Broadband News

Wed, 04th Apr 2012

Rogue NBN pricing risks economy: Optus

NBN Co's pricing scheme may be a "detriment to the Australian economy", unless the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission gets stronger powers to set pricing, according to Australia's second largest telco Optus.

Source: ZDNet Australia

First apartments to get NBN by June

NBN Co has revealed plans to finish rolling out fibre to the first apartment buildings by June, months after commercial services in surrounding areas were switched on.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co appoints CFO

NBN Co has promoted Robin Payne to the role of chief financial officer (CFO).

Source: ARN

NBN Co ditches ads after announcers lash out

NBN Co pulled advertising from radio station 2GB after Ray Hadley and another presenter prefaced paid "live reads" with negative comments about the government's broadband project.

Source: SMH

Tue, 03rd Apr 2012

AAPT flicks on 100G Syd-Melbourne link

AAPT has claimed it has the first Australian commercially available 100-gigabit-per-second (100G) inter-capital network link, operating between Melbourne and Sydney.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Two years until NBN hits peak roll-out

It may still be two years before NBN Co begins rolling out fibre to 6000 premises a day, according to chief operating officer Ralph Steffens.

Source: ZDNet Australia

iiNet trims fetchtv terms, upsizes free content

iiNet has reduced the minimum contract for its fetchtv IPTV service and added a new range of free content.

Source: iTWire

Equinix brings expansion plans forward

Global data centre giant Equinix has announced it will bring expansion plans for its Sydney facility forward by six months to meet strong demand for data centre space.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN Co to educate public on network

With 40 retail service providers (RSP) now signed on to offer National Broadband Network (NBN) services, NBN Co has flagged plans to significantly raise public awareness of the network.

Source: Computerworld

Gartner: Factor NBN into enterprise plans

Analyst firm Gartner has urged businesses to plan their enterprise networks in consideration of the National Broadband Network rollout to take advantage of its promised ubiquity and low prices.

Source: iTnews Australia

Mon, 02nd Apr 2012

Can broadband save the world from global warming?

It is said that to limit global temperature rise to 2°C, emissions need to be capped at approximately 44 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent by 2020. However emission are likely to hit 53 gigatonnes by 2020. The ITU says that ICT and broadband-enabled applications could limit the total to just 45.2 gigatonnes by 2020.

Source: iTWire

iiNet bowls up NBN hat-trick

Australia's largest NBN service provider, iiNet, says it will be the first company to offer NBN services across all three access methods - fibre, satellite and wireless.

Source: iTWire

Internode unveils NBN wireless plans in Armidale

Internode has begun to sell national broadband network (NBN) fixed wireless services to the residents of Armidale in northern NSW.

Source: Computerworld

NBN goes wireless with iiNet

Whether its fibre, satellite and wireless, iiNet now has the honour of becoming the first company to offer the NBN across all three.

Source: ARN

Virgin Mobile beefs up mobile broadband quotas

Virgin Mobile has increased data quotas on its postpaid mobile broadband plans by between 500 MB and 4 GB a month.

Source: iTnews Australia

No NBN fate but what NBN Co makes

No matter how you feel about the NBN, you have to give it to Labor: they know how to make it look like they're doing something. And yet, as the NBN kicks into overdrive with this week's announcement of the company's three-year plan, the ambitious targets the party has announced seem almost destined to make liars out of it. The real question is: will anybody care?

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN not the only opportunity in Australia for Huawei

The Australian head of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei says there is still a role for the company in Australia, despite being banned from any participation in the National Broadband Network (NBN).

Source: Computerworld

Fri, 30th Mar 2012

Politics not behind suburbs covered by NBN

Suburbs and towns covered by the National Broadband Network (NBN) were chosen mainly for engineering reasons and not because of politics, NBN Co boss, Mike Quigley, says.

Source: ARN

Telstra submits plans for independent telecom adjudicator

Telstra has submitted to the ACCC drafts of the constitution and charter of the Independent Telecommunications Adjudicator (ITA) that it is required to set up under the structural separation undertaking given to, and recently approved by, the ACCC that sets out details of its participation in the NBN.

Source: iTWire

iiNet builds NBN automation for growth

iiNet has revealed plans to integrate with NBN Co's newly launched business-to-business interface next month to speed up activation of new services for customers and its subsidiaries on the National Broadband Network.

Source: iTnews Australia

NBN rollout shortchanges Victoria: Vic govt

Victoria has been "dudded" by the federal government's rollout of the National Broadband Network, the state government says.

Source: Computerworld

Thu, 29th Mar 2012

Three year plan for 3.5 million premises to be connected to NBN

Prime Minister Julia Gillard just announced stage one of the National Broadband Network's wide-scale rollout plan.

Source: NBN Co

Internode joins fast transfer party

Internode has now put the same process into place that iiNet did last week, enabling customers to transfer to the internet service provider without weeks of downtime.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN Co announces stage 1 rollout plans

Phase 1 of the NBN fibre rollout will reach up to one third of homes and businesses over the next three years. Will you be covered?

Source: iTWire

NBN announces 3-year rollout plan

NBN Co Ltd boss, Mike Quigley, says the launch of the three-year rollout schedule for the high speed National Broadband Network (NBN) is a "turning point" for the federal government project.

Source: Computerworld

'Bill shock' hits one in two mobile phone users: study

"Bill shock" is hitting nearly half of Australian mobile phone users and is costing the country more than $557 million a year, a new study has found.=

Source: SMH

Wed, 28th Mar 2012

ACCC delays decision on Foxtel-Austar tie up

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) has delayed a decision on the proposed acquisition of regional pay TV operator Austar by Foxtel.

Source: ZDNet Australia

Nextep expands to NBN

NEC subsidiary Nextep has signed a wholesale agreement with NBN Co to offer sub-wholesale services on the National Broadband Network by the middle of the year.

Source: iTnews Australia

Huawei fears spread to New Zealand

The Australian Government's decision to ban Huawei from tendering for the National Broadband Network (NBN) has sent ripples across the Tasman, with the New Zealand Labour Party calling on its government to explain Huawei's involvement with New Zealand's ultra-fast broadband roll-out.

Source: ZDNet Australia

NBN may accelerate education revolution

The National Broadband Network (NBN) is expected to speed up the transformation process of the education sector, according to NBN Co.

Source: Computerworld