Broadband News
Wed, 05th Sep 2012
ACMA gets new back-up telco powers
The Australian Communications and Media Authority has been handed new back-up powers that allow it to quickly intervene in cases where telecommunications self-regulation fails.
Source: iTnews Australia
AAPT trials free wifi service
AAPT has deployed a handful of free wifi hotspots in Sydney shopping centres, pubs and cafes to inform its development of a commercial service.
Source: iTnews Australia
Telstra installs 1000th ADSL2+ 'Top Hat'
Telstra has passed the halfway point in a project to upgrade homes and businesses to ADSL2+ fixed broadband, the telco announced on its blog. The project, which Telstra calls “Top Hat,” places broadband boxes on top of the telco’s existing street-side cabinets.
Source: Computerworld
Tue, 04th Sep 2012
Conroy serves it up to Turnbull over NBN - yet again
The great National Broadband Network (NBN) debate between the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy, and Opposition shadow minister, Malcolm Turnbull, has reached a new level of lengthy press release and sleep-inducing politicking with Conroy's latest serve.
Source: ARN
Telstra suffers BigPond email outage
Telstra is slowly recovering from a nationwide issue with its BigPond email servers that has left it dealing with a backlog of undelivered emails.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN business plans heat up with 'enhancements'
NBN Co has announced its first business-focused enhancement for NBN for Business, with four RSPs pegged to offer business services on the National Broadband Network (NBN) so far.
Source: Computerworld
Roxon edges toward keeping online data for two years
Attorney-General Nicola Roxon appears to have swung her support behind a controversial plan to capture the online data of all Australians, despite only six weeks ago saying "the case had yet to be made" for the policy.
Source: SMH
Optus launches consumer 4G
Optus has today launched its consumer 4G services in Sydney, Newcastle, and Perth close to a year after Telstra launched its 4G services.
Source: ZDNet Australia
By the numbers: iiNet's Malone knew when to sell
iiNet's founder Michael Malone has sold off four million shares of the company he founded, just at the right time.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Galaxy S III 4G coming to Optus, then Telstra
Optus and Telstra have today announced the upcoming availability of the Samsung Galaxy S III 4G smartphone.
Source: ARN
NBN Co finds ordering system 'issue'
NBN Co has blamed an "issue" in its ordering system for the network connection issues of residents in Maroochydore's Emporio apartment complex.
Source: iTnews Australia
Optus 4G network goes live (+ maps, plans, images)
Optus has launched its 4G network in Sydney, Perth and Newcastle. 4G services in Melbourne will start from September 15.
Source: ARN
Mon, 03rd Sep 2012
Eftel's DSLAM write-down results in AU$2.08M loss
Eftel's decision to write down its DSLAM equipment saw the company report a loss of AU$2.08 million for the last financial year.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Telstra attacks ACCC's wholesale ADSL proposal on all fronts
Telstra is demanding that it should be exempt from being required to provide regulated wholesale ADSL services in at least 289 exchange services areas; that it should not be required to provide wholesale naked ADSL services and that wholesale prices should be set based on retail prices so that it is able to manage network congestion by adjusting retail prices without discriminating against wholesale customers.
Source: iTWire
Telstra invokes NBN in Naked DSL row
Telstra has stepped up its battle against potentially being forced to offer Naked DSL services on a wholesale basis, arguing that meeting the requirement could hurt the National Broadband Network.
Source: iTnews Australia
Fri, 31st Aug 2012
FttP half-truths mask whole-NBN deception
Malcolm Turnbull has been spruiking 12Mbps minimum broadband for years. Suddenly, it’s "just not satisfactory" - and it's OK for him to continue to dodge any substantive questions around the Coalition’s plan. Maybe that’s because nobody's asking them.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Optus launches usage alert service for customers
Optus has jumped in quickly, just ahead of the new consumer Telecommunications Protection Code coming into effect tomorrow, by launching its new usage alert service which will give customers greater transparency in managing spending on their mobile accounts.
Source: iTWire
Telstra trialling Samsung 4G network equipment
In a surprise revelation, Telstra has confirmed that it is trialling Samsung LTE 4G network equipment in Brisbane, as the telco giant pushes forward with plans to cover 66.6 per cent of the Australian population by June 2013.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Audit tick for fibre backhaul blackspot scheme
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has won praise for its handling of the $250 million regional backbone blackspot program.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN seeks to bridge urban, rural legal services
Communications minister Stephen Conroy and Attorney-General Nicola Roxon announced $400,000 for the first round of successful applicants to share the NBN legal assistance partnerships.
Source: Computerworld
Optus introduces spending alerts system for post-paid customers
Optus has today introduced a new usage alert service for post-paid mobile customers, aiming to provide greater transparency of mobile accounts to enable better spend management.
Source: ARN
ACMA shocked by abolition calls
ACMA chairman Chris Chapman has said that he was "gobsmacked" by the Convergence Review recommendation that ACMA be abolished, saying he sees a big future for the authority in a digital world.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Thu, 30th Aug 2012
Billion's first new routers in two years
Australian specialist broadband device distributor, PCRange has starting shipping its first new Billion routers in two years, with the Billion V Series Broadcom chipset-based routers now coming on to the market in Australia.
Source: iTWire
Telstra to pull plug on 3GIS services at 10am Friday
Telstra is counting down the hours until the final shutdown of mobile services on the 3GIS network begins.
Source: iTnews Australia
Exetel internet outage brings down website, phone support
Australian ISP Exetel has experienced a network outage, which also brought down the company's support phone lines and website, leaving disconnected users to turn to social media.
Source: ZDNet Australia
iiNet's MD sells $13.2m worth of shares
Michael Malone, managing director at iiNet, has sold $13.2 million worth of shares in the company.
Source: Computerworld
Wed, 29th Aug 2012
Oakeshott 'surprised' at Coalition's Huawei pledge
Independent MP Rob Oakeshott has expressed surprise at a Coalition pledge to review Huawei's ban from NBN works should it come to power in the next election.
Source: iTnews Australia
Developers think NBN fibre is free: Opticomm
Fibre network company Opticomm has said that developers incorrectly believe that NBN Co's fibre installation in new housing developments is free of charge.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Turnbull sheds light on Coalition NBN plans
Malcolm Turnbull, Shadow Minister for Communications and Broadband, has shed further light on what the Coalition's approach would be to the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co speeds up service delivery with automated tools
NBN Co is using management software tools to help speed up the delivery of new high-speed broadband services across Australia. The National Broadband Network wholesaler has deployed IBM Rational software to build the capabilities required to automate the process of activating services for retail service providers.
Source: Computerworld