Broadband News
Wed, 20th Mar 2013
Telcos given till next year to pay for wireless spectrum
Telco’s participating in the digital dividend auction have been given until the second half of next year to make final payments for spectrum licenses won.
Source: ARN
Tue, 19th Mar 2013
Conroy in hot water again, this time over NBN rollout shortfall
Once called the most incompetent Telecommunications Minister ever to hold the office by iiNet chief executive Michael Malone, Senator Stephen Conroy is once again in the news for all the wrong reasons. This time the issue is the hopelessly behind schedule fibre rollout of the National Broadband Network.
Source: iTWire
Telcos win reprieve over 4G spectrum payments
The Federal Government has given carriers and other bidders at least another year to make final payments on any digital dividend spectrum they win at auction in April.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet wants the NBN faster
iiNet announced it now has 10,000 customers on the National Broadband Network (NBN), but speculation around further downgrades in NBN Co targets would be disappointing, according to the ISP.
Source: Computerworld
iiNet hits NBN milestone
Internet service provider (ISP), iiNet, has reached an NBN milestone, connecting over 10,000 customers across fibre, satellite, and fixed wireless services.
Source: ARN
TPG profits soar on back of ADSL, mobile growth
Internet service provider TPG today reported accelerated growth among its mobile subscribers, adding 48,000 mobile customers in the six months to January 31. The new mobile subscribers represent close to 16 per cent of the company's entire mobile subscriber base of 303,000.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 18th Mar 2013
NBN 'too expensive' for TV networks
The National Broadband Network (NBN) will hurt regional broadcasters and TV stations should get free access to the network, Seven West Media chairman Kerry Stokes has said.
Source: ARN
NBN rollout continues to lag
New figures published by small National Broadband Network provider Devoted NBN shows that the fibre network has only passed 1,400 more existing premises so far this year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra sports new changes to its Foxtel on T-Box
Telstra today announced a slew of changes to its Foxtel on T-Box service, including adding Fox Sports 1, 2 and 3 to the Sport package.
Source: iTWire
SingTel to review Optus Satellite
SingTel will undertake a review of its Optus Satellite business, the company told shareholders this morning.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra fibre successful at 1Tbps
Telstra’s fibre optic network has successfully reached 1Tbps following trials by Ericsson.
Source: Computerworld
M2 to acquire Dodo; makes an offer to Eftel
M2 Telecommunications will acquire Dodo for $203.9 million and make an off-market takeover offer for Eftel for 35.81 cents per share, implying a total enterprise value of $44.1 million.
Source: Computerworld
Fri, 15th Mar 2013
Backwards attitude to online identity erodes our power
Demanding that people use their real names to access internet services, except in special circumstances, is a dramatic, but largely undiscussed shift of power away from individuals to corporations and governments.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG, Telstra change 'unfair' customer contracts
Australia's consumer watchdog has found the telecommunications industry most guilty of having customers agree to contract terms that allow the business to change without their consent.
Source: iTnews Australia
Visionstream wins NBN contract worth up to $1 billion
Visionstream has won a National Broadband Network (NBN) contract worth up to $1 billion.
Source: Computerworld
ISPs stare down Telstra backhaul cost increase
ISPs and telco executives have been caught off-guard by a draft plan to raise the price of the transmission backhaul that is bundled with Telstra's wholesale ADSL ports.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 14th Mar 2013
Outback councils keen on fibre optic NBN connection
Two remote Queensland councils say they are continuing with a $20 million plan to get fibre optic laid to their outback communities.
Source: ABC News
Groupon warned by ACMA for spamming
ACMA has issued a formal warning to online retailer Groupon Australia for sending daily emails without the consent of people interested in its deals.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 13th Mar 2013
iiNet disappointed with ACCC’s draft ADSL pricing
Wholesale pricing suggested less than efficient costs when compared to its own cost for provisioning DSL ports.
Source: ARN
Cabotage rules sabotage Perth-Singapore cable repairs
Indonesian bureaucracy has halted repair attempts of the severed Singapore - Perth undersea cable which remains severed while its operators try to obtain government permits.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 12th Mar 2013
Macquarie Telecom prepares for the NBN
Macquarie Telecom has increased its core network bandwidth capacity by 10 following upgrades this year, driven by demand from the NBN and cloud.
Source: Computerworld
Telstra escapes Naked ADSL mandate
Telstra has all but successfully fought off attempts to have Naked DSL mandated as a wholesale service after waging war on the issue last year.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC outlines plan for Telstra wholesale ADSL pricing
The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has issued a draft report on a final access determination for Telstra's wholesale ADSL service that will in part govern pricing for organisations seeking access to the telco's copper network to deliver broadband services.
Source: Computerworld
Daly International to hook up units to NBN in three locations
Infrastructure deployment and project delivery group, Daly International Pty Ltd, has landed a $27.7 million contract with NBN Co to undertake the detailed work of connecting flats and units to the National Broadband Network in Western Australia, Brisbane and the Gold Coast.
Source: ARN
NBN has 'slowed network investment'
The National Broadband Network has slowed investment by telcos in new backbone infrastructure, says an Australian cloud vendor.
Source: iTWire
Netflix releases global ISP speed index
Google Fibre is the speed king for streaming video according to Netflix, which today released its first global Internet provider speed index.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 11th Mar 2013
What the new Optus retail strategy looks like
The new Optus direct sales strategy, mooted last year, is taking shape.
Source: iTWire
Even with satellites, regional Australia prefers fibre-to-the-home: Conroy
Even as the government is busy setting up deals for orbital satellites as part of the NBN, Minister for Broadband, Communications, and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, said small communities in regional Australia would still prefer fibre-to-the-home
Source: ARN
Optus refreshes its retail presence
Optus has refreshed its retail presence in Australia, opening 10 'yes' pilot stores across Queensland, New South Wales and Victoria in March.
Source: ARN
Leave Telstra last in 4G spectrum extension: Vodafone
Vodafone Australia has said Telstra should be a lower priority in getting extra 1800MHz spectrum in three Australian capital cities under a proposal by the ACMA.
Source: ZDNet Australia