Broadband News
Mon, 28th May 2012
Ozlog: Government pushes ahead with data retention plans
The federal government is pushing ahead with reforms that could see consumers' information kept on file for up to two years by internet service providers (ISPs).
Source: Computerworld
Simon Hackett leaves executive role at Internode, joins iiNet
Plenty of changes at Internode as it integrates with iiNet after being acquired for $105 million.
Source: ARN
Optus, Voda still lag on emergency alerts
Come next bushfire season, Telstra mobile subscribers may be the only ones to receive location-based disaster alerts when the service rolls out, as negotiations with Optus and Vodafone are ongoing.
Source: ZDNet Australia
ACCC approves Optus NBN deal
The competition watchdog has conditionally approved the $800 million customer migration deal between NBN Co and Optus, paving the way for the National Broadband Network builder to submit a revised corporate plan to Government this week.
Source: iTnews Australia
ACCC gives $800 million Optus-NBN Co deal the thumbs up
The consumer watchdog proposes to authorise the deal for Optus to migrate its HFC network customers onto the NBN after weighing up the pros and cons.
Source: ARN
Sat, 26th May 2012
NBN users opt for 100Mbps
Customers are picking the top fibre plan that is available on the National Broadband Network (NBN), more than any other plan, CEO Mike Quigley has revealed.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Fri, 25th May 2012
Govt urges telcos to team up against NBN Co
The Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy has urged Telstra and the other telcos to join forces in their access negotiations with NBN Co.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN Co expands wireless trials
NBN Co has expanded trials of its fixed wireless network to Toowoomba and Tamworth for the first time as it looks to ramp up rollout of the network.
Source: iTnews Australia
NBN's Tassie upgrade to cost $1.3 million
NBN Co will spend $1.3 million on replacing outdated network technology in 700 premises in Tasmanian trial sites for the National Broadband Network (NBN).
Source: ZDNet Australia
AARNet extends international academic network links
In a bid to increase collaboration between Australian and overseas universities, the Australian Academic Research Network (AARNet) has signed a partnership with NRENum.net, an international body of research and education networks that shares call routing to make free international voice/video calls.
Source: Computerworld
More NBN access for remote schools
More remote schools, health clinics and local government facilities will be able to access the National Broadband Network (NBN) through an established interim satellite service, the government says.
Source: ARN
NBN slows over inaccurate address data
NBN Co has been forced to invest in new systems to manually double-check inaccurate address data supplied by geospatial data provider PSMA Australia.
Source: iTnews Australia
Thu, 24th May 2012
Regional review highlights NBN, mobile
Poor mobile coverage across the nation is the biggest telecommunications concern for regional Australians, an independent review has found.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN cost-benefit analyses are so 2011
It wasn't too long ago that one of the rallying cries of the Coalition's NBN opposition was its insistence that Labor conduct a full cost-benefit analysis, comparing the government's fibre-to-the-premise (FttP) strategy with alternatives such as fibre to the node (FttN) and wireless.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Foxtel completes Austar takeover
Foxtel has completed its $2 billion takeover of regional counterpart Austar, and says pricing and billing procedures will not change for customers of either service.
Source: ZDNet Australia
NBN ISS could pose capacity constraints
A report by the Regional Telecommunications Review Committee (RTRC) has found the National Broadband Network (NBN) has found the Interim Satellite Service (ISS) could pose capacity constraints.
Source: Computerworld
35,000 accounts compromised in Telstra GameArena hack
Third-party company which runs the telco's GameArena and Game Shop sites fell victim to a hacking attack on Wednesday night.
Source: ARN
Hackers hit Telstra site: 35,000 affected
Telstra has been hit by a "hacking attack" affecting 35,000 customers, just a week after one of its IT staff told a security conference the telco was reviewing how it secured and stored customer information.
Source: SMH
Critics 'underestimate' NBN positive impact on eCommerce growth
Critics of the national broadband network (NBN) are underestimating its ability to remove the biggest supply chain impediments to e-commerce growth, according to one leading logistics and transportation company.
Source: iTWire
Wed, 23rd May 2012
Is internet porn bad for teen health?
A study by Australian researchers at the University of New South Wales and the University of Melbourne indicates an association between internet pornography and the sexual health of teenagers, with a review of literature in the area finding a strong correlation between teenage consumers of online porn and risky sexual behaviour.
Source: Computerworld
NBN Co quashes wireless block claims
NBN Co has moved to quash concerns that it would refuse homeowners a wireless connection if speed tests conducted at installation did not reach peak speeds of 25 Mbps.
Source: iTnews Australia
Tue, 22nd May 2012
Macquarie Telecom to provide NBN to its customers
Macquarie Telecom has successfully completed NBN Co's on-boarding certification program which will allow its customers to access the National Broadband Network's (NBN) increased bandwidth and connectivity.
Source: Computerworld
Chrome overtakes IE: does it matter?
Google's Chrome appears to have become the most-used browser, having surpassed Microsoft's Internet Explorer, according to StatCounter. The larger question about the browser war revolves around whether there is a platform benefit to being the top dog.
Source: ZDNet Australia
Conroy marks digitial economy milestone
The Department of Human Services will later this year start trialling delivering video services to citizens in regions with National Broadband Network connections. According to Senator Stephen Conroy, minister for broadband, communications and the digital economy, video consultations will be available for people seeking information and advice about Centrelink, Medicare and Child Support services.
Source: iTWire
Vocus acquires Maxnet for $9.5m
IP transit and data centre provider Vocus has acquired New Zealand-based company Maxnet for $9.5 million in a bid to enter the data centre market across the Tasman.
Source: iTnews Australia
Speed to screen drives Fox Sports Australia's networking upgrade
Fox Sports Australia has moved to meet demand for play-by-play sports coverage on high definition (HD) TVs, tablets and smart phones by building a virtual private network enabling the media giant to send three HD broadcast feeds from sporting venues back to the studio over one connection.
Source: Computerworld
Education group: Schools need 100 Mbps per 1,000 broadband users
Schools in the U.S. will need broadband speeds of 100 Mbps per 1,000 students and staff members by the 2014-15 school year in order to meet a growing demand for Web-based instruction and a skyrocketing number of student-owned Web devices, according to a new report by a trade group representing state education agencies.
Source: Computerworld
Mon, 21st May 2012
National Botnet Network coming: Earthwave
Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise, and, according to Earthwave CEO Carlo Minassian, the situation will get worse when the National Broadband Network (NBN) rolls out.
Source: ZDNet Australia
No agreement on Internet content: Lawyer
The rapid growth of the internet and social media are causing major legal headaches globally, with no clear-cut agreement on how to control content, a law lecturer says.
Source: Computerworld
Fri, 18th May 2012
Copper greenfield dominance irrelevant: Conroy
Communications Minister Stephen Conroy's office has said it means nothing that 35,000 Telstra copper connections have been made to houses in greenfield estates, even though it shows how many more premises it has reached than the government's National Broadband Network (NBN) fibre.
Source: ZDNet Australia