 100 MB increments to meet its Telecommunications Consumer Protection (TCP) code obligations.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 29th Jul 2013
Australian telcos making progress on complaint handling: ACMA
The ACMA has found that Australia's big three telecommunications companies are making strides in resolving issues within 10 working days.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ABC iView now on Fetch TV
ABC TVs internet channel iView has been integrated into the Fetch IPTV main menu, providing users with ready access to the entire suite of iView content on their TV.
Source: iTWire
NZ landing site agreed for trans-Pacific cable
The second trans-Pacific cable linking Australia, New Zealand and the US will connect to the northern Whangarei area of New Zealand, after cable owner Hawaiki signed a memorandum of understanding with the Northland Inc regional economic development agency.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thiess buys out Silcar
Leighton Holdings subsidiary Thiess has become the complete owner of telecommunications contractor Silcar, after buying out joint venture partner Siemens.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra's 117 MB mobile data 'mystery' solved
Telstra is keeping track of continuous mobile data sessions in 117 MB increments to alert customers when they reach 50 and 85 percent of quota as early as possible.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 25th Jul 2013
Coalition NBN plan to bring in money faster: iiNet, AAPT
While the Coalition's cheaper National Broadband Network (NBN) will deliver slower broadband speeds to Australians, it will deliver revenue faster to the two ISPs.
Source: ZDNet Australia
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