Broadband News

Fri, 09th Nov 2012

TPG faces court over Triple Zero access

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is set to haul TPG Internet before the Federal Court, alleging the provider failed to give certain customers access to the Triple Zero or 000 emergency call service.

Source: iTnews Australia

Industry, activists welcome Internet filter back down

Electronic Frontiers Australia (EFA) and the Internet Industry Association (IIA) have welcomed the federal government's back down on Internet filtering, now limiting blocked websites to child abuse sites.

Source: Computerworld

Victorian and WA regions announced for NBN's fixed wireless

Several regions in Victoria and WA have been earmarked to receive the NBN via fixed wireless.

Source: Computerworld

Telcos declare SMS 'unsafe' for bank transactions

The lobby group for Australian telcos has declared that SMS technology should no longer be considered a safe means of verifying the identity of an individual during a banking transaction.

Source: iTnews Australia

Conroy backs away from internet filter

The federal government has abandoned its long-standing commitment to introduce a national internet filter and will instead ban websites related only to child abuse.

Source: SMH

Thu, 08th Nov 2012

NBN clears hurdle in Scottsdale tower dispute

NBN Co has received planning approval for a fixed wireless tower in Scottsdale, Tasmania, following the initial rejection of the tower by Dorset council.

Source: Computerworld

Home buyer funds targeted in phone porting scam

Australia’s banks and telcos have failed to prevent fraudsters from using phone porting to siphon funds from compromised bank accounts.

Source: iTnews Australia

VoIP and instant messaging problem looming: Skype doesn't support IPv6

Microsoft may be closing down Windows Live Messenger in favor of Skype, but Skype has a connectivity problem: It doesn't support the Internet's next generation protocol: IPv6.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Dotcom's new me.ga site taken down

File-sharing tycoon Kim Dotcom's plans to resurrect his business have received a setback after Gabon's Government suspended the me.ga domain used for his new website.

Source: iTnews Australia

Wed, 07th Nov 2012

Go watch Foxtel Go - on your iPad

If you're an existing Foxtel customer through satellite or cable, you can now watch up to 21 live Foxtel channels on your iPad, but only if you already subscribe to them - with Foxtel on Xbox 360, Internet TV or T-Box subscribers sadly excluded from Foxtel's iDelivered fun.

Source: iTWire

AARNet peers with Amazon Web Services

Australia's Academic Research Network has signed a deal to peer with Amazon Web Services in the United States.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN business products fill the gap: AAPT

AAPT will use the NBN to offer business products in parts of Australia where it had otherwise been very expensive, the company said today.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Cup causes dip in Telstra's mobile data traffic

Telstra recorded a significant drop in data and email traffic running across its Next G mobile network yesterday during the screening of the Melbourne Cup.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN targets Australia's small businesses

Many small businesses may not understand the benefits of NBN, despite many plans on the way targeting 2 million such companies in Australia, according to Flying Solo founder, Robert Gerrish.

Source: Computerworld

Optus customers get cheaper Hoyts cinema tickets

Telecommunications provider, Optus, has partnered with cinema chain, Hoyts, to offer the telco’s customers $10 movie tickets (with a catch) through a renewed Movie Rewards program that kicks off next Monday, November 12.

Source: ARN

Tue, 06th Nov 2012

FTTN makes sense for NBN, AAPT says

It makes more sense to roll out fibre-to-the-node (FTTN) for the National Broadband Network (NBN) than the government's current fibre-to-the-premises (FTTP) approach, according to the CEO of internet service provider AAPT.

Source: Computerworld

Telstra talks down role of small mobile cells

Telstra announced last week that it had deployed new very small cellular base stations to boost mobile coverage at Flemington Racecourse during the spring racing carnival, but gave no indication that such technology will become a key part of its mobile network.

Source: iTWire

Dotcom proposes free internet, extra cable for NZ

Infamous internet mogul Kim Dotcom is proposing to reignite his abandoned Pacific Fibre cable project, which would provide a trans-Pacific cable and free internet to all New Zealand citizens.

Source: iTWire

Internode launches NodeMobile Summer SIM offer

Internode has launched a campaign increasing benefits for broadband customers who bundle Internode services by offering free setup and a monthly rental credit of $20 for six months for its recently launched NodeMobile Value voice services.

Source: ARN

Mon, 05th Nov 2012

ACCC finalises list of NBN points of interconnect

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has finalised the location of the 121 points of interconnect (POI) for the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Telstra to retry Next G web filter service

Telstra is preparing another shot at introducing a web filtering product for smartphones after being forced to kill an earlier iteration over user tracking concerns.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN interconnect locations revealed, addresses kept secret

A list of suburbs where Australia's National Broadband Network will have a point of interconnect has been published, but the street addresses remain a secret.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Sun, 04th Nov 2012

Dotcom calls for Pacific Fibre 'reboot'

Kim Dotcom has said that the launch of his new file-sharing service, Mega, could "reboot" the failed Pacific Fibre subsea cable project.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Fri, 02nd Nov 2012

Bill shock on the rise

Customers complaining about phone bills have doubled in the past year, yet monitoring mobile data usage won't get much easier in the foreseeable future.

Source: PC Authority

Telstra's NBN retraining open to more workers

More Telstra staff could qualify for retraining under a $100 million Commonwealth grant than the 6500 the carrier had previously identified as eligible.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telstra fights Naked DSL with interference data

Telstra has shifted gears in its fight to stop Naked DSL being mandated as a wholesale service, turning to projected system costs and interference investigation data to dissuade the competition watchdog.

Source: iTnews Australia

Open DNS resolvers behind gigantic DDoS

Internet network performance company CloudFlare has identified the nature of and networks behind a massive distributed denial of service attack against one of its customers.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 01st Nov 2012

Telstra job cuts not just about the 'slash and burn'

While its competitors go through cutting hundreds of jobs across the board, Telstra CEO David Thodey said that the company constantly evaluates its productivity, and adjusts as required.

Source: ZDNet Australia

What part of Do Not Call don't you understand?

Finance company Heritage Financial Solutions has been fined $17,000 for calling numbers on the Do Not Call Register.

Source: iTWire

NBN means new opportunities, challenges for online TV: ABC

ABC TV is looking at extending its digital platform to streaming live television to internet users and mobile devices.

Source: Computerworld