Broadband News

Wed, 27th Jun 2012

Govt in a corner over NBN construction

NBN Co is now reaping the rewards of the uncertainty around the National Broadband Network's (NBN) roll-out timetable.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Australian online business booms to tune of $189 billion

While bricks and mortar retailers continue to crumble, Australian online businesses are booming like never before, according to a new report from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS). Business on the net jumped a massive 32% the 2010/2011 financial year and has made the online market one of the major drivers of the economy.

Source: iTWire

PSTN replacement delays holding back NBN schedule

Market research firm Telsyte has revised downwards is forecasts for take-up of the NBN fibre network on the basis of expected delays in decommissioning of Telstra copper.

Source: iTWire

Telstra halts mobile tracking

Telstra has stopped tracking web traffic from its mobile subscribers after admitting to hosting the stored data overseas.

Source: iTnews Australia

Skills shortage could delay NBN rollout: Union

The Communications Electrical and Plumbing Union (CEPU) has warned that the speed of the rollout of the National Broadband Network (NBN) could be affected due to a lack of skilled workers and despite some $100 million in Government funds being spent on training up Telstra employees.

Source: Computerworld

Tue, 26th Jun 2012

Telstra logs customer history for new filter

Telstra has admitted to tracking the websites visited by Next G mobile customers, as part of the development of a voluntary internet filtering system.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone plans 4G rollout next year

Vodafone Australia has confirmed plans to begin rolling out its fourth-generation LTE network from next year in a bid to improve its mobile network and catch up to rivals Telstra and Optus.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN to impact on job roles

The National Broadband Network (NBN) could prove to be an unprecedented driver of ICT jobs change, according to the Australian Computer Society (ACS).

Source: Computerworld

Trans-Pacific cable to get massive 5Tbps extra capacity

Japan-US Cable -part owned by Telstra - is to upgrade the full 23,000kms of its trans-Pacific network from 10Gbps per wavelength to 100Gbps per wavelength -using technology from Ciena - and increasing capacity fivefold.

Source: iTWire

Telsyte says NBN up-take hindered by slow copper disconnection

Up-take to the National Broadband Network (NBN) is potentially being limited by the lack of work on withdrawing copper services, according to a study by Telsyte.

Source: Computerworld

MyNetFone NBN services hit Armidale and Kiama

Hosted voice and data communications services provider, MyNetFone, has rolled out a range of residential and business NBN broadband plans in Armidale and Kiama.

Source: ARN

NBN Co playing hardball with local councils

NBN Co is playing hardball with a rural Victorian council by telling some customers they will have to live with slower satellite services because their application for new broadband infrastructure was rejected.

Source: SMH

NBN committee wants website overhaul

NBN Co must provide clearer information about the roll-out of the National Broadband Network and the tenders associated with it, according to the latest parliamentary report.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Vodafone suffers near-nationwide 3G outage

Vodafone Australia has reported outages affecting most of its national 3G network.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN impasse sees town stuck with satellite

NBN Co will only offer satellite services to residents in the regional town of Napoleons, after the Golden Plains Shire Council rejected the company's plans for a tower to deliver fixed-wireless LTE services in the area.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN committee eyes sooner debt funding

The parliamentary committee overseeing the National Broadband Network rollout has urged NBN Co to approach the private market for funding sooner than planned in a bid to "ensure a maximum return" on Government investment.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 25th Jun 2012

Mozilla's new silent update fails to boost Firefox 13's uptake

Mozilla's new silent updater has not sped up the migration to Firefox 13, according to usage statistics compiled by an Irish metrics company.

Source: Computerworld

Google flags 13 million searches a day

Google has revealed that about 13 million searches a day yield warnings about hacked sites that have had content changed or malicious links added.

Source: iTnews Australia

What does .Google want with 101 new .domains, anyway?

Google's plan for the new top-level domains (TLDs) it gets is unlike most other big tech firms; it wants to offer them up to the public.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Eftel buys the 'other' Westnet

Eftel is to acquire the assets of Western Australia based ISP West Australian Networks, which operates under the domain www.westnet.net.au: confusingly similar to that of iiNet's Westnet subsidiary.

Source: iTWire

ICANN picks new chief

Internet domain names body ICANN has appointed a new chief executive to take on some of the major challenges facing the non-profit body in the near future.

Source: iTnews Australia

Fri, 22nd Jun 2012

ACCC gives Telstra adjudicator the tick

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has approved the nomination of Dr Rob Nicholls for the role of Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator (ITA), to oversee disputes between Telstra and its fixed-line wholesale customers.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Internet usage charge disputes skyrocket: TIO

The Telecommunications Industry Ombudsman (TIO) has reported a dramatic year-on-year up-tick in complaints relating to disputed internet usage charges and financial over-commitment caused by inadequate spend management tools.

Source: Computerworld

Photos: Telstra's LTE upgrade

A look at the towers that run the show.

Source: iTnews Australia

Thu, 21st Jun 2012

Gradual increase in IPv6 traffic seen in June

IPv6 traffic didn’t spike on World IPv6 Day, but did see a gradual and significant increase starting two weeks before the actual day, 6 June, according to Arbor Networks. Internet Protocol version 6 traffic grew from 0.06 per cent to 0.15 per cent in that period, it said.

Source: Computerworld

Tech firms own best workplaces list

Technology companies have made a strong showing in BRW's 50 best places to work list, performing just as well as they did last year.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Apple fined more than $2m over 4G claim

The Federal Court has fined technology giant Apple $2.25 million for misleading consumers over its latest iPad.

Source: Computerworld

NBN Co scales back 30-year regulation

NBN Co is preparing to significantly scale back plans to lock in regulation surrounding the National Broadband Network for 30 years in a bid to have the framework approved by the competition watchdog.

Source: iTnews Australia

Retro looks, killer features: AVM Fritz!Box Fon WLAN 7390 & Fritz!Fon MT-F review

It might look like it's been yanked straight out of an episode of The Jetsons, but this retro-styled modem/router packs some seriously high-tech features.

Source: APC Magazine

Wed, 20th Jun 2012

NBN Co to split 30-year undertaking

NBN Co has bowed to pressure from the telecommunications industry, and will release a revised access undertaking to address issues that the industry has been raising since last year.

Source: ZDNet Australia