Broadband News
Tue, 18th Sep 2012
Australians among world's worst for illegal music downloads
Australians download music illegally more frequently, by head of population, than any other country. At the same time we also happily pay for downloads and still buy physical albums at a rate which surprises the industry worldwide.
Source: SMH
Townsville on track for NBN fibre
Three areas in north Queensland have been confirmed for the fibre rollout for the National Broadband Network (NBN). Townsville, Cairns and Mackay are to be switched on to the network in the next 12 months.
Source: Computerworld
Privacy reforms pass through lower House
Reforms to Australia's Privacy Act recommended years ago have finally made their way past the House of Representatives, bringing with them more powers for the Privacy Commissioner.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra's disconnect with mum and dad investors
Telstra's mum and dad investors of the last decade and a half don't recognise the company they first invested in.
Source: ZDNet Australia
TPG unveils unlimited NBN plan
TPG has confirmed plans to offer unlimited quotas over the National Broadband Network in coming weeks, closing months of speculation on the low-cost service provider's intentions for fibre-connected premises.
Source: iTnews Australia
TPG ups the ante with unlimited NBN data plan
TPG is the first ISP to offer unlimited data plans on the National Broadband Network (NBN), with a $69.99 per month plan on the base level NBN speed of 12/1Mbps.
Source: Computerworld
NBN rolling out to 16,600 premises in northern Queensland
More than 16,000 homes and businesses in Northern Queensland will be able to connect to the National Broadband Network in about 12 months time.
Source: ARN
Mon, 17th Sep 2012
iiNet 4G customers miss out on Freezone
iiNet will become the fourth Australian service provider to launch 4G mobile broadband services in a "couple of weeks" but the company says its initial service will be slightly hobbled.
Source: iTnews Australia
iiNet plans 4G launch
iiNet has unveiled plans to launch 4G services in the coming months on the back of Optus' recently launched Long Term Evolution network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus 4G now live in Melbourne
Optus has now gone live in Melbourne with its 4G network, six months after its initial 4G switch on in the Greater Newcastle region and two weeks after launching 4G in Sydney and Perth.
Source: iTWire
Europe runs out of IPv4 addresses
The European regional internet registry has moved to ration IPv4 address allocation to internet service providers as it faces depleting stocks.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 14th Sep 2012
Scams, petrol price rorts are why we need data retention: ACCC
The ACCC has welcomed government proposals to retain customer telecommunications data, stating that it will assist in investigating scams.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Huawei fears further blocks
Huawei has warned against proposed legislation that could preclude companies from participating in public and private networking projects throughout Australia.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telcos call for clarity on data retention scheme
Internet service providers have called for more meaningful discussions with Federal Government agencies on the data to be captured and hold under a proposed data retention regime.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 13th Sep 2012
Short-term pricing could be key to NBN Co's ROI, ACCC says
Rod Sims, chairman at the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), has said the right regulatory environment is key to prevent high prices and poor service quality on monopoly-run infrastructure such as the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: Computerworld
Vodafone Hutchison Australia switches on '3G+' upgrades
Vodafone has launched its DC-HSPA+ "3G+" upgrades in eight locations across Australia.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iPhone 5 signals further competition in the 4G arena
4G competition is heating up following today's release of the iPhone 5 with 4G connectivity, with Optus and Telstra offering 4G services.
Source: Computerworld
iPhone 5 works on Telstra, Optus 4G networks
As the iPhone 5 works on both Telstra's and Optus' 4G LTE networks, Apple looks like it has avoided another costly court battle with the ACCC.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Wed, 12th Sep 2012
Australians using BitTorrent less: study
Use of BitTorrent and peer-to-peer filesharing services in Australia has fallen to its lowest level in four years, a new study by the Swinburne University of Technology has found.
Source: iTnews Australia
Researchers, schools call for flexible copyright rules
Education institutions have urged the Federal Government to introduce new ways of circumventing copyright enforcement technologies.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN Co withdraws special access undertaking
NBN Co has pre-empted the likely rejection by the ACCC of the proposed terms and conditions under which it will provide services to its wholesale customers, ahead of the ACCC's 17 September deadline.
Source: iTWire
Tue, 11th Sep 2012
NBN Co promises new regulatory framework in weeks
NBN Co has said it will submit a revised regulatory framework to the competition watchdog "in a matter of weeks", again missing deadlines it set for submission of the key documents.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN support drops as election looms
A new survey of 1,001 Australians has revealed that support for the National Broadband Network has declined somewhat.
Source: iTWire
Roxon takes to YouTube to dispel data-retention hype
Australian Attorney-General Nicola Roxon has responded to GetUp's campaign against proposed data-retention legislation by hitting back with her own YouTube video.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Can I connect to the NBN?
With the National Broadband Network (NBN) expected to reach a peak in its rollout in 2016, some areas around Australia are already connected to the network via fibre-to-the-premises, fixed wireless and an interim satellite service.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co chair warns on coalition policy
NBN Co chairman Harrison Young has publicly attacked the Coalition's proposed broadband policy as a potentially more expensive and slower option than the existing National Broadband Network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Mon, 10th Sep 2012
Conroy berates Turnbull for being two-faced over Fibre To The Home
In the latest body blow to be landed in the Conroy versus Turnbull NBN-stoush-that-never-ends, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has accused Malcolm Turnbull of rank hypocrisy for investing in another telecommunications company that is building a Fibre To The Home [FTTH] network.
Source: ARN
Vodafone rates sustainability of handsets
Vodafone has launched a new eco rating initiative for mobile phones in an attempt at rating the sustainability of handsets as of September 12.
Source: ARN
NBN costs could rise under Coalition's plan, says chairman
The chairman of NBN Co, Harrison Young, says Coalition's preferred "mix of technologies" plan could increase the long-term costs set for the national broadband network.
Source: SMH
Internode connects its first household to NBN in Adelaide
Internode has hooked up its first customers in Adelaide to the NBN.
Source: ARN