Broadband News

Wed, 06th Feb 2013

Labor's NBN election sweeteners may turn saccharine

Labor is naturally keen to paint its NBN strategy as offering the most for voters, but giving too much, too early could very well backfire on the party by empowering Turnbull's alternative in the election run-up.

Source: ZDNet Australia

iiNet slams Telstra for P2P throttling trial

iiNet has slammed Telstra for its move to undertake trials to throttle speeds when customers use peer-to-peer networks.

Source: Computerworld

NBN planning begins in the Northern Rivers region in NSW

Planning is underway for the National Broadband Network’s (NBN) fixed wireless network in the Northern Rivers region in NSW.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Co brings 25/5 Mbps to fixed wireless

NBN Co will make a 25/5 Mbps service available on its fixed wireless network as early as June.

Source: iTnews Australia

Tue, 05th Feb 2013

NBN Co doubles wireless, satellite speeds

The maximum download and upload speeds for fixed-wireless and satellite services on the National Broadband Network have been more than doubled to 25Mbps down and 5Mbps up, the Australian government has announced.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra to clamp down on peer-to-peer

Telstra is planning to slow the speed at which its customers download content through peer-to-peer (P2P) networks in peak periods as part of a trial.

Source: SMH

ADSL broadband slows remote medical education

Australia should invest in faster broadband for regional areas to promote telehealth and clinical education, according to the head of a non-governmental organisation that trains general practice doctors.

Source: Computerworld

Broadband Dept blasts 'forum-shopping' ISPs

The Department of Broadband has broken its silence over an increasingly one-sided effort to saddle NBN Co with a regulatory burden akin to Telstra's.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 04th Feb 2013

4G's slow summer

Average 4G speeds have dropped 18 percent since November. It seems that a bunch of new users could be slowing things down. Can it bounce back, or are we starting to move down to the long-term average for wireless technology?

Source: ZDNet Australia

Data retention stalls at committee level

The Australian Government's controversial data retention proposal looks to have stalled at the committee review level following the appointment of a new Attorney-General and the announcement of an election date.

Source: iTnews Australia

First NBN fibre laid in Strathfield and Homebush in NSW

Strathfield in New South Wales is one step closer to receiving the National Broadband Network (NBN) following the first fibre optic cable being laid in the area.

Source: Computerworld

NBN expands learning opportunities

The National Broadband Network (NBN) can be a powerful tool that improves educational outcomes for children, according to a report by NBN Co.

Source: ARN

ACMA reveals 4G 1800 MHz resale fears

The Australian Communications and Media Authority has found itself with two empty portions of 1800 MHz spectrum and a resale deadline that threatens the contiguous nature of the range.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 01st Feb 2013

The ACT begins switching on to the NBN

The National Broadband Network (NBN) has officially been switched on at 4000 premises in Gungahlin, 17km north of Canberra.

Source: Computerworld

Apple blocks Java in browser again

Oracle's latest update of the Java runtime for browsers has been marked as unsafe by Apple's anti-malware feature Xprotect, Mac users report.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra service disruptions continue in Queensland

Telstra customers are continuing to experience service disruptions in Queensland due to power outages.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 31st Jan 2013

Abbott primes Turnbull for future comms minister role

Opposition leader Tony Abbott has thrown his weight behind Malcolm Turnbull to execute the Coalition's "superfast broadband" plan should it come to power at the September election.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC seeks NBN Co's capital forecasts

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission has asked NBN Co to hand over confidential costs and pricing forecast information.

Source: ZDNet Australia

iiNet blasts NBN Co over network fix times, compensation

ISP iiNet has lampooned NBN Co for setting the bar too low on restoration times for network faults and the circumstances in which it will compensate ISPs for outages.

Source: iTnews Australia

ACCC wants NBN Co's revenue and expenditure forecasts

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has requested NBN Co provide additional information on revenue and expenditure for its Special Access Undertaking (SAU) it lodged in September last year for the NBN.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 30th Jan 2013

Telstra fears IP rules will kill off NBN ideas forum

Telstra has asked NBN Co to "re-cut" intellectual property rules it fears will kill off any chance of having ISPs contribute ideas for future products for the National Broadband Network.

Source: iTnews Australia

iiNet: NBN still 12 months from a "tipping point"

While the National Broadband Network (NBN) has now passed more than 72,000 premises, Greg Bader, chief business officer at iiNet, says the network is at least 12 months away from reaching a "tipping point".

Source: Computerworld

HTML5 'turns web pages into computers': Berners-Lee

World Wide Web founder sees new horizons with HTML5, but warns against government overreach.

Source: ZDNet Australia

ISP prices to go up as providers focus on profitability: MyNetFone

Consumers will continue to pay more for mobile and wireless services as ISPs will push up prices to increase profitability.

Source: ARN

Telstra begins restoring triple zero services in Qld

Telstra has completed repairs to a damaged redundant inland fibre cable near Harlin in Kingaroy, restoring emergency triple zero services.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 29th Jan 2013

NBN the tip of the iceberg for Australia's tech future: Berners-Lee

Looking on as the CSIRO launches a digital research project aimed at using the NBN for boosting the Australian economy, Sir Tim Berners-Lee has said that the network is just the start of bigger and brighter things to come.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN services affected by Qld floods

The Queensland floods have impacted on National Broadband Network (NBN) services in parts of Queensland and in New South Wales.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra-Adam takeover decision delayed again

The corporate regulator's decision on whether to allow Telstra to take over Adam Internet and turn it into a budget internet service provider has been delayed again.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co pulls in more resources to meet June target

NBN Co will need to dramatically ramp up construction of the National Broadband Network (NBN) in order to reach its target of passing 341,000 premises by June 2013.

Source: Computerworld

Optus mobile network up in northern NSW, Queensland

Optus has issued a statement indicating that the telco's mobile network is operational in "major population centres" in Queensland and northern New South Wales.

Source: Computerworld