Broadband News

Tue, 09th Oct 2012

Turnbull warns on data retention laws

Shadow communications minister Malcolm Turnbull has blasted the Federal Government's proposed mandatory data retention regime as contrary to Australians' right to privacy and impractical to establish.

Source: iTnews Australia

ISP offers pay-as-you-go NBN plan

ISP Australian Broadband Services (AusBBS) has released the first pay-as-you-go plan (PAYG) for the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Bondi Beach to get free wi-fi

Waverley Council has unveiled plans to trial a free wi-fi network at Bondi Beach and the surrounding areas in order to determine the viability of the service.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 08th Oct 2012

ACMA targets Telstra over privacy breach

ACMA has directed Telstra to comply with a privacy clause in the Telecommunications Consumer Protections Code (TCP) following the telco’s breach of the code for over eight months last year.

Source: Computerworld

NBN executive inexperience led to 'gold-plating': Turnbull

Shadow Communications Minister Malcolm Turnbull has accused NBN Co CEO Mike Quigley and other executives in the company of being unsuitable to run the company.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Two thirds of businesses see no benefit in NBN beyond fast Internet

The latest findings from Roy Morgan research suggest that only 29 percent of businesses expect the NBN to benefit or be useful to their business.

Source: iTWire

US issues new warning on Huawei, ZTE

US Government officials have urged private sector companies away from using Huawei network gear for fear its equipment could open doors to spying.

Source: iTnews Australia

Optus customers to see $1 to $6 price hike

Optus customers will see a price hike on most phone and broadband plans next month, the telco said. The carrier this month reduced the number of plans available and did away with peak and off-peak data limits.

Source: Computerworld

Sun, 07th Oct 2012

Nothing more important than NBN, says PM

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has used a Digital Economy Forum to emphasise the importance of the National Broadband Network, and the government's commitment to it.

Source: iTWire

Fri, 05th Oct 2012

Queensland schools to get NBN satellite

The Queensland Government has unveiled plans to connect 56 of the state's most regional and rural public schools to the National Broadband Network interim satellite service in a bid to improve internet connectivity for students.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN to play major role in ASKAP

The Australian Square Kilometre Array Pathfinder (ASKAP) radio telescope which opened today at the Murchison Radio-astronomy Observatory (MRO) in WA will be utilising an NBN connection to transfer data at 40 gigabits per second--the equivalent of streaming 2,000 Blu-Ray movies simultaneously down a single pipe.

Source: Computerworld

Internet pumps billions into the Australian economy: Gillard

The Internet has contributed $50 billion to the Australian economy in 2010 and its indirect effects are worth an extra $80 billion a year, stressing the importance of a digital future, according to Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard.

Source: ARN

Bathurst 1000 accelerates Wi-Fi press trial

Online news and video generated by 140 journalists covering the annual Bathurst 1000 race at Mount Panorama in Bathurst, NSW, this weekend will be on the Web much faster due to a new Wi-Fi network trial.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 04th Oct 2012

NBN fibre rollout in ACT reaches established areas

Fibre cable for the National Broadband Network (NBN) has been laid in the Australian Capital Territory, the first NBN cable to be laid in the state in an established area.

Source: Computerworld

Tasmania on the way to being first connected NBN state

Construction for the National Broadband Network (NBN) has commenced on 12,600 premises in Launceston, Somerset and Binalong Bay in Tasmania.

Source: Computerworld

Wed, 03rd Oct 2012

Turnbull, Hockey should say sorry for NBN claims: Conroy

Communications minister Stephen Conroy asked his opposition to apologise for what he called "outrageous claims" that the NBN will cost up to $100 billion.

Source: Computerworld

4G LTE could spur DDoS, mobile data theft

Hackers can leverage high speed and data capacity of LTE networks to perpetrate distributed denial-of-service attacks on networks, and also target data on mobile devices.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra tussles over greenfield duct standards

Telstra has lobbied the competition watchdog to establish standards for pit and pipe in greenfield estates over concerns those rolled out by developers were not up to scratch or poorly maintained.

Source: iTnews Australia

Exetel offers 4G mobile broadband

Cut-price internet service provider Exetel will begin offering access to Optus' 4G LTE mobile network in approximately two weeks, according to the ISP's sales staff.

Source: Computerworld

Alan Jones' NBN confusion

When he's not insulting the Prime Minister, shock-jock Alan Jones is busy ensuring that his listeners avoid the intricacies of the debate on publicly funded broadband.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Tue, 02nd Oct 2012

NBN Co adds new board member

Former Sydney Water managing director Kerry Schott has been appointed to the board of NBN Co, the first board addition since 2009.

Source: iTnews Australia

Telcos investigate iOS data blow-out

Optus has confirmed it is investigating reports of inadvertent or excessive mobile data usage from iPhone owners after upgrading to the latest operating system, iOS 6.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co picks three more sites for satellite stations

NBN Co has picked three towns in Western Australia to now become home to ground stations that will support the company's satellite broadband service.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Mon, 01st Oct 2012

ACMA to revamp telephone numbers for the NBN era

The ACMA has announced completion of its review of telephone numbering saying its planned changes will prepare the telephone numbering system for the NBN.

Source: iTWire

Victoria loosens IP and data access rules

The Victorian Government has followed the Australian Government's lead on intellectual property, asking its agencies to consider sharing IP with suppliers and open its data sets up for public use.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co confirms Western Australian satellite stations

NBN Co has decided to build a satellite ground station near a former tracking station that was involved in NASA's Apollo Moon project.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 28th Sep 2012

iiNet tips AU$5 monthly data-retention tax

iiNet has estimated that it will have to charge its customers AU$5 extra per month in order to meet government demands to retain customer data for two years.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Telstra seeks direct line to NBN Co's PoI plans

Telstra has sought a new direct line of communication with NBN Co after learning of a series of changes to NBN points of interconnect from a regulatory discussion paper.

Source: iTnews Australia

TPG's unlimited data plans on NBN will stimulate competition, NBN Co says

The release of unlimited data plans for the National Broadband Network (NBN) by TPG will signal further competition in the market, according to NBN Co.

Source: Computerworld

Conroy mulls Government-funded subsea fibre link

Communications minister Stephen Conroy has threatened to fund a new submarine link between Australia and the US out of the National Broadband Network budget if international pricing does not fall to reasonable levels.

Source: iTnews Australia